Floor pans question from a newbie

[grandpas66]

I have painted several cars and trucks but never repaired rotten panels. I am about to start repairing floor pans, rocker panels, one cab corner and one door pillar. My floor pans are rusted through along the edges, but the centers of the panels are good. I have seen several guides the suggest cutting as little as possible of the existing panel. can someone help me understand why this is preferred rather than to replace the entire floor pan? The entire floorpan is $10 more than the outer skirt (sold from Brothers) and it seems that the welds would result in more opportunity for weakness, misalignment and a beginning point for future rust. It seems that replacing the whole panel is a sound idea even though there is a lot of good metal there. If you have experience in this please point me in the right direction. Thank you.

[jhrusk]

In my opinion replacing the entire floor would be the way to go but it would be a lot of work. That would get you back to factory seems and just spot welds. Replacing just the part needed may be a quicker and can be good repair but it comes down to how comfortable one is doing it. Experience helps a lot. And there is only one way to get that lol.

[grandpas66]

Replacing the whole floor will also give me access to the inside of the floor supports to address rust inside those panels as well. I am leaning toward replacing the whole floorpans, but I haven't started cutting yet, so all options are still on the table!

[Pinball Chris]

As mentioned, the more you replace the more work it is. The more you are cutting out the more bracing you need so the cab doesn't move out of square when you cut. Also, aftermarket panels tend not to fit real well, so its best to leave as much original metal as possible. Properly done butt welds won't rust and will be plenty strong

[Pinball Chris]

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=311224

This is a newer truck, but gives you the idea, not my truck.

[grandpas66]

Thanks for the link, lots of good ideas and pointers in there. I think that the cab mounts might make replacing the whole floor pans quite a bit harder than just cutting out the minimum needed portion. I will look into the challenges that might present over the next few days. Thanks again