Temporary Floor Sealing

[Crazy Rusty]

Any ideas for temporarily fixing rust holes in the floor boards? I'm going to slap some POR15 on but won't be able to get to welding in new pieces until next year. I was thinking about drilling holes and putting in some rubber stoppers...

Any one have ideas? I would leave it alone but up here in the NW we'll be getting rain from Sept-May and I've already found it wet under the carpet since I got it a week ago just from driving.

[joe dirt]

maybe just some sheetmetal and caulking and screws for now

[63burban]

Screws and sheet metal. don't put the POR on until you are completely finished, it's almost impossible to get off once it's dried.

[Jcox68rt]

Or use the por15 with their fiberglass matting that you paint right over the with Por15... I've used it on very minor rust holes before and it's hard as steel once dried. I wouldn't use over quarter sized holes or bigger though..just an idea. If the holes are small and minor this could be a near permanent fix.

[rcnutt]

Originally Posted by Jcox68rt

Or use the por15 with their fiberglass matting that you paint right over the with Por15... I've used it on very minor rust holes before and it's hard as steel once dried. I wouldn't use over quarter sized holes or bigger though..just an idea. If the holes are small and minor this could be a near permanent fix.

I second this....works great

[OldGMJon]

could you explain that por 15 and fiberglass matt routine again with a little more detail?

[Improbcat]

You don't need to use POR-specific fiberglass mat, any of the chopped-strand type fiberglass mat will work.

Do all your rust grinding & surface prep, then trim a piece of the mat to cover the holes and overlap onto good metal. Lay down a coat of POR on both sides of the metal as usual, then lay the mat on a plastic covered surface and brush it with POR on both sides, forcing the POR into the weave. Lay this over the still-wet POR on the metal, and use a POR covered brush to force any air bubbles out and the mat hard against the metal. Wait for the POR to dry and put another coat of POR on both sides to seal the mat & metal together.

Be aware that you are going to have to cut out the entire POR & mat section and weld in new metal as there is no way to remove this fix from the metal for welding.

[dtkarst]

I used regular fiberglass matting on my floors by the kick panels on my k20. Then sprayed some sound deadening undercoating over it before layig my carpet it. Worked great

[OldGMJon]

Originally Posted by Improbcat

You don't need to use POR-specific fiberglass mat, any of the chopped-strand type fiberglass mat will work.

Do all your rust grinding & surface prep, then trim a piece of the mat to cover the holes and overlap onto good metal. Lay down a coat of POR on both sides of the metal as usual, then lay the mat on a plastic covered surface and brush it with POR on both sides, forcing the POR into the weave. Lay this over the still-wet POR on the metal, and use a POR covered brush to force any air bubbles out and the mat hard against the metal. Wait for the POR to dry and put another coat of POR on both sides to seal the mat & metal together.

Be aware that you are going to have to cut out the entire POR & mat section and weld in new metal as there is no way to remove this fix from the metal for welding.

Thanks for the details...I was under the assumption that POR 15 worked best on rusty portions because it reacted with the rust. In your explanation you grind the rust off. Do you lose any of that reaction by doing so?

[Jcox68rt]

You just need to get the heavy scales stuff off and get it prepped according to por15 directions so it will adhere well.

[OldGMJon]

Originally Posted by Jcox68rt

You just need to get the heavy scales stuff off and get it prepped according to por15 directions so it will adhere well.

OK I see what you mean now. Thanks for the info...

[Crazy Rusty]

Thanks everyone. I think I'm going to use some POR15 on the stuff I'll be cutting out anyway and then probably the caulking/sheetmetal. A little worried I might overdue it if I go the fiberglass route

[LostMy65]

This almost sounds like a good permanent fix for the floor. I mean, if you clean the floors and you only have small holes why couldn't it last you the rest of your life?

[Jcox68rt]

Originally Posted by LostMy65

This almost sounds like a good permanent fix for the floor. I mean, if you clean the floors and you only have small holes why couldn't it last you the rest of your life?

All depends. How bad the rust is to start with, where you live (climate), & how the truck/car will be used once done. I did this to an old survivor Plymouth Valiant I had, I didn't drive it or park it in the rain once I got and I gave the pin hole floorboards this treatment and it lasted for many years, put new carpet in it earlier this year to sell it and floors and trunk looked like I had just done them. I also did this to the pinhole trunk floor in my 68 Charger RT show car about back in 2001. I haven't lifted the carpet in it since...might have to go investigate to see what it looks like now...probably looks like it was just done, It hasn't been in the rain or washed (just wiped down) since.