Spraying Wood Bed

[taylorbg]

I have purchased Lizard Skin Heat Shield and Sound Deadener. It sprays in like a bed liner. I have also bought some spray in liner, that I will spray on top of that.

So, Sound Deadener, then Heat Shield, then Bed Liner.

This will all go on the floor of my 72 Suburban. Now, I have been assured by the guy that the stuff will have no problem spraying and sticking to the wood. My question is, if I did that, would it shorten the life of the wood? If it gets wet underneath from rain, maybe it needs to breath from top too so it would not rot? I do not know. Does anyone have any thoughts or suggestions? Ideally I would prefer to spray the wood too, but not if it is going to shorten its life any. The last thing I want to do is replace that floor.

[vectorit]

I wouldn't spray the wood.
It's 3/4" plywood, it doesn't resonate road noise like sheet metal.
Most of the time, the wood is oiled on the underside from years of leaking running gear spraying it down. But the topside is typically dry, being indoors and covered. I think if you covered it with that stuff it would seal it so much, that the wood may start to do weird things. Such as warp, or bubble your sprayed on material.
I'd just get a thick rubber truck mat for the wood if you plan to put heavy parts on it, if not then you can do something like what I did and that was to just lay down jute padding and rubber under sided carpet. All removable of course, for ease of maintenance.

[da-burb]

I don't think you will have a problem. The marine grade plywood they use is very stable. If there was a problem it would have happened by now(as far as moisture from the bottom and dry from the top). If you were really worried about it then see what you can do to spray the underside and edges as well.

[taylorbg]

I still have not decided what to do with the wood.

However, I went out there yesterday to start prepping the front half and noticed that one of the previous owners had put fiber glass on the front pans which was coming up. So I start pulling them off and found out why. I now get to deal with rusted floor pans. Paying someone to fix this is not in my budget, as I had hopes of getting some other stuff taken care of real soon. (front end rebuild, possible 383 build, vintage air install)

I have been wanting to learn how to weld, and have a buddy that has told me he will teach me how. What do you think, is this something I could tackle? I am handy with wood, but never worked with metal before. I am not restoring a show truck, so I am not concerned if it isn't a masterpiece of work. Of course I will watch as many youtube videos as possible, there are plenty. I always research before I tackle something new. I like to try and be a jack of all trades. Time is my biggest enemy.

What do you think? Is this the job of a professional, or a good learning spot for me.

[vectorit]

If I were to do another restoration, I'd do the rust repair myself.
But, doing so would require an investment into a MIG welder I suppose.

Although I have some welding experience, and have gone to school and certified in structural welding. So I have the concepts down, but would need to practice a lot with a MIG and sheet metal.

Back when I did my burb, I paid someone to do it. Mainly because I didn't have the time, money, and facilities to do it. Then again my rust issues were pretty minor, so paying someone to do it wasn't a budget buster.

I'd shop around at shops, and see about getting the patching done on a piece work type of arrangement to suit your budget. If it is drivable, take it in for one area to get done. Then pick it up and save up, and take it back for another area to get repaired while you work on other stuff that doesn't require money and expertise for others to perform.

[Average Joe]

What do you think? Is this the job of a professional, or a good learning spot for me.
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Originally Posted by taylorbg

I still have not decided what to do with the wood.

However, I went out there yesterday to start prepping the front half and noticed that one of the previous owners had put fiber glass on the front pans which was coming up. So I start pulling them off and found out why. I now get to deal with rusted floor pans. Paying someone to fix this is not in my budget, as I had hopes of getting some other stuff taken care of real soon. (front end rebuild, possible 383 build, vintage air install)

I have been wanting to learn how to weld, and have a buddy that has told me he will teach me how. What do you think, is this something I could tackle? I am handy with wood, but never worked with metal before. I am not restoring a show truck, so I am not concerned if it isn't a masterpiece of work. Of course I will watch as many youtube videos as possible, there are plenty. I always research before I tackle something new. I like to try and be a jack of all trades. Time is my biggest enemy.

What do you think? Is this the job of a professional, or a good learning spot for me.

Heck, give it a shot! Pick yourself up a good 110 powered mig welder and hood. Ive never done replacement panels but I have made quite a few "home made" patches and they turned out well. I think patience is key.

[Franks 72]

I to had reservations about welding . I bought a small Lincoln and did LOTs of practice welds. I have been around welding and know what a good bead should look like but never had the nerve to tackle my project (Dads 1972 4x4 suburban). The areas you show are common for rust collection. The kick panels and floor pans front door pillars (lower portion) are reproduced by many vendors and make restoration much easier. A helpfull hint is always cut in straight lines, which makes the matching of the patch (with as little gap as possible ) easier.To repair my floor area just under the kick plate, I used a piece of floor patch.
I removed the sill, but it may be possible to fix without removal. Use light cardboard ( Cereal box) and make a test patch from it
There are lots of helpfull hints on this forum and many folks willing to provide solid advice.
For the record, my floor was Ziebarted then oil sprayed by Dad for 43 years. There was a thick layer of oil / dust which I removed with a hot air gun and putty knife. It came out like it left the factory. I wouldnt put any liner or heavy material on it which may trap moisture. I had severe rust in the large crossmember which forms the transition from steel floor to plywood. I attribute this to trapped moisture in the small space between the plywood and steel crossmember. The plywood was fine but the metal crossmember was paper thin in areas.

Good luck with your project !