Fiero 88 GT.. drivers side rear left seat rail..



Apparently the repair (that I didnt do) was Half A*sed and two blocks of wood was put in place of a once rear cross beam and a bolt and nut was put there to fasten.... It all rusted out because my stupid weatherstripping that you cant find (T-Top) car leaks all over the place.... Its hard to see in the pictured but there is a huge 3/4 the way round crack in the metal floorboard causing the seat to dip down in that direction.. It looks like the whole bottom is going to have to be replaced..

my question is.. Can I repair that one section? any ideas on a repair for that? do I have to replace the whole thing? can I find a cross beam for that seat rail? any help would be appreciated.. keep in mind I dont own a welder or any metal.. (I wish I did)

Short answer is yes, you can piece a floor panel.

Know a good welder?

Time to pull out all the sound barrier and carpet and check the whole thing. Do the metal that needs it and then put some stone chip coating over the whole thing. That should hold the water from contacting the metal.

If you cut out paper template first it makes cutting a piece to fit easier.

Arn

No. I wish I did because all this needs is alot of welding.. but I have to fix it for now until I can find a good one

What kind of metal should I use for the floor.. Aluminum, steel?

and I really know this sounds mediocre to a mediocre job.. but what about j-b welding a new section of the floor in and a cross beam? if I jb weld it for now can I stll get someone to weld it in later? and also will a jb weld hold?.. Im looking upon replacing the section of the floor and also im going to fabricate a new cross beam or plate the existing cross beam so the seat will actually sit on the BEAM not the floor..

also one more question.. does anyone know of a rust penetrator that kills all rust on contact and prevents it from spreading? like a treatment that stops rust..

thanks I appreciate it

For a temp fix, try this. Some self tapping metal screws and a tube of roofing sealer.

I would use galvanized sheet if you can find some. It is stronger than aluminum and compatible.

As for killing rust, best thing is to use a power wire brush to get surface rust off and then some yellow Tremclad or Rustoleum. (Yellow has more chemical)

It isn't as good as sand blasting, but for a temp fix it will do the job.

I've done some "temp" type fixes on rusted floors that lasted years. And I'll bet the floors were much worse than your Fiero.

Arn

So I pulled the carpet out to inspect the damage..
Has not been cleaned up yet..

But any of yours worse than this?

rear driver side

front drivers side

the hole that was made from the rear left driverside seat rail

underneath rear drivers side

underneath front drivers side

underneath the back driverside wall


You think FieroFactory would have a floorboard or maybe even that cross rail for the seat?

[This message has been edited by gmctyphoon1992 (edited 08-07-2012).]

I thought mine was bad; one of the big plugs is completely gone, and fairly rusted out around it.. But WOW that looks like you should have fallen out the bottom! Good luck! Wish I still had the parts car to chop up for ya...

Wow, that's a couple days project. Did this car come from Michigan?

Start stabbing the floor with a screwdriver, if it goes through, that section needs to be cut out. Then take a wire wheel on the end of a drill or grinder and start removing surface rust, until you find a good thick spot, the original thickness of the metal. Cut along there strategically to make a good spot to weld the patch panels in. Wire wheel the rest of the surface rust off, and POR15 liberally.

("penetrator that kills all rust on contact")?

If you used that there wouldn't be anything left for the seat to sit on. Do T-Tops really leak that bad?

Spoon

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"Kilgore Trout once wrote a short story which was a dialogue between two pieces of yeast. They were discussing the possible purposes of life as they ate sugar and suffocated in their own excrement. Because of their limited intelligence, they never came close to guessing that they were making champagne." - Kurt Vonnegut

@riceburner98... Yea I was in my car at LA fitness gym parking lot about to drive home and heard something dripping underneath my car (it rained 15mins before) and when I took a look under my car I saw the first picture I posted earlier.. Not good at all.. and thanks for the thought tho..

@RWDPLZ... Originally this car came from Kentucky owned by the original owner of the car who passed away around 5 or 6 years ago.. His soon "said" it was garaged but I dont know if I believe him totally.. plus I have found like 4 dead mice recently in my center console and under my carpet..

Ive already cleaned it up a bit and started stabbing the floor (hearing the different changes in density of the metal) Its beyond repair really.. Luckly Jw3 has got an extra entire drivers side floor to cut for me so I can just start fresh with a good one.. (maybe I should check the passenger side too )

@spoon... I completely agree which is why im cutting the entire floor from the front cross beam to the upper part of the rear and start fresh with a new one welded..

The T-tops arent really the biggest problem.. its the front part of both the passenger and drivers side doors that leak down and run to the back of the car.. BUT that has got to be more than a few years (of owning it) of rust in that car..The car usually gets covered and parking garaged during rain storms even though I have gotten the car soaked before.. I never knew the car was this bad I knew there was some which I took care of but not THAT much..

[This message has been edited by gmctyphoon1992 (edited 08-08-2012).]

quote Originally posted by Arns85GT: For a temp fix, try this. Some self tapping metal screws and a tube of roofing sealer. I would use galvanized sheet if you can find some. It is stronger than aluminum and compatible. As for killing rust, best thing is to use a power wire brush to get surface rust off and then some yellow Tremclad or Rustoleum. (Yellow has more chemical) It isn't as good as sand blasting, but for a temp fix it will do the job. I've done some "temp" type fixes on rusted floors that lasted years. And I'll bet the floors were much worse than your Fiero. Arn

When I posted the above, your pic and description did not do this job justice. It is way more than a patch. It is downright structural. I new welded floor is definitely the only way to go on this one, due to the structural integrity factor.

Arn

Edit, yes the floor panels are interchangable

[This message has been edited by Arns85GT (edited 08-08-2012).]

Yea When I took the carpet out I knew a patch wasnt going to do it.. this needs a new floor in which im getting

So I took a look at the passenger side today.. not too bad Id say ... it looks worse in the picture than it really is..





Where can I find the POR-15 locally besides paint shops? or is there something better to use once the majority of the rust is up (there will be a small amount of rust that remains that I just want to go over and stop it that way).. I really want to stop the rust in its tracks.. and on top protect it along with a moisture type barrier..

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1988 Pontiac Fiero Gt (fully optioned, factory leather, 5-speed, CJB T-Tops: Black w/ gray interior and blk wheels)
1992 GMC Typhoon #0203
1971Chevorlet Corvette 454cu/ LS5/ 4-speed/ convertible
1993 BMW 850 Ci 6-speed V-12

took to the shop today..gonna cost 300 bucks to drop the coolant lines and a/c lines, cut out the old pan and tack weld the new pan from underneath and weld from the top..



will show more when its finished for others to see