Rust Issues - Need advice and opinions (long)

[broncorick]

Weld with gas--superior welds, no slag to clean, better more consistent weld. Also buy an auto darkening helmet--far superior to having to blind strike or flip a lens down.
Order of welding--thats a tough one. I am doing a frame off and replacing 100% of the metal in the back up to the firewall. I feel like I am on the ford line building a new bronco. If you are doing this without a reference Bronco (one to take measurements off of), go slow and take your time and measure and record. I have replaced one piece at a time before and just fit and weld. So I don't think there is a cast in stone order--Good luck and have fun!!

 

[mp]

A lost depends on you.

I would replace the front floor pans as suggested with the ribbed replacment panels. They are really not too hard. I think the worse part is removing the old rusty metal....and spot welds.

I would patch the areas in the rear. Your floor does not look bad enough to replece entirely.

Because you are going to LineX the interior, a first time weld job will be fine. I taught myself how to weld by replacing EB floorboards.

If you are really on a budget, and don't plan on getting too serious with the welder, Harbor Freight sells some decent 115V ones. Mine is a small gas MIG and fully capable for all non structural welding on my EB. I save the heavy duty welding for the pros.

My welder cost around $250, and I paid another $50 for a tank of Argon mix. I am sure there is someone in the area that would be willing to coach you and show you the ropes.

Good luck. Your truck looks really nice.

 

[Mark]

You don't need gas to plug weld the floor pans in.
If you start with those, you'll get a good feel for welding and you can decide on gas from there.
If you're fully welding patches, gas may be something to pursue.
I don't use gas, but I use a 4 1/2" angle grinder to clean up my booger welds.

 

[POR-15 Chris]

Go to Airgas.com and use the store locator. I'm sure there is one around you. I bought my welder there with everything ready to go including instructions and a small class for around $900.
Then go to a local metal supply shop and get some 20 and 18 gague metal and get to work.
It's fun, easy and yet another thing you can say you did yourself.
Since it will be under the LineX, perfection won't be critical.

Also if you're going to LineX I don't think Por15 is necessary or even desired by the LineX guys. Might want to check with them first.

Nice rig.

It may look like a big job to you now but if you have some time to spend on it you can learn as you go and get things just right.

There is actually a Line-X company in florida that puts POR-15 down underneath there line-X FIRST!!!

 

[Dave]

I would replace the floor and bed pannels as others have recommended. Those pieces in the front corners of the bed are easy to replace. Those big rusted areas that are exposing the body mounts under your feet on the floor boards can cause some body sag issues. Remove the floor pans and make sure that the body brace that runs across the body has not bent down and is in decent shap. Just patching the bad spots might leave a lot of underlying issues to haunt you in the near future. There are a lot of positives with body work on the Bronco. The body is relativly simple and easy to work on, parts are availvble at a reasonable price, and there is a lot of good information and help available on this site. Good luck...

 

[trailpsycho]

The Line-X shops that I talked to (and used) DO NOT want POR under their product. Etching Primer is preferred.

To the original poster, I am glad that you have decided to do this yourself. First thing is to find yourself a couple of hours and do ALOT of reading on how others have done their floorpans...there are at least a dozen full-tech type threads where people discussed their techniques, show pics, etc. There are a couple of ways it can be done. Definitely dont cut anything until you get the replacement panels. I agree, as I believe I said on the 1st page of this thread, that those floorpans should come out. In the bed corners, you can probably patch those. My advice and you REALLY dont want to hear it, although I think I said it in my first post on this thread, is to #1 pull both gask tanks and fuel lines out of the truck, as well, the dash, the hood, the front fenders, the tailgate, the doors, absolutely everything you can, b/c there will be sparks, weld through primer, dragging hoses, chaos and curse words everywhere while you are working on this project. Cover the engine compartment WELL with a canvas blanket. Your truck looks very nice; the idea to remember is DO NO HARM, which can be difficult. I am sure there are more than a few Broncos floating around that are/will waste away more quickly after their "Restos" due to cheap materials, slopp workmanship or laziness. The other thing I would recommend is to gain access to a small blaster and try to hit all the areas that you believe are problematic...this will give you a good idea on how bad the floors are and allow you to make a better decision about replacing or patching in those corners. Also, dont expect this to be a fast process. Take your time and practice before you commit. Best

John

 

[Mark]

First thing is to find yourself a couple of hours and do ALOT of reading on how others have done their floorpans...there are at least a dozen full-tech type threads where people discussed their techniques, show pics, etc. There are a couple of ways it can be done. Definitely dont cut anything until you get the replacement panels.

I agree with trailpsycho.
Here's my recent work (no gas)...
http://www.classicbroncos.com/forums/showthread.php?t=104833

The other thing I would recommend is to gain access to a small blaster and try to hit all the areas that you believe are problematic...this will give you a good idea on how bad the floors are and allow you to make a better decision about replacing or patching in those corners.

This is my "Truth Determinator" for finding good metal where rust is present. Much quicker and not as messy as sandblasting. You can find it in the welding supply section of the hardware store. Don't be shy with it, rust will flake and fall away, good metal will not. Put some "umph" into it.

 

[deltarat]

If you have small places that need to be replaced, some times it is easier to buy the replacement panel and just cut form it what you need. This is what I did on my upper and lower 1/4 panels. It will save you time and trouble making a panel from scratch. Just go slow and don't cut too quick. I drilled holes from the bottom on each side of the body supports, so I would know where to stop the cuts, to keep from cutting the supports.