S13 rust repair

[Sr20probs]

Hey guys I’ve discovered a decent amount of rust and rot on my floor pans of my 240 all the way through the inside of the rockers. I wasn’t sure if I should try to find whole new floor pans if they are available. If not i might as well just buy a new shell. Pretty bummed out haha. Any input would be great at what to do I’m lost.

[UniqueAutoCreations]

Floor pan replacement is doable. Just make sure you treat any remaining rust or the problem will come back. You might search for that online and glean some information off the classic car / truck restoration guys. I know a lot of them end up making the new parts from just flat sheet metal and use a bead roller to stiffen them up. There's also a master metal worker named Lazze who has a great selection of videos on YouTube. You might check him out for some ideas. The real question you have to ask yourself is, is it worth the time to fix or would it be easier to swap all your parts to another chassis. I guess it just depends on how far into this car you are. Hope this helps.

Here's a link:

https://www.youtube.com/user/lazzemetalshaping

[Sr20probs]

I appreciate the input very much man. Thank you. I have had this shell for 3 years now it has a fully built sr great trans and all nice bolt ons and coils. It has a aero kit too. I know this means nothing if it’s all surrounded by rust. I have tons of time and money into the power train just not the chassis itself. I would just love something rust free. If I was able to just fix it I would just stuck at the moment

[tuzzio]

New England sucks. Either spend too much money finding a rust free shell, or travel for one and buy it for an actual realistic price.

[Sr20probs]

New England is terrible. Especially for the s chassis’s. I may have to travel down south I just don’t know the cheapest way of getting it back

[jumpman2334]

Originally Posted by Sr20probs

New England is terrible. Especially for the s chassis’s. I may have to travel down south I just don’t know the cheapest way of getting it back

I hear trailers work pretty good.

[souljaseth33]

Tow dolly is probably easiest. I picked up a car from MD and used a dolly to bring it to Albany NY. Probably a 12hr or so round trip done in a day.

[Sr20probs]

Thank you for a non sarcastic reply unlike the last guy.:/ that’s what I mean there are so many options haha.

[UniqueAutoCreations]

Sounds like you need to go with the repair route. The guys at JDM Legends are well versed in this type of repair. They could do it for you or you might be able to learn from what they did to this 75 Celica. It had a few rust spots they fixed including a rocker. From what I've seen they look like the real deal when it comes to restoration. Not a lot of shops take this much care in a project.

75 Celica Link: https://www.jdmlegends.com/?p=3017

[Sr20probs]

Okay I am going to need some time to decide what I should do because everyone has come up with very good solutions besides that one guy haha. Thank you.

[jumpman2334]

wow two digs in less than an hour, what an honor.


this isn't hard. either fix the rust or trailer a car/shell back. a quick google search reveals lots of other floor pan threads.

[Sr20probs]

Sorry man I am just stressed out I understand I am making this much more of a situation than it is

[jumpman2334]

Its okay, it can be a stressful situation. UAC hit it pretty spot on in post #2 if you want to do it yourself depending on the severity of the situation.


if you go the trailer route, the cheapest option will most likely to do it yourself. private haulers will most likely charge too much $$. you will pay with your time though doing it yourself with a rental trailer. just gotta weigh your options and make the move.

[Sr20probs]

If this helps with opinions, I can post pictures of the current state of the floor pans and rockers. Trailing home a new shell does seem to be the cheapest way to a clean 240 for sure. I believe U-haul shouldn’t be a terrible decision. I was planning on selling the shell to my buddy for around 600-700. Then hopefully find a decent roller shell that’s clean. But like I said I can post pictures of the rot for the best option.

[TheBlackHand]

Without seeing pics it's hard to say if your floor pans are worth fixing. Don't let the rust discourage you though. My coupe was a rusted out turd when I got it. Took a few months to fix all the rust spots but totally worth it in the long run. If you're good with a welder and metal work I say go for it. It all comes down to a cost/benefit analysis in your situation. If you feel it would take too long, too expensive and time consuming to fix vs. just finding another shell then don't do it. If you think your shell is worth fixing then fix the rust.

[Sr20probs]

I have a welder just not good with it. I’ll post some pictures when I get home from work. I appreciate all the posts guys.