Butt or flange new floor pans

F-Zilla · Post by **F-Zilla** » November 7, 2006, 12:03 am

Would you butt weld or flange and weld new floor pans in? I have a new set of pans and I am leary of trying to butt weld them.

ICEMAN6166 · Post by **ICEMAN6166** » November 7, 2006, 1:38 am

first off what type of welding are you doing? stick or wire ? i butt welded a cab corner and a piece behind the drivers door up to the body line with my 110 wire feed and .035 flux core wire. cut both pieces carefully and fit them, trimming to get the most perfect fit you can before tacking.
most of my smaller repairs are butt-welded too.

on my floor repairs i always use a thicker metal so they are welded differently, and it depends upon the area.

patience is most important on welding thin stuff.

mikecarson · Post by **mikecarson** » November 7, 2006, 6:24 am

One problem I can think of with flanging the floor is it could leave areas to trap moisture.

66fordtrucknut · Post by **66fordtrucknut** » November 7, 2006, 6:35 am

I butt weld them. Just cut carefully, I like to use .045 thick cutoff wheels in a 41/2" grinder to cut out the old ones. A small gap isn't a bad thing, it gives the weld a place to go and the metal a place to stretch. I use .023 dia. wire.
Charlie

jakdad · Post by **jakdad** » November 7, 2006, 9:41 am

I prefer the flange (lap) method then clean and seal with body seam filler. By the time the new stuff rots out, it'll be somebody else's problem.

Comet · Post by **Comet** » November 7, 2006, 2:23 pm

Funny, I posted the same question on another forum. I think it comes down to skill level and if you want it to look nicer. If it's going to be covered with carpet, I'd flange. If bare floor, butt.

ABA · Post by **ABA** » November 7, 2006, 4:55 pm

jakdad wrote:I prefer the flange (lap) method then clean and seal with body seam filler. By the time the new stuff rots out, it'll be somebody else's problem.

I should post some pics of the crappy job the PO did on my truck and he is a welder by trade.

Not much fun fixing somebody else's piss poor restorations.

Not calling your work piss poor jakdad, just making a point about being that "somebody" who's got the "problem".

Slick Fan · Post by **Slick Fan** » November 7, 2006, 5:37 pm

This topic brings up a question I've had for a while.
The catalogs state that the replacement floorpans fit from 65 all the way to 79 if I recall? Do they actually look & fit like they were made for 65's & 66's?

jakdad · Post by **jakdad** » November 7, 2006, 6:19 pm

ABA wrote:
jakdad wrote:I prefer the flange (lap) method then clean and seal with body seam filler. By the time the new stuff rots out, it'll be somebody else's problem.
I should post some pics of the crappy job the PO did on my truck and he is a welder by trade. Not much fun fixing somebody else's piss poor restorations.

Not calling your work piss poor jakdad, just making a point about being that "somebody" who's got the "problem".

Yep, stuff kinda runs downhill. I like the lap method becaues I always felt that it was a stronger joint. I also like it 'cause I'm not that good at welding. I usually manage to blow through butted joints. As for as carpeted or not, doesn't matter. If it's a lapped joint just do the body seam filler, body filler and finish. I know what you mean about cleaning up someone elses mess. I've made enogh of my own and had to cut it out and start over.

jimbob1021 · Post by **jimbob1021** » November 7, 2006, 6:30 pm

jakdad wrote:
ABA wrote:
jakdad wrote:I prefer the flange (lap) method then clean and seal with body seam filler. By the time the new stuff rots out, it'll be somebody else's problem.
I should post some pics of the crappy job the PO did on my truck and he is a welder by trade. Not much fun fixing somebody else's piss poor restorations.

Not calling your work piss poor jakdad, just making a point about being that "somebody" who's got the "problem".
Yep, stuff kinda runs downhill. I like the lap method becaues I always felt that it was a stronger joint. I also like it 'cause I'm not that good at welding. I usually manage to blow through butted joints. As for as carpeted or not, doesn't matter. If it's a lapped joint just do the body seam filler, body filler and finish. I know what you mean about cleaning up someone elses mess. I've made enogh of my own and had to cut it out and start over.

your right it does make for a lot stronger joint i have been in to a lot of body shops and they all do their repairs like this and i do all of mine the same way and have never had a problem with the body work poping back out i did a car 10 years ago and it still looks like the day i repaired it . jim

flareside64 · Post by **flareside64** » November 7, 2006, 8:30 pm

It depends on a few things. your skill level is one thing, your ambition, and what are you doing with the truck. If your showing the truck and want it to look beautiful under the truck also; I would personally butt joint if you have some good metalworking skills, making sure you get 100% penetration(not hard with sheet metal). Just be sure to leave a small gap; .020 is fine. Then you can grind it and you wont even know. Just make sure you take your time and cut and trim nicely. It takes a lot of patience, dont be in a hurry. And dont weld it all at once take your time and stich it in different spots so it doesnt get to hot and warp. Lap joint is fine also if your not worried too much about the underside, just be sure to use seam sealer after as stated above. It is easier to lap joint than to butt joint for a beginner welder. and a lot less of a chance of making a mistake. What type of welding are you going to do? stick, mig, tig)

F-Zilla · Post by **F-Zilla** » November 7, 2006, 10:34 pm

I'm doing mig, but my skill level is not up high enough yet to butt weld, I'm going to need a lot more practice and tuning before I try it. I would like to butt weld, so I'm practicing like a mad man. I started taking a welding class about 10 years ago on Sat mornings, but the ex made it hard with custody, so I had to drop out (her goal was achieved). Now I don't have a work schedule that would allow for a class, so I'm learning the hard way.

jakdad · Post by **jakdad** » November 8, 2006, 5:08 pm

I also sometimes use an air operated body punch- panel flange tool to make joints where there are none. Works pretty good for all us guys that used to butt weld.

boss9 · Post by **boss9** » November 8, 2006, 7:02 pm

I like to flange/overlap. I drill 1/4" holes every inch in the replacement panel.
then I tack inside the holes with a wire feed. Kinda looks like factory spot welds Then seam seal or body fill depending on where it's at.

Slick Fan · Post by **Slick Fan** » November 9, 2006, 12:56 pm

Ok fine, don't answer my question.

F-Zilla · Post by **F-Zilla** » November 9, 2006, 2:42 pm

Slick Fan wrote:Ok fine, don't answer my question.

Sorry man, I have not used my new pans, but just quickly looking at them, the seem to match fine, I only lade the drivers side in for a minute though.

AngelW28 · Post by **AngelW28** » November 9, 2006, 4:53 pm

I didn't have time to get them here but I got some pics posted in my gallery of my bed floor. It was lap welded and still needs a bit more work. I have used a mig for most of it and it is working fine.
Good luck.....please note I do have a bit more work to do on the floor.
Angel