I just bought a really cool 82 240 two door turbo that is in really good shape except for two rusted spots on the drivers floor. It looks to be where the windshield probably leaked. It's a southen car and otherwise rust free.
My question is what's the best way to handle this. Should I take it to a body shop and bite the bullet.Or are replacement floor pans available?
Any ideas would be appreciated.
Thanks
Ken

If you dont want the expense of welding and the holes are extensive, another alternative is to use sheet metal and rivot the panels to the existing floor. Fill over the joints with epoxy or fiberglass resin. Makes a strong, waterproof floor and can be done by any diy.

As "mudbug" says, it really depends . . . I had an '82 and had the same problem. I also had an '84 with rusted floor pans. The '84 was worse, so I consulted a friend who is a body man and we essentially did the needed repairs with fiberglass on top and undercoating on bottom. That held for years, and when my daughter totaled the car, the floors were still just fine. As for the '82, it was just a spot rusted through, so I cleaned it up as well as I could, and epoxy'd a piece of sheet aluminum over the spot, and then applied under coating from below. That worked just fine, too. Of course, those were the days before POR-15, so you might want to consider that, though I personlly have no experience with the product.

The repairs I mention are not "permanent," but I live in the South, so I knew the repairs would last as long as I needed them to. Your situation may be different. At any rate, just take out your seats and carpet, and get a good look at what you have. My experience is that the rust throughs are generally small and isolated, and those areas can be repaired without too big a deal.

Thanks a lot for the info. I think they are pretty small holes and The southern climate here will make it last pretty well as you all said.
KEN

How big are the holes? If they are small, you could "fix" them with a POR-15 kit or something similar. If the holes are large and/ or the rust is extensive, welding new panels is the better way to go. I don't know how much a welding shop would charge for a floor repair. I'm taking a welding class this semester, so that I can make those types of repairs myself.

Good luck,
Keith
--
1983 245 Turbo, 165K miles; 1987 244 DL, 272K miles; 1980 244 DL (RIP); 1966 Ford Bronco- straight six, three-on-the-tree, NO frills