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Lorie Samba Member
Joined: January 26, 2004 Posts: 3 Location: Honolulu, Hawaii
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Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2004 1:04 pm Post subject: To wield or not to?! NEED HELP!!! |
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Aloha, I am in need of some help. I just recently bought a Vw Thing. The safety on this vehicle is expired so I need to have this done, BUT it won't pass right now due to a hairline fraction in the floorpan. So do I cut metal and weld? Do I get new pans? I would like some feedback. I appreciate it very much, thanks, Lorie |
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bljones Resident Wit
Joined: February 08, 2002 Posts: 2377 Location: ontario canada
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Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2004 9:17 pm Post subject: |
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We need more information. how bad is the fracture? where is it? any pics? what state/province/country are you in? _________________ OG JHC
Author of Original Rant #1
"It stingd itself to dead... now that is control on you"
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Lorie Samba Member
Joined: January 26, 2004 Posts: 3 Location: Honolulu, Hawaii
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Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2004 11:26 pm Post subject: fallin through the floor |
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I had posted about to weld or not. So on the driver side on the inner side of it where the two pans come together. there is a a good bit of metal missing, so much as the seat track is no longer on right. I am in Hawaii so if anyone knows who can be of help hey I greatly appreciate it. thanks |
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bljones Resident Wit
Joined: February 08, 2002 Posts: 2377 Location: ontario canada
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Posted: Tue Jan 27, 2004 9:01 am Post subject: |
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the reason i ask this stuff is because in some places part of the inspection is to let some troll poke around your car with a screwdriver looking for weak spots, in which case fiberglass would not be even a "make-do" option.
In your first post you said "hairline crack"... now it is "good bit of metal missing.. seat track is no longer on right." if it is that bad, replace the pans. you'll spend as much time chasing down rusty spots and patching them as you would cutting out the pans and replacing them. while you are at it, check the underside of the center tunnel, to make sure it isn't soft, and up front at the framehead. _________________ OG JHC
Author of Original Rant #1
"It stingd itself to dead... now that is control on you"
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Lorie Samba Member
Joined: January 26, 2004 Posts: 3 Location: Honolulu, Hawaii
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Posted: Tue Jan 27, 2004 11:48 pm Post subject: didn't realize......... |
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I didn't realize how bad it was til I lifted up the driver seat. Oh my goodness I couldn't believe it what I thought was a hairline fraction, was worse. I talked to a mechanic today here on the island and he said about taking some metal and welding then covering it wtih Por-15 on the inside as well as the undercarriage. I am so bummed, I have been lookin for years for a Thing now I have one and I am going through this. I paid 1400.00 for it. The body has some areas where there is metal missing so this mechanic says he can fill that in with fibergalss. I was also told to take metal brackets and run them horizonal and then bolt the seat track to that. I am at wits end here. Thanks for your time. I apologize for the lack of info. Thanks, Lorie |
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bljones Resident Wit
Joined: February 08, 2002 Posts: 2377 Location: ontario canada
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Posted: Wed Jan 28, 2004 6:50 am Post subject: |
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Do it right- buy new pans. doing it cheap isn't worth it, and you really won't save any money, because at some point, likely in the very near future, you will have to do it AGAIN. _________________ OG JHC
Author of Original Rant #1
"It stingd itself to dead... now that is control on you"
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doug Samba Member
Joined: September 03, 2003 Posts: 48 Location: dunedin, fl
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Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2004 10:05 am Post subject: pans |
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Yeah, I agree with bljones replace the pans and find a mechanic that knows vw's. Mechanics that are not familar with vw's always want to do a hack job. Replacing the pans is not a hard job for an experience vw mechanic. No pop rivet, tar paper, and putty repairs do it right. |
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Bruce Samba Member
Joined: May 16, 2003 Posts: 17290 Location: Left coast, Canada
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Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2004 10:42 pm Post subject: Re: didn't realize......... |
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Lorie wrote: |
The body has some areas where there is metal missing so this mechanic says he can fill that in with fibergalss. |
Don't ever use fiberglass to repair rust. It will not last more than a year or two, then the rust hole will be larger than before. The ONLY cure is to weld in steel then properly paint (like with Por 15)
And like the above said, have new pan halves welded in by someone that has done it before. This is a common job, so you should be able to find someone who's experienced. If you try to re-inforce what's there, you will be repairing it again in the near future. But if you weld in new pan halves, its done for the next 3 decades. |
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