Floor pan decisions

[forhumanuse]

Hi all. I bought some floor pans from WW and they are good quality but have needed some adjusting to fit. I decided to paint them with POR15, and the POR15 either chipped off or created little bubbles everywhere. Ive never had this happen with POR15 but regardless I sanded most of it off, and decided to go with 3M rubberized undercoat from a can in order to hide the little areas of POR15 I couldn't get to and protect the pans above all else.

Is this a bad idea to use this 3M stuff? Im restoring a 1957 beetle and I want to do it right and dont want all of this crap peeling off in 6 months. Should I A. Get them sand blasted and start over B. Leave as is and be happy that I did the right thing or C. Maybe coat the 3M rubberized coat with some type of top coat?

I appreciate any help, thoughts, ideas. Here is a picture of them:

Thank you!

[esde]

I have never gotten consistent results with POR15 so I quit trying years ago. My go to has been black epoxy primer, sprayed on thick. It's tough as nails, inexpensive, and usually a satin finish so it hides dirt and imperfections that are usually underneath..
The rubberized undercoating is more of a homeowner grade stuff, maybe ok but not what I would choose for a restoration.
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modok wrote:
Bent cranks are silent but gather no moss. I mean, ah, something like that.

[vw356]

The attachment areas have to be cleaned and primed with weld through primer. Then when welding the 3M stuff will probably burn loose in the welded areas.
I usually clean the attachment areas and spray weld through primer. But I also pre-drill the weld holes in the pan and sand the side that meets the pan edge before weld through primering. I then use a drill bit by hand and spin it in the holes to clear out the primer on the mounting edge. Then clamp them and weld them. But I have jigs to make sure my pan to body holes are in the right places. You might need to install the pans and bolt them to your body after the pan frame edges are already cleaned and weld through primed. Then install temporary screws or do spot welds to ensure the pans are located right. Then pull the body and weld it up the rest of the way.
Then clean and spray with 3m, or take the pan to get blasted and powder coated. I get mine blasted and coated. No seam sealer is used because my pans fit tight and look awesome in powdercoat.
Best of luck!
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Current projects:
1950's Volkswagens!
51,52,54's,55,56's,57,58's,'60's And then a bunch of '60's, but the '50's are my favorites..

[forhumanuse]

It looks like I'm starting over guys.

When you get the pans powdercoated, can you weld through it?I would have no problem doing that if I could weld it in after...would be nice.

I also like the idea of the epoxy primer, so you can touch it up if needed down the road.

[vw356]

No.. Do not powdercoat until after the pans are welded in. But, I also agree that epoxy primering is very good too. Costs may be similar, but I have not looked into this.
There are several ways to do this. You have 2 ideas so far that are good options. If you choose epoxy, make sure you get at least 2 good coats on, 3 would be even better. It is a strong surface when cured. Possibly even more rock chip resistant than powder coating, but I have not tested this. I just know sanding cured epoxy is not fun.lol.
Good luck!
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Current projects:
1950's Volkswagens!
51,52,54's,55,56's,57,58's,'60's And then a bunch of '60's, but the '50's are my favorites..

[VW_Jimbo]

[vw356]

Thank You Jimbo.. I am well aware of this. Sanding cured epoxy is not fun. But it does make a good rock chip preventive surface like Edse recommended. Sorry if I worded it wrong.
You are correct though. Epoxy actually needs either painted in the window the directions say or primered with sandable primer in the recommended window.
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Current projects:
1950's Volkswagens!
51,52,54's,55,56's,57,58's,'60's And then a bunch of '60's, but the '50's are my favorites..

[forhumanuse]

I want to powder coat the whole thing with the tunnel but that has to be pretty expensive.

[VW_Jimbo]

[scrivyscriv]

November 2021, I dropped off my fully metalworked chassis at the local Memphis powder coat shop. He’s also a big VW guy! It took a week or two.

I asked for satin black, and they delivered:

It’s hard to compare prices on anything in the last four years, so FWIW, I paid $400 for them to blast it and powder coat.

3-1/2 years later, and only about 150 miles on the car since then, I’m one hundred percent satisfied.

When starting the floor pan repair, I bought Summit Racing 2k grey epoxy and their single stage gloss black paint. The epoxy has been fantastic. But I was having a really, really hard time laying the gloss black out, without orange peel and dry spots. I think it was about 75% bad technique and 25% inadequate tools, but I wasn’t willing to let the ENTIRE PROJECT languish in the doldrums as I perfected my painting and looked for a bigger compressor and better gun.
The small amount I paid for prep and powdercoat significantly accelerated my timeline. And the finish is far beyond what I would have achieved.

I’d personally stay away from most single-part topcoats of any kind. They, as a generality, tend to be readily damaged by chemicals like brake fluid and brake cleaner, or gas. And some have significant, well-documented substrate adhesion problems.
3M has some excellent videos on using their materials, and demonstrations of automotive finish and repair methods. Well worth the time to look them up and soak up their free knowledge!
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Robert in Memphis
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If you're ever in the Memphis area, you are welcome to stop by for advice and help.