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Footwell advice

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jjbunn

jjbunn

Jedi Knight
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Here is a picture of the driver's footwell in my '73 GT.

https://static.flickr.com/117/273583429_8b9d2002a5_o.jpg

I'd love some advice on what to do with it. The light yellow colour is the original paint. The darker yellow/brown is RUST. I've scraped around in it, and happily it doesn't go deep.

The darker area in the foreground is some sort of covering. It's like bitumen or something. It's hard and brittle and about 1/4" thick. I pulled a couple of pieces off. In places underneath there is bare, unrusted metal.

This covering doesn't reach to the edge of the sills, so there is a channel that has rusted along there.

I was planning on applying a coat of POR-15, after cleaning the area up, but don't know if I should try to remove more of the black stuff.

After the POR-15 I'd like to put a coat of something that will evenly cover the area so that it's flat and smooth. Any suggestions?

Thanks!
 
Depending on what that stuff is, you can try a wire wheel to get it off, or chip it off with a scraper and small hammer. I would feel better if it wasn't there to ensure water isn't getting trapped underneath.
 
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/iagree.gif Wire wheel will only make it hot 'n gooey is my guess. Chisel/scraper and elbow grease aplenty... so you can POR-15 the whole floorpan. Looks like you've got a comparatively solid car, Julian. Congrats!
 
The material that looks like bitumen is probably the old sound proofing installed at the factory,this stuff gets old and brittelly after all these years.
 
A heat gun with the scraper might do the trick.
Rick
 
Thanks chaps!

After treating the rust areas with POR15, is there some product I could pour, paste or paint over the floorpan that would dry to a hard, flat finish? Would Bondo be suitable for that?
 
Since you're going to cover it with carpet anyway, I would simply get it clean and protected and spend the extra time elsewhere on the car. But if you really want it smooth, you will have to sand it all down.

I sanded my floorboards lightly, sprayed with rust converter and then top coated with spray paint. Here in the LA area you don't have to worry too much about it since the climate is dry.
 
Bondo is unsuitable for anything in LBC's!!! It's primarily a body filler anyhow.

Floorboards should be as de-rusted as possible, treated with a "converter" as Steve has said and painted. If you want to do any padding or insulation I'd say make it easily removable and water resistant. That way you can keep an eye on things and head off any problems before they eat thru the pans.
 
But you want that old soundprofing on your floors....I use a hammer & chisel to remove the old stuff then replace it with new soundproofing.
 
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