Hole and rust damage in floor

[skang5]

My '87 325i has a 2" diameter hole in the front passenger side floor area. The area around the hole has some serious rust damage. How big of a job is it to cut out the passenger side floor board and weld in a replacement piece of metal? Generally how much would a body shop charge for such a job?

Thanks.

[straight6pwr]

find a buddy with a welder who can help you. then it will only cost a couple of drinks and an 'i owe you one'

[draculia]

definately! if the hole is located in a nice flat part of the floor, the just cut out a patch and weld in a new patch. after everything is welded in, clean everything very well and paint the top coat with some rubber undercoating. i like the products from por-15 for degreasing, cleaning, and chassis painting.

[Gonzo318is]

find a buddy with a welder who can help you. then it will only cost a couple of drinks and an 'i owe you one'

Ditto, I had a similar problem on one of my old bugs with the rusted out floor pans. Hopefully it's just that one spot, I had to replace half the floor pan. Paying a shop to do it won't be cheap. If you don't know how to weld or have the tools to do so and don't have a buddy to help you out then I suggest you find one. :D

Good luck.

[tsunami]

I cannot say that I have done this myself, but a friend used some filler material for his old mercedes since it was not exposed (covered by carpet). It seems to have held up real well. I will update on the product he used shortly. This was picked up from your standard auto shops.

Welding also works.

Stay tuned.

It was BONDO.

[skang5]

If I could try a body filler on the hole first, that would be great.

[hotghias]

if you go that route, don't use regular body filler. you could use fiberglass, though. or something like bondo's "kitty hair", which is long-strand fiberglass reinforced filler. make sure you use a wire brush or sandblast the crap out of the area so it will stick, and use a good paint afterwards. may not last forever, but if you don't have a welder, it's an "ok" option.

if there was water inside the car that caused the rustout (or any cause other than general use in NY), you need to fix that problem before you try to repair it.

[misterjover]

find a buddy with a welder who can help you. then it will only cost a couple of drinks and an 'i owe you one'

Precisely.

Or just leave the hole there, and use it whenever you need to take a leak and you're not near a bathroom.

[jdblep]

Just fixed the same problem on my 86. (holes in the floor, and trunk) A quick trip to walmart for the following: Bondo fiberglass kit, rubberized undercoating, and a tube of silicon sealant. Worked great, just make sure to use several layers of fiberglass, seal everything up with the silicone, then spray both sides with the undercoating.

[skang5]

Thanks for the advice everyone.

I'm gonna head to Walmart and give it a try this weekend.

[skang5]

Precisely.

Or just leave the hole there, and use it whenever you need to take a leak and you're not near a bathroom.

That what the empty Gatorade jugs are for. Just remember to make sure it's not Lemon flavor bottle.