Pagoda SL Group
W113 Pagoda SL Group => Body, interior, paint, chrome, and cosmetic items => Topic started by: Tom in seattle on January 21, 2019, 01:44:28
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I have discovered rust in the left 1/2 of the trunk floor. The right side seems solid. I see that a left half is available. Can you advise a vendor of choice? Also I'm assuming the fuel tank needs to be removed and maybe fuel pump and related plumbing. What is the preferred process if you have done this?What sort of welding procedure? I have wire feed and gas. As I have posted prior, I am willing to consider use of adhesive or combination with weld. Your collective wisdom please.
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K&K manufacturing in Michigan can supply all the parts. Excellent reproductions that are even better than factory since they are zinc plated both sides. Spot weld in place as original or simulate spot welds for best original look. There is already a lot posted on this site with photos. Try searching it.
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You may want to just cut out the bad section on the left side of the floor pan and replace it with the same section cut out of the new panel. I did it this way on mine and it only took a day to get it in place for welding, however my car was already fully stripped and on a rotisserie.
I used the K&K panel as well and it fit great.
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Depending on if you are trying to retain originality or not changes things. Original welding process was spot welding at random intervals but if you are not concerned with making it look exactly the same I think panel bonding might be a worthy option. Especially since you could lap seam the floor in the middle right at the edge of one of the stiffening ribs and just do bodywork along one of the grooves in the floor. It might be more fun than butt welding a 3 foot seam. If you can find a body shop with a spot welder you could take a picture of the original seam and have them run the spot welder around the edges to make perfect little dimples before you glue it down. Speaking as someone who has spent literally days removing spot welded panels I recommend cutting the floor out with a cutoff wheel, a light scuff with a 4” angle grinder to find the spots, hit the welds hard at a 45 degree angle to thin the floor without cutting up the understructure then peeling the trunk floor away with a pliers. It is much faster than drilling and it leaves a better surface to weld/ bond to.
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I want to clarify: when you say hit the welds at an angle: do you mean to do this as a means of breaking the original spot welds? If so would you use a chisel to seperate two or more pieces where the original weld was? Maybe I'm not in sync with your explanation. Thanks
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Tom,
Basically you sre grinding away the top sheet of metal to the point you can easily peel away the top sheet from the bottom sheet.
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Tom,
In addition to grinding, I used a spot weld cutter to remove the weld spots. For me, that worked better than grinding in most areas. Once drilled, the panel will eventually pop up. (With a little help from a chisel or so).
https://www.amazon.com/KCC-Industries-Cutter-Replacement-Blades/dp/B073Z2L2C2/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_196_bs_t_1?_encoding=UTF8&&psc=1&&refRID=R7J4A3YXWXW8VXYKFYRP
Dirk
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Got it. And thanks.
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Looks interesting, thanks.