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Hello T3ers! As I have been of the list for a few months I'm not sure if this topic has been covered recently so apologies if it has, but while taking out my seats and ripping out my carpet today to install a new carpet kit in my '68 square I discovered to my horror that my passenger side floorpan is badly rusted from the passenger footspace to the battery area to the point that it might cave in when a passenger gets in the back seat, thus requiring immediate attention. My initial thought is that I should deal with both sides (passenger and driver) while I'm at it so I don't have to deal with this again for a long time. I was looking through own my archive of old posts for information about pan replacement and found this list of points Ford Donald posted in 1997 after aggregating replies to the list by several listees. It seems to suggest I get new metal ghia pans and a trusty body shop to do the work. Is there anything anyone would like to add to this list of combined wisdom, or any updated posts/info on the subject (such as availability of replacement pans or good alternatives) someone could repost or forward to me? I'd appreciate it!! TIA. -David Y. <paste 1997 Ford Donald post> Many replied and the general consensus is this: 1. Fiberglass, being a material that is not metal, may [will] be difficult to install in place of the missing metal. Generally speaking, fiberglass is a funky material to replace metal with in an all-metal car. 2. It may [will] be difficult to reattach other items to it after installation, like the jack mount and the plate that holds the auto tranny's nose in. It may or may not be a strong/rigid/quiet at the metal it replaces, depending on the quality of the install. 3. Don't install a replacement piece that requires touching the seat rails in any way. Having to reinstall the seat rails so that they work again will be a bigger hassle than the pan work was ever worth. 4. The rust may not be so bad as to require replacement [except in my case, where it is]. Have a body shop guy [person?] give it a once over, then go get a second opinion. 5. Other areas of rust [inside wheel wells, around gas tank, rear deck at engine cover, exterior damage] may [will] make pan repair moot. Look to the long term. 6. If you do decide to do this kind of repair, contract with a knowledgeable body worker who is familiar with rust repair, and budget for a full day's worth of his work per side. At $50/hr standard shop time, that's US$300-$400 plus parts. 7. Do the pan work before installing any new interior items such as carpet. Have this work done with the body off the pan if at all possible. 8. No one manufaturer makes a Type III replacement floor pan out of metal [that I found]. One trusted source suggested using a Ghia floor pan of equivilant year [aprox. US$80]. A skilled body worker should be able to make it work. Don't forget #5. <end paste> ------------------------------------------------------------------- Search old messages on the Web! Visit http://www.vwtype3.org/list/