Re: [T3] Floor pan replacement

["iCBM email" <icbm@icbm.org>]

Though Jim is probably spot-on, I would like to add my T3-cents.  I had fairly
bad rust on both sides of the rear passenger foot area, with the left side
having several pin-holes :-(  I used fiberglass to patch the left side (there
was a learning experience there, geeze!).  The right side wasn't as bad and a
wire wheel with POR-15 seems to have fixed it (note:  I did the whole pan this
way).

Now, where did this water come from to cause the rust and deterioration?
Well, Jim states, "It is probably not where you expect it" and he's correct.
It came from my feet.  My sister's feet.  It came from years of being used.
You see, my parents are the original owners and I grew up in that car (my car
now).  You know how little boys, aside being devil-spawn, get dirty and wet
and muddy and carry their favorite possessions in their pockets as little
surprises for mom on wash day (earth worms don't last long in a dry Levi
pocket)?  That was me.  Years of family use, of family camping, of fishing
with Dad, have taken their toll on a daily driven (virtual) 4x4 family wagon
:-)  I remember inner-tubing in the Sierras and after a day in the snow I
would pull my feet out of my snow-packed boots and let my feet thaw in front
of the heater opening while the ice and snow melted from my boots and into the
carpet.  My sister would do the same (little sisters idolize their older
brothers, didn'tcha know?) while Holly, the ever-faithful family dog, thawed
over the engine compartment, keeping her head bowed so Dad could see out the
back window...aw crap, now I'm getting all misty-eyed...just a second...

Okay, I'm back.  What I'm saying is that these are old cars and if they were
used like how my family used them then this sorta stuff is gonna come up --
water is going to soak into the carpet, shopping carts are going to dent the
body, hay is going to end up in the bottom of the back seat (before the truck,
my mom used it to haul hay).  It may not necessarily be due to what we would
think of as obvious.  It could just be due to a lifetime of devoted use
because it's "just a car".

     Toby "It's not a car, it's a family member!" Erkson
     air_cooled_nut@pobox.com
     '72 VW Squareback, 1.6L bored & stroked to 2.0L, GB 5-speed
     '95 VW Jetta, P-Chipped, Jamex suspension, and little stuff
     Portland, Oregon   http://www.icbm.org/

P.S. We need to realize that as enthusiasts we view cars differently and thus
treat them differently.  My parents -- hell, even the extended family -- are
amazed that the family wagon is still in the family and still operational.
So, for my family, the Squareback was a utility vehicle to serve the family
and thus would have a lifespan to which it would be replaced with another
vehicle.  I think it's safe to say all of our cars were bought this way and
used as the good engineers at VW intended.  I look at Peter Parkers web site
http://www.teleport.com/~gingerd/philpic.html and it stirs up fond memories --
Maddy is a lucky little guy.  It's now our mission to undo the "average use"
these cars were exposed to and give them another lifetime of
"better-than-average use" :-)

----- Original Message -----
> You should take a good look at both sides and only replace what is
> bad. The pans rust out BECAUSE THERE IS A LEAK SOMEWHERE. This leak
> is probably only on your Rt side so far and should be the first thing
> you attack. It is probably not where you expect it. Check out inside
> the wheel wells: above and in front of the rear wheel and behind the
> front wheel.



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