Floorpan

[Tom.Manson]

Can anyone tell me ( or point me towards an already published article ) exactly how to install new floor pans on my '68 912?

Thanks, Tom Manson - Rockford, IL

[72targa]

This may help...

http://www.brown-house.net/356projec...es/000027.html

[roblav]

I did this in a 68 912 Targa many years ago. Not a lot of fun. That also included a new torsion tube...

[schmidt]

One peice of advice is to get the car either up on its side with a dolly, or high in the air. Most of the welding and finish work in completed on the bottom of the car and doing this work on your back is tough. Porsche did sell at one time the entire floor pan that included the front truck fuel tank tray, lots of work but nice when done.

[roblav]

Other advice is that the car will be VERY weak. You must absolutely ensure it is straight before you start welding anything. For the Targa floorpan I did, I knew that the chassis would flex and bring the door jambs closer to each other when back on the ground, so I provided about an extra 1/16th of an inch compensation clearance for that. I also used a long level to ensure the car was level all over and took cross (diagonal) measurements. It came out very well.

[red911]

Hi Tom,

I did both floors in my 1966 as well as the middle and outside rockers, plus the front suspension pan.

There is somewhat of a "spring" loading on the rear quarters when you take the floors out, the rear end tends to raise up a little (see Roblav's comments). I built a rotissiere so the car was suspended from the front and rear ends.

Eventually, I learned how to use lead and leaded in the rockers and the door jambs, as they are a high impact area with a lot of stress so I chose lead versus fiberglass filler near the welds.

I got the floor panels that were front to rear for each side, not the front half of the floor and the rear floor.

When you are using the MIG, remember to "stitch" weld. That is weld a spot, then move four inches down and weld another spot. Ifin you weld a continous bead, you'll warp the panels due to excessive heat and your work will not be as smooth.

Additionally, I had to patch parts of the vertical sections on the inside like the tunnel, rear seat vertical area and the inside rockers as my car had that much rust.

Not a bad job, but long and tedious. Very rewarding when you can finally keep water out of your floor!!

I used POR-15 on both the inside and outside when done with 3M rattle can weld through where I could not get to before welding. Some may use Zero Rust as non-isocynate.

Be very careful to keep weight on the suspension or further out so the car does not fold in on you. At the least, use four jackstands at the approximate suspension points on a flat floor to keep the car level and straight.

Good luck, Need pictures of your progress!!

Tom

[GTS]

well in my opinion 4 in between welding spots is far too wide,it's way to week,I always drilled out the original welding spots and had a perfect pattern about 1 1/2.The key for me was always to get the old floor out as smooth as it could be and than gring it to an even surface that gives you a good headstart,also take the time to grind off any paint on the new floors at your welding area-better results in the welding spots and less splattering.Afterwards I always go to the stress points and weld solid worms to add more ridgedy.As learnt from 356 restorations I try to use as little lead as possible ......on the last 911 sero !
The even stand of the car on stands in a rotisserie is crucial as are supports in the door best cross supports.
You might also consider to weld in the convertible strengthening supports,specially for a Targa a nice plus.
After grinding the welding spots off I use a Zinc spray to get around and between the pan-tunnel-rocker sheets and seel it with Wurths body sealant.
with regards Stefan GTS

[red911]

Hi Stefan and Tom,

I was probably unclear about the four inch gap between welds. In order to not warp the floor, you can place a spot weld, then the next one four inches apart and continue the four inch gap, but be sure to go back and place another spot when the first go around has happened and place spots next to each other and so on. This will make a "worm" weld as GTS describes but in segments, not a straight, continous weld. This is a body man technique that is used to now warp the steel. Note, that when I replaced the floor, I also chose to not use spot welds by drilling out the old spot welds, but placed a continous weld for strength, as in building a racecar.

Tom