Rust Repair Questions

RD Evans · 07-20-2003, 08:53 AM

I have removed the insulation from my floor pans and they turned out to be pretty solid. However, the center tunnel is in bad shape and full of rust. What is the best way to repair the tunnel on the sides? I have the same situation along portions of the "cross member".

urbanskater · 07-20-2003, 12:24 PM

Gooooooo, looks like what i'm dealing with. On the passenger side the cross member is completely rusted through

have to refabricate it. um if i were you i would get a dremel tool cut a straight line right above where the rust is, then the hard part will be to bend the metal to be the shape of the center channel. Its not fun, its not easy, and its time consuming, but its the only way to fix it. Now its going to be a whole lot cheaper to do it yourself, but then you have to ask yourself, self, is this worth all the time, and frustration. I personally have already spent 30 hours maybe more all together preparing and removing the floor pans and welds. One word to describe this "immanuel". Good luck and God be with you.

urbanskater · 07-20-2003, 12:24 PM

oh and if you already didn't know its 20 gauge steel.

ss6 · 07-20-2003, 02:13 PM

There are a number of sources of replacement sheet metal sections for the 914, ie Pelican, AA, German Parts & Restoration, etc, or people with parts cars (and a sawzall).

There is always the fab-it-yourself route, but if your budget allows, consider what your time is worth, including any aggravated wife penalties.

RD Evans · 07-20-2003, 03:05 PM

Does anyone know of a company making a replacement center tunnel? I haven't seen one offered by any of usual sources.

M. Hendrix · 07-20-2003, 03:46 PM

No, but anyone with a donor could cut the whole floor out, and you could be done in 3-4 hours.

M

ss6 · 07-20-2003, 04:31 PM

Yep, yer right, I took a look through my own collection and found replacements for just about everything BUT the tunnel sheet metal.

Try posting on the 914 Club BBS, lots of donor owners with sawzall's there.

914GT · 07-20-2003, 06:21 PM

One thing for sure - you need to cut out all rusted metal unless it's just surface rust. You can tell the real cancer areas. It just has to come out regardless of how severe the surgery is and even if no original replacement Porsche parts available. Maybe a Dremel tool will work but I find they just don't have the power to do the job. I use an air cutoff tool, but I've also used a Makita grinder with a cutoff disk for this purpose. You need something that won't bog down and really lets you slice out the rust one layer of metal at a time. A Sawzall is good but has to go all the way through and might cut thorugh something you dont want or need to. A cutoff disk only cuts from the top so you can have a little more control with complex parts. If you can buy the original floor pans, great. Anything else get some cold-rolled 20 ga steel and use whatever you have to form parts. Some tools really nice are air shears for cutting, hammers, and a bead roller for fabricating and rolling beads in the metal to make it stronger. Obviously you need a MIG and a grinder. Use pipe or something to form the curved parts around. It's a lot of work but I'm sure you can fabricate some strong parts to replace the rust. Maybe it won't be real pretty, but you're saving the car's life for many more years. Put the POR15 or rocker coating over it and it will look fine. Get's covered with other stuff anyway. Good luck!

ss6 · 07-20-2003, 06:35 PM

Ditto what 914GT said - a Dremel tool is for jewelry, and a sawzall is more for wood hacking anyway.

A cut-off tool is a must-have for the metal work you're looking at. If you have an air compressor, you can get a cut-off attachment real cheap. If not, get yourself an electric "angle grinder" - one with a 4.5 inch wheel is strong enough to do the job, and light enough not to wear you out.

Very handy tool - you can cut with it (goes thru chromed tool stock easily), sand with it, wire brush with it, grind with it, etc. Best rust intervention weapon in the tool box.