wow, nice work! have you done the floorpans in the front yet?

 

yes stopping the leaks is just as much work ,I am finding that out now take care

 

I rust proofed the entire truck with the three step...except for the high front wheel well/firewall area. I plan on repairing that the same way...with plates on the surface of exposed areas.

I put the rear seats in for the holidays and took the kids on a day trip yesterday and they had a blast with the hot floor. The rear seat floor without any insulation is piping hot...almost melted a crock. I'll cover that as well with my plate and insulation method and see how that works.

For sure the truck is quieter with the insulation in the flooring. I'm glad I did that extra step.

 

Yep, candy that falls on the floor will be easy to find...

 

Holy crap, I missed this whole build. My rear floors are nowhere near as bad as yours were, and I've been thinking of a new floor haha. I want red diamond plating though (favorite color lol). So how did you install it to the floor? I saw the previous thread, which insulation did you use? And you riveted the whole thing? Nice! It looks very well done and I will want to follow suit ASAIC (as soon as I can).

 

depending on how bad your rust is, welding is the right way to do it if you're going all the way. the way i did it is sturdy, doable with my skillsets and I can do it piece by piece. It will be of a very good finish for this level vehicle. Everything is going to rust down here so its only a matter of time anyway.

im really pleased with the floor. look at kbs-coatings website for rust treatment product and color ideas. they use diamond plate for their swatches. it's like a hard color shell...looks spray on. i really like it. the red you want may not be easy to match. i have ideas about that.

i did my floor in sheet which I painted black and alum galvanized which I left alone except on the bumper which I painted black. i cut everything with the angle grinder and cut off wheels. i'm pretty steady although I'm no Jake.

for the rust all over the truck you have to get it to only surface rust, meaning scrape out any bubbles, cut out any badly eaten areas, etc. then you have to clean it, treat it and seal it. you can reform it in some areas too. for missing chunks, i used fiberglass and/or cut sheet riveted.

i insulated the entire floor and i'll do the ceiling with a foil and fiberglass(?) 1/4" sheet. i got mine on ebay. you can buy better but it's inexpensive and easy to do. i sealed everything with a sick marine caulk, i'll repaint with the KBS and the entire floor will be waterproof.

don't forget about crap collecting from below..between the new floor and old, around holes, etc. should seal that up too.

the tailgate finishing piece i used gave it a nice finish. it's an aluminum "L" channel that i screwed into the outer seal rim.

i carefully hand riveted everything avoiding hoses and other sensitive areas underneath. far easier than planning for welding.

this weekend I fixed the hole under the waterbottle with fiberglass. the light colored area is the hole i patched. i need to paint and fix and replace the washer system.

i'm going to do the alpines the same way too although i'll probably use bondo.

overall it gives the truck a very workman like finish. i like the floor over carpet a lot for this truck. a little noisier and hotter probably but i dont have any finishing inside at the moment so it's hard to tell. the insulation and additional sheet definitely helps.

if you have any questions ask. i have a load of pictures too.

 

So your floor is still getting hot?

I bet the top of your muffler must have rusted away allowing the hot exhaust to blast thru the floor pans. The reason I think that is because I have mine down to the metal floors after removing the carpets and all that and I do not have any noticeable hot areas on the floor. Is the muffler and pipes original?

I like the way you did it. Especially the rear bumper. Good job, shows determination.

One thing I noticed with mine is the multitude of little holes that LR left from the original assembly/build processes. They are all over the floor. I was really surprised. There are so many places for water/road grime to enter from below as well as the roof leaks and such that you mentioned.

I especially hate the way that the rear wheel arches rot out right in the back seat doors. Mine has spread to the wheel well area where it joins the side wall especially on the passengers side of mine.

Great job Slang.

 

yeah it's kinda old news but i'll talk about it any time. danny i like the fiberglass method. if you could scrub out the rust you could lay as much fiberglass floor as you want. it would be waterproof, rust proof. it's pretty easy especially where aesthetic doesn't matter.

you have to attend to that rust bro.

yeah still getting hot. i need to service the tranny and lube the driveshafts before i investigate further. you know i have lots to do.

 

hm, interesting point on the muffler. i'm sure it must be all original. can you see it from under the truck?

 

Yes, the main muffler is pretty much in the middle of the floor pan area. Follow the exhaust pipes after the cats they join into one and go into the muffler. Mine had rusted badly and I had to have it replaced. I had a small local shop install a new one for me as I did not want to deal with that in my driveway myself. Mine had rusted so bad, it was coming apart in layers and that allows a lot of hot exhaust gasses to hit the floorpan.

I had to replace the metal gaskets at the y-pipes on mine as well. One had burned thru and hot exhaust was leaking there as well. Yoou could wave your hand near it and feel the pressure escaping as well as hear it leak.

I would look at the entire exhaust to see what cndition the body of the cats are in as well as the main muffler. That could account for a lot of heat coming thru the floors.

Attacking my rust is going to be my next big project. Overall mine is not very bad, but I agree I need to get it out before it becomes a major issue.

Mine is worst along the line where the wheel well and side walls join.

I do like the brush on method you used for the paint. I really do think it looks great. And very sturdy as well. Great job.