BAD FLOOR PAN + IDIOT = How much?

[cv70chall]

I recently discovered that the person (let's just call them idiot) who tried to restore my car before I bought it decided to install new floor pans. Great idea- until I discovered that they simply spot-welded the new pans ON TOP of the old ones! In some places, there is as much as a 1" gap between the old and new pans. (Makes mounting the seat difficult!)
I want to have the new pan removed, old pan cut out and new pan reinstalled the right way.
Can anyone tell me what having this done might cost me?
Cost of driver's side only?
Cost of both front pans?

Thanks!

[ChallengerHK]

I don't have many answers for you, but I do have a little. I had a similar situation. A shop in Hope Mills, NC, that I paid to install a new DS front pan, did cut out the old pan, and then, leaving about 2-3 inches overlap, welded the new pan in place. This might have worked, but what I didn't realize until much later was that the new pan is about half an inch higher, and it's not sealed to the torsion crossmember.

I have been told that the labor of removing this screwed up panel and fixing it will be more than the cost of getting another panel.

[dougs bs23]

Depends on labor rates where your located as these vary from region to region. With the tools and time do it yourself,maybe there's a member near you that can help. You can also cut some labor costs by doing some of the prep yourself. Remove the seats and carpet maybe even start cutting the pans apart if you have the tools. If both new pans are in rough sha@e you may want to consider a new one piece pan. To get them down tight to the cross members you may need to press them down and massage the metal into place with a body hammer. Its a pita but necessary to get the panels tight to the rails ,rockers and crossmembers for ridigity strength.

[MTS-Challenger]

I know the feeling,    I found my driver side floor pan with a huge hole overlapped with bare sheet metal and spot brazed in place, including a few screws. What a mess this was to remove the panel and trim up correctly for a new pan.

The good new is, I was able to fix this with a smaller 1/4 pan I found on ebay for about 80 bucks.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/70-74-Challenger-Barracuda-Cuda-LH-Front-Floor-Pan-USA-/200584012850?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Model%3AChallenger&hash=item2eb3bd2432

VS

Full 1/2 size around 300 bucks.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/70-E-Body-Interior-Front-Floor-Pan-Half-Patch-Panel-AMD-RH-/390348911367?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item5ae29bb307&vxp=mtr


Replacing took at least 8 hours (removal of the interior, removal of the pan (twice as long as normal because of the brazing spots and the added rusted screws I had to deal with), trimming the floor and replacement pan, welding in the pan and installation of the interior).

All in all, a days work for a DIY  Or 3-4 hours labor if a body shop was to fix what I had .


Hope this helps.

[Topcat]

Instead of subbing out the work, have you considered doing it yourself?

It might seem intimidating, but I can assure you the members here will walk you thru it.

You'll have to buy some equipment; but so what! You can sell it later on Craigslist.

Here's a sample on what you can do. Welding isn't braiin surgery. Just a little practice.

http://www.eastwood.com/welding-basics-showcase.html?SRCCODE=1EM1293&em=marmatt9@aol.com&utm_source=bronto&utm_medium=email&utm_term=id1EM1231_05Map&utm_content=Miss+our+LIVE+WELDING+DEMO+last+Friday%3F+Watch+it+now%21&utm_campaign=1EM1293+10%2F24%2F12+-+Welding+Demo+Video+Thank+You

[1970 RT Challenger 1970]

 

[cv70chall]

Thanks for the info!
Does that 1/4 size pan cover the seat area? The entire new pan was not installed correctly (right over the old rusty one) so it's not lined up- and you can't install the seats either.
I was hoping to remove the recently installed pan (about 5 years old), cut out the rusted original one and prep/ replace the one that was installed incorrectly. I know nothing about welding and the guy assisting me with this project says the prep/ cleanup alone will take days.
I know it's a pain in the ass, but it has to be done.

[Topcat]

Nothing well done happens in a hurry. Hurrying shows like an open wound.
Doing it yourself ensures you know you got it the right way you wanted without any shortcuts.

Shops are on a time rate. Seems everyone of the them wants to hurry towards the end of the project.
Then the shortcuts are evident later on.

You'll discover that the mig welder you bought and learned how to use has valuable uses for other things.
You had fun learning how to weld and now you feel more confident on tackling other metal projects.

 

[dougs bs23]

You'll discover that the mig welder you bought and learned how to use has valuable uses for other things.
You had fun learning how to weld and now you feel more confident on tackling other metal projects.

 
[/quote]
Fixing everything for the entire neighborhood,  making interesting yard art such as bird (squirrel) feeders and just having fun playing with it and melting metal together