Floor pan replacement

Hey folks. I have an opportunity to get a 95 YJ on the cheap and was looking for some advice/opinions. Some sections of the floor pan are rusted out, minor in my opinion but does warrant replacement. I'm no stranger to doing bodywork but was curious if it would be better to replace the entire floor pan or just the small patches that need replacing. Also, I'm a fan of butt-welding for the cleaner look and less of a chance to trap moisture, but a lot of the research I've done shows people lap welding the panels in place. Is there any downside to butt-welding them? Sorry for the strange yet specific post. I'm new to jeeps, but not new to wrenching.

 

Hey Chris. Here's a few. Kind of hard to see, but theres a few spots where the floor pan is rusted so bad you can see to the ground underneath. Again, I'm no stranger to floor pan replacement and have done it on a unibody Mustang. I was just wondering if in this case is there any benefit to lap welding vs. butt-welding? I'm open to hear any thoughts.




And here's a shot of the Jeep in question. Was found neglected like this, but the owner washed it up and cleaned everything and she actually looks pretty good for a 21 year old.

 

Face it, lap welding is simply easier. It takes less skill, time and does what we usually need. If you are doing this to make a showroom Jeep, making it all pretty has it's place. And if you have those skills to custom cut your new plate, weld the thin sheet metal properly as a butt weld and make it all pretty, by all means, do so. However, if you are, like most, about to throw, some spray paint, a couple layers of rubber pad, and a bit of carpet down so you can drive it over big rocks, through rivers and down in the mud 'till it croaks, a lap weld will likely do the job nicely. lol

It is strictly your choice. You already know what the pros and cons are...being a jeep does not change any of that, with the possible exception of knowing it may be getting abused (because that's why most of us have 'em.)

Good luck! Looks like a nice project.

 

Thanks Richard. I'll most likely end up butt welding the patch panels in place and post pictures here of the progress to help build the site. I don't really intend to make it a show car by any means, but really just looking for a quick flip. Buy it cheap- fix it- built it up- wheel it and send it off to the next guy after I've had my fun. More than likely the interior will get a coat of bedliner to keep it useable and protected. No carpet for this one.
Who knows, if I like it too much, it'll end up being my trail toy and my current truck will be back to DD duty.