how do I repair rusted floorboards

[jlove86CJ]

My floorboards have large (3"x5") hole where they have rusted out right under where the 'cage bolts down, just behind the seats. I'm thinking this would be a common problem but the only place that I"ve found any kind of replacement is JC Whitney, and these don't look all that sturdy.
How have y'all fixed this? Do I just weld in a plate of sheet metal? If so what size? Do I weld this inside the tub or underneath?
I plan on having it lined eventually so I'm not to concerned with looking good just working good.
TAI
Jim

[WILL]

If you JCWhitney ones don't look sturdy, just think; they are a replacement of what was there originally.

[Olin18]

If you are going to be doing metal work in that area anyway, it would be a good time to tie in your cage. Get the replacement, and weld it in, then add some support to the frame. You will have new floor, and your Jeep will be that much safer. You could kill two rocks with one bird

Try looking here for replacement body parts http://www.allstate4wd.com, I have done biz with them and theay seem to have the best $ that I have found.Good people. Yes tie in the rollbar at the same time (good advice).Good luck

[LEVE]

Having rebuilt my tub with JCW parts... I can only say they they were of qood quality... granted it was a "one-size fits all" panel, but they did fit, and worked just fine. IMHO... I'd buy 'em again if I were to rebuild a tub.

[GreenMachine]

I will agree with Leve I used them on my trail jeep and they are thicker than OEM. Basically you spot them in over top and then beat them into conforming to the pan and weld them all the way around. They are galvanized so weld them outside and drink some milk first. I cut extra pieces for side support and bent them on the bumper using a hammer and two vise grips. Covered everything with rhino liner and it looks really decent. Here is a before rhino liner picture.

[NHCJ7]

I bought a full floorboard for my CJ last year from omix-ada for a couple of hundred bucks and it was better than the JC Whitney panels. My floors were pretty bad and the omix-ada panel ran from firewall to the backseat ledge and from door to door. It had the hole for the shifter already cut and had nuts welded in for the seats. It's not an overlay panel like the JC Whitney panels. It has structural ribbing like the stock floor so you have to remove the old floor. Of course it's designed to be welded in from the underside with your tub removed. I didn't want to go through pulling my tub so I cut the panel into 4 peices, crammed them in and welded it back together. Not exactly ideal, but it worked.

If you go with just an overlay panel or straight sheet metal, make sure you cut out ALL the rusty areas completely and seal it up from the underside with primer. If you leave any rust behind it'll continue to spread. Also try to fill any gaps where the old meets the new from under with bodo or that spray on rubber undercoating stuff. If you leave a spot to collect mud and water, you'll be replacing your floor again in no time.

[sparky96181]

heres something that hasnt been mentioned yet. POR-15. this stuff is awesome. my car (1959 fairlane) had huge rusty holes in the floor. we cleaned off the rust, painted it with por-15, and coated it with fiberglass cloth(to give it something to attach to). we did this a few times to make it solid. we put duct tape underneath to keep it from dripping out. after it dried, we took a 4 in. grinder and made it smooth and pretty. this stuff is expensive, but well worth it. por- 15 is designed to be painted over rust with almost no prep to it.
www.por-15.com
i reccomend this stuff to anyone!!
my car has been my daily driver for 2 1/2 years, and has withstood the abuses of a teenager and his friends.

sparky