Floorboards rusty/wet, Leaking Windshield

[bigtee72]

I recently purchased a '74 Chevy pickup. Good shape for the year. My problem is I ripped up the carpet(damp) on the passenger side floor. There is a whole about 1 1/2"w x 3" long. It starts right at the edge of the fuel tank and goes from there. My brother and I are going to sheet metal it from the underside with a good thick piece. I want to treat it with something then coat it. Does anybody have any reccomendations? By the way, Spent all the money on the truck. Kinda of a tight budget.

[Blazin]

Why not just buy a replacement panel from Chris. By the time you screw around trying to get
" a good thick piece " to fit. The short money for the correct patch panel will be well spent!

[bigtee72]

I'm kinda new at this. I don't know who Chris is. Is this something I have to weld (don't know how anyway) or can I rivet it in?

[Blazin]

Welcome to the site. Chris owns, & runs this site. You can rivet the floor patches in. I have done that in the past. Cut out the bad section, overlap the new panel, and rivet it down where ever it overlays the old floor and or the floor support. seam seal it up, scuff it, & paint it. Check the catalog out here.
http://store.73-87chevytrucks.com/merchant2/
Should be able to find the parts you need.

[JJSZABO]

Why not just buy a replacement panel from Chris. By the time you screw around trying to get
" a good thick piece " to fit. the short money for the correct patch panel will be well spent!

+1

[bigtee72]

I appreciate your hospitality. Now is it better to place it inside the cab or do it from underneath?

[JJSZABO]

I overlapped mine inside, but I welded.  Here is my writeup - with alot of help from Blazin

http://forum.73-87chevytrucks.com/smforum/index.php?topic=5661.0

[Blazin]

Put it down from the inside unless you want to do allot of work. Plus if you try to put in up from below you will need a a welder, and most likely a new cab support too.

[bigtee72]

Yeah my cab support is there but kind of holey. Well thank you. We'll see how it goes. Any sealer you recommend? It has a rubber mat on the floor with a 1/2 inch carpet underlay under it.

[Blazin]

Any auto body sealer will work. I would ditch the carpet and just have rubber mat if it were me. The carpet is the reason its rotted out. holds all the water.

[bigtee72]

Alright Blazin, your my new buddy. I appreciate all your help. Now I have a new question. We just had a bunch of rain. Now I went out to check the floor and I noticed it was wet on the floor board (passenger side) Right where the floor slopes up. Right where the floor meets the side panel. EVERYTHING else is dry. Could it be running down the outside firewall and then in somewhere?

[Blazin]

It could be the heater box, but most likely you have rust in your cowl area. If you look down in where your wiper transmission assembly is I would bet you will find rust holes there.

[bigtee72]

Alright I'll give it a look see.

[bigtee72]

Well I looked. I noticed a drop of water on the floor vent right near the open handle. Then another one right above the floor vent itself. I just can't locate where it is coming from.

[bigtee72]

I have a '74 F/S Chevy pickup. The front winshield seal doesn't meet the body at the corners. This last rain we had I found water drops on the foot kickboard above the floor vent on the passenger side. Is this possible?