Rotten floorpan

[ThermionicEmissions]

Hi all, I just discovered the floorpan in the 2007 I purchased a three months ago is literally rotting with rust. Only reason I found out was because I decided to treat a bit of rust underneath, near one of the cab frame mounts. Wire brush ended up punching through the floorpan.
With great trepidation I removed the plastic trim on the floor by the DS door and pealed back the viny floor covering. It's really, really bad. Like bubbling flaking bad. I also noticed the felt underlay is moist, so that's definitely a concern.
At this point the only thing I can think of for repair if to replace the floorpan, so if anyone knows a source for these, please let me know.
I just dropped a bunch of money into this truck, and it's in great condition other than this. Feeling pretty gutted at the moment.

Also, does anyone know if there is separate layer of sheet metal under the floorpan, or is the floorpan itself exposed directly to the elements?

 

[pjtoledo]

just the floor pan, and a couple reinforcing ribs.
the screws that held the plastic trim go right thru and are exposed to everything.

that's a common issue on all trucks.

try LMCtruck.com for an idea of what's available.

 

[racsan]

you might have a external leak (like windshield gasket) letting water in from the outside. The carpet will stay wet & hold moisture to the floor nearly forever, might want to look for that or your repair will be short-lived.

 

[ThermionicEmissions]

just the floor pan, and a couple reinforcing ribs.
the screws that held the plastic trim go right thru and are exposed to everything.

that's a common issue on all trucks.

try LMCtruck.com for an idea of what's available.

Thanks for the info. Started pulling everything out of the cab. There's definitely been water leaking in for a long time.

 

[ThermionicEmissions]

you might have a external leak (like windshield gasket) letting water in from the outside. The carpet will stay wet & hold moisture to the floor nearly forever, might want to look for that or your repair will be short-lived.

Yup, definitely a leak. Gotta hunt that down.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Depending on how bad it is a floor pan isn’t too bad to put in if you can cut out the old and weld in the new.

I think finding floor pans can be hard for the newer trucks though.

 

[ThermionicEmissions]

Depending on how bad it is a floor pan isn’t too bad to put in if you can cut out the old and weld in the new.

I think finding floor pans can be hard for the newer trucks though.

I did find one:

Floor Pan - Front - 2007 Ford Ranger

Shop in the parts listing - 2007 Ford Ranger Floor Pan - Front. Discounted prices and Hassle-Free Return on genuine Ford parts.

www.fordpartsgiant.com

Quite reasonably priced ($250)...and then there's shipping ($650).

I'm curious how one would fit the floorpan into the cab. I mean...would it fit through the doors?

 

[Dirtman]

That rust doesn't look substantial enough to require replacing the entire floor. I would just cut out the bad sections and patch it with regular sheet metal. I've seen way worse. @snoranger recently did a van with practically no metal left between the door and transmission hump.

 

[ThermionicEmissions]

That rust doesn't look substantial enough to require replacing the entire floor. I would just cut out the bad sections and patch it with regular sheet metal. I've seen way worse. @snoranger recently did a van with practically no metal left between the door and transmission hump.

Thank-you for the perspective. I've never had a vehicle with a hole in the floor before, so it seemed a bit overwhelming upon first discovery. I do enjoy fixing things and learning new skills, looks like a bit of metal-work is in order.
Does this mean I get to learn to weld?

 

[Dirtman]

You live in Canada and never had a vehicle with a hole in the floor?!

 

[ThermionicEmissions]

What can I say? I'm a west-coaster!

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I did find one:

Floor Pan - Front - 2007 Ford Ranger

Shop in the parts listing - 2007 Ford Ranger Floor Pan - Front. Discounted prices and Hassle-Free Return on genuine Ford parts.

www.fordpartsgiant.com

Quite reasonably priced ($250)...and then there's shipping ($650).

I'm curious how one would fit the floorpan into the cab. I mean...would it fit through the doors?

Mine was $40 with free shipping...

 

[sgtsandman]

Check to see if LMC has sections available for your truck. They do for the older models. If not, you’ll have to make your own.

 

[Dirtman]

I've never seen anything for the 98+ rangers. They just aren't "classic" enough for restoration parts like that yet.

 

[franklin2]

If you want to get by for now and get a decent repair, I would get some fiberglass cloth and repair it. Get a wire brush on a drill and really go at it, get all that rust off the floor. The floor where it's not rusted through will still be a little thin with possible pin holes, the fiberglass method works well for this.

Once you get it cleaned up good to bare metal, go to the parts store and get some fiberglass resin and some cloth. They make kits with both in one package.

Get cheap paint brush from dollar tree and a couple of cheap plastic containers. Lay your cloth out and cut it to the size you want. Then pour your resin in the container and mix in the hardener. The instructions say to soak the cloth with the resin and then install it, but that makes too much mess. What I do is paint raw resin mix on the area the cloth is going, and then stick the cloth down in that wet resin and then paint more resin on top working it into the cloth. If you work it into the bumps and dips in the floorboard, it does a decent looking job and seals the elements out underneath. When it dries in a day or so, you will be impressed with how strong it is.

If you want a little more thickness over the area with the hole, you could first cut a piece of cloth twice as large, and mix a small amount of resin and cover the hole and work that in and let it dry. And then come back and do the large piece mixing more resin and install a large piece of cloth to cover the whole rusty area. That will give you a double layer over the hole.

Once you paint it, it will look pretty good and give you a strong repair.