Rusty floorpans are common in the East and Midwest, where the harsh winter conditions and road salt eat away at a car’s undercarriage virtually from the first day it hits the road. In California, extensive floorpan rust isn’t as common, but dry-rotted weatherstripping and leaky heater cores often lead to isolated trouble spots like trunk floors and areas that lie under water-soaked carpet in the passenger compartment. This car had a leaky heater core sometime in its past that left some small holes in the passenger footwell. A small area like this is an ideal candidate for POR-15’s floorpan restoration kit.
We’ve heard about this stuff for years but had never personally tried it. However, word of mouth testimonials left us with two impressions of the product: when used properly, it can’t be beat and lives up to every claim the company makes, but if the directions for preparation and application aren’t strictly followed, “your results may vary.” We’ve heard of people who simply glopped the POR-15 paint directly onto a raw, rusty surface only to have it peel off in a sheet later on. Armed with that warning, we read the instructions thoroughly twice (to familiarize ourselves with the products and their use) and referred to them throughout the process. It isn’t hard or time consuming to use POR-15 the right way, but you do have to give it a chance to work the way it was designed. We did, and we were very pleased with the results. It sure beats breaking out the cut-off wheel and welder!
If you’re looking for concours-perfect floors, this product may not be for you. But if you simply want a strong, functional repair for a fraction of the cost and hassle of welding, give POR-15 a try. The kit costs $120 and contains enough material to do several large trunk and floorpan sections.