TheSamba.com :: View topic - what metal thickness do you use for floor pans on your buggy

Mon Jun 18, 2012 7:10 am

I have read some posts on here and was trying to find out what is most commonly used for floor pans. It seams that most of you are using 1" X 2" 1/8" wall for the perimeter, however I have read posts of guys using 14 ga up to 1/4" for floor pans there is a huge difference in price so was wondering what is most used.

after shortening this is what i have to start with. the tunnel was well preserve with about a half inch of under coating however the floors and outer perimeter were toast. thanks for your input in advance.

Mon Jun 18, 2012 7:36 am

The vast majority of fiberglass buggies actually use the stock or replacement stock floor pans and do just fine. With their stamped ribs and channels they would probably have the highest strength to weight of anything you could weld to a tunnel. Unless its been allowed to rust through, I can't ever recall a "floorpan failure" of any kind which would really require it to be different.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=602736

If you're looking for a stronger than stock chassis, just adding heavier rails around the outside and a thicker floor is fairly pointless. You would need to add structure which increases the the rigidity and strength of the connection between the front suspension beam and the rear torsion housing. You could add I beams and 1/4" steel diamond plate to the floor but if you still had a stock tunnel and frame head, you haven't increased the chassis rigidity at all. Something like a Barrett chassis or a full cage that goes from the front suspension to the rear is what you'd need. Otherwise the stock floorpans work fine.

Mon Jun 18, 2012 8:27 am

Using flat floors (I use 3/16 aluminum diamondplate) eliminates the rise in the rear that a stock floorpan has and allows for more legroom.

Mon Jun 18, 2012 9:04 am

Anyone using 1/4" plate are adding waaaay too much material into the floors... 1/4" mild steel plate weighs 10.2 Lbs/Sq Ft.

14 Ga. steel sheet will be plenty sufficient - weighs 3.1 Lbs/Sq Ft. - easy to work with & usually readily available. Or you could use 16 Ga. (about 1/16" thick) & weighs about 1/2 Lb/Sq Ft. less than 14 Ga. Both are thicker than VW floorpans, but recall that the ribs/webs stamped into VW floor pans added rigidity to the thin metal.

bryan

Mon Jun 18, 2012 9:35 am

I use 16ga mild steel for my floors. Not overly heavy, but strong enought to bolt things to without aditional bracing.

1/4" plate????? Wow that floor would weigh more than my complete chassis......

brad

Mon Jun 18, 2012 6:49 pm

Pesonal preference for street buggy is the WolfsBerg West stock floor pans. Thickess metal and lighter then most anything you can make using flat sheet stock.
Can be shipped by UPS or etc....
After I installed mine used 1 1/4in, .060"wall square tubing in channel to help ad stiffness and a place to bolt on side panels.

Mon Jun 18, 2012 8:46 pm

However much was left after removing the rust, and some 18 gauge patch panels. :D

Tue Jun 19, 2012 7:39 am

16 Ga. It was available and I was able to weld it.

-Jeff

Tue Jun 19, 2012 5:39 pm

Not to thread-jack or anything, but along this same topic...

With current metal prices, has anyone thought about which is the cheaper way to go:

Option 1. Buy stock replacement pans and shorten.
Option 2. Buy 16ga sheet metal and necessary 1 X 2 rectangular tubing for perimeter.
Option 3. Same as above but with 18ga.
Option 4. Buy 1 X 2 tubing for perimeter but use sheet aluminum for floor (not in the running for cheapest but what's the cost?)

I ask because I have a buddy about to start on a buggy and it'll need floors. He was guessing the fabrication route would be cheapest but I doubt it.

Tue Jun 19, 2012 5:49 pm

I paid about $85 a year ago for enough 16ga to do my floors, I ended up with enough left over to do one more side.

Also, I installed 1/4" plates where the seats mount. It's very solid.

Tue Jun 19, 2012 7:32 pm

Lo Cash John wrote: Not to thread-jack or anything, but along this same topic...

With current metal prices, has anyone thought about which is the cheaper way to go:

Option 1. Buy stock replacement pans and shorten.
Option 2. Buy 16ga sheet metal and necessary 1 X 2 rectangular tubing for perimeter.
Option 3. Same as above but with 18ga.
Option 4. Buy 1 X 2 tubing for perimeter but use sheet aluminum for floor (not in the running for cheapest but what's the cost?)

I ask because I have a buddy about to start on a buggy and it'll need floors. He was guessing the fabrication route would be cheapest but I doubt it.

LoCash -

In keeping with your name, :lol: you might consider going to your local metal scrap yards to see if they have tubing / sheet for purchase. My local yards often have some areas where they set aside quality material / a.k.a. - 'not yet scrap' - and let you purchase material by the pound.

I've bought materials this way in the past for projects - and I'll note for the record that some of the current sheetmetal stamped VW replacement floorpans I've seen appear to be made from steel tissue paper... for the money spent, I'd hope for heavier-gauge pans. And I know that there are some resellers/vendors stocking 'H-D pans', but they don't appear to be too H-D to me -

bryan

Tue Jun 19, 2012 7:40 pm

$125.00 for the whole floor! 1x2 tubing, 16 ga flooring and it came out a lot better than I had planned. Really strong and no flex yet!

Tue Jun 19, 2012 8:08 pm

I am going to go with the 16 ga metal and 1 X 2 by 1/8" rectangle tube. will cost less than 1 side pan and i'm sure it will be a whole lot stronger.

Tue Jun 19, 2012 10:52 pm

Thanks for the input! I can't believe what replacement pans are going for now! Crap!

Yeah, I guess the fabricated way is better. I'll let my buddy know and we'll make plans to get the materials soon enough.

With my busy ass work schedule, I'm gonna make him do 90% of the fabrication and I'll make sure it's done right.

Wed Jun 20, 2012 4:10 am

Since they need to be cut and shortened anyway, has anyone tried using quarter pans instead of half pans? Could save money on shipping the smaller parts.