[Vwpickups] Caddy Floor Pan Cancer

[chilly10 at aim.com]

Hey guys...been a long time since I posted on the list. I got dropped somehow way back when and haven't seemed to need any help for awhile. 

Well, I have a problem. Seems I had some rust underneath an undercoating that was sprayed on my 82 caddy before I owned it and now a large section of drivers side floor pan has rotted out. I've got a hole about the size of a grapefruit that is completely gone and probably would have to cut out a section 4 times that size to get rid of all the weak metal. I believe it goes through the core support in the floor pan. 

If this was one of my old frame cars I'd just find a patch panel and weld it in, but I don't know if you can do this in the unibody frame. Can anyone give me some advice? I had to rebuild the motor 20k miles ago and while I was at it I put in a techtonics exhaust, new brakes all the way around, recored the radiator, new hoses etc. About the only thing not replaced or rebuilt mechanically is the injection pump and the tranny? (I did put a new clutch in last fall). So...it would be a waste to try to sell this vehicle because of a weak spot in the metal. 

I would be interested in a solid body if anyone knows where one for a good deal is laying around. It would probably be easier to dump the motor/trans into another body than to try to patch a floor pan in, but I'm not for sure on that (I didn't think it was all that hard to take them out when I had the motor rebuilt). 

Again...help and advice would be appreciated,

Chad