There’s always a feeling of panic when a part of your car breaks, no matter what it is. The fear of not knowing how hard or costly it will be to fix, if it signals a larger problem, and if it will mean that you have to get a new car is something you’ll probably feel.
Replacing your Mustang’s floor pan can cost anywhere between $400 and $2500, depending on whether you replace it yourself or have it replaced professionally. There are many factors that will determine how much this car repair will cost besides whether or not you replace it yourself or not. The make and model of your mustang, a portion of floor pan that needs replacing, brand of floor pan you choose, and if you will need additional repairs will influence the cost.
Read on to learn what having a damaged floor pan that needs replacing means for you.
What is a Floor Pan?
In short, a floor pan is the flooring of your car. It is the large piece of metal on the bottom of your vehicle that also forms its structural and external panels. It often incorporates smaller welded sections or stampings and is welded either to the underside or to the floor of the car.
It is the most important piece of metal in the car, as it establishes its body, shape, size, and structure of it. Your floor pan is the foundation of your car and supports its major mechanical components, such as the suspension system and powertrain.
Floor pans are frequently made of stainless or heavy gauge steel and must be fitted to the particular make and model of the car.
What Would Cause Your Floor Pan to Need Replacing?
The most common reason your floor pan would need replacing is rusting. Because of the amount of water and weather exposure the floor pan receives, it is extremely susceptible to rusting.
When floor pans rust, they become less stable and can develop holes in them, which can compromise the functionality and support system of your car.
Other things that could cause your floor pan to need replacing might be a car accident, driving through severe weather, or any situation where there is a hole in the pan.
Is It Important or Necessary to Replace It?
The short answer is: Yes. But whether you have to replace the entire floor pan will depend on your individual situation. If only a small portion of your floor pan is rusted, you can usually just repair the patch that rusted.
To do this, you would need to cut out the rusted area, or scrap the rust off, and fill in the hole with a properly sized sheet of the same type of metal.
If only one section of the floor pan is rusted, you might be able to get away with simply replacing that section, as opposed to the entire pan. Just remove the rusted section and replace it with a new one, leaving the rest of the pan intact.
If you have the tools and knowledge, you can make these repairs yourself. A floor pan repair would be a project that would likely cost you between $200-$500 and take roughly 8 to 15 hours.
However, any car repair shop or dealership would be able to complete this repair too, for between $700-$1300. These repairs are necessary and essential. If you do not make them, you risk driving a very unsafe vehicle.
If the entire floor pan has rusted, or if it has been damaged in another way, it is absolutely crucial that you replace the entire floor pan.
If you do not make the necessary replacement or repairs to your floor pan, the quality of the floor pan will only further diminish, possibly creating a need for more costly repairs or more severe damage to your vehicle down the road.
How Much Does it Cost to Replace a Mustang Floor Pan?
If you are planning on replacing your mustang’s floor pan yourself, it will likely cost you between $400 and $800, depending on the make and model of the mustang and if you will need to complete additional repairs, like touching up paint.
If you are planning on having your mustang’s floor pans professionally replaced, it will likely cost you between $1000-$2500.
The factors that will determine the replacement cost are:
The factors that will determine the replacement cost are
- The cost of parts
- The make and model of the mustang
- The cost of labor
- What portion of the floor pan, or if the entire floor pan, needs replacing
- If your mustang needs additional repairs after the floor pan is replaced
- The brand of floor pan you choose
It is important to keep these factors in mind when thinking about how much your mustang floor pan replacement will cost within the above ranges.
Cost Breakdown
It’s helpful to understand how much each part of your mustang’s floor pan replacement will cost you. Below, you can find a breakdown of each factor and a quote for the cost of the parts you’ll need.
| Factor | Cost |
|---|---|
| Labor | $700-$1200 |
| Additional repairs | $200 |
| Driver’s side pan | $100-$300 |
| Passenger’s side pan | $100-$300 |
| Full pan | $250-$500 |
| Tools | $100-$400 |
As you can see, the specific part of the floor pan you need to be replaced on your mustang will determine the cost. Use these quotes to get a better estimate of exactly how much replacing your mustang’s floor pan will be.
DIY Steps to Replace Your Mustang Floor Pan
Knowing that replacing your mustang’s floor pan yourself could save you hundreds of dollars, you might be interested in learning how to do it on your own. Here are the steps that you should follow:
- Begin by identifying and cleaning up the loose rust and sealant with a vacuum
- Drill out the spot welds on the seat riser. Doing so will allow the floor pan to detach from the car
- Pry the seat riser out
- Drill out the spot welds on the frame rails
- Peel the floor pan off of the frame rails. After you do this, ensure that the frame rails are still connected
- Fully cut the floor pan out
- Fit the new floor pan in
- Attach the new floor pan with self-tapping screws or clecos
- Weld the floor pan to the car around the spot welds. This will prevent the metal from warping when it bounces around as you drive. Be careful not to weld the screws into the floor pan or car
- After you finish welding, remove the screws
- Weld in the holes
- Grind the welds down to your preference
- Weld the frame rail to the bottom of the floor pan
- Coat the new floor pan in three to four coats of primer. This will protect the new floor pan from rusting and prevent you from having to replace another floor pan.
In between each step, take care to clean excess rust off from each of the other parts of the car.
How Long Does it Take?
Replacing a floor pan is one of the most straightforward car repairs. However, it is also one of the most tedious and time-consuming. Scraping off the rust and removing all of the damaged pieces of it can take a long period of time, and reinstalling a new pan correctly will likely take a while.
If you are replacing the floor pan yourself, you should expect it to take about two days. If you are having it professionally replaced, it will likely take between two and four days, depending on how busy the shop is that you take your car to.
How to Care For Your Floor Pan
You probably don’t want to have to replace your mustang’s floor pan again in the near future. To ensure that your floor pan is well cared for and less likely to need replacement or repair in the future, make sure that you are doing these things:
- Check your floor pan for any rusting once a month. If you are able to notice rusting early on, you’ll be able to quickly scrap it off with a wire wheel before it has the chance to spread and damage the structural integrity.
- Apply rust preventative sealer to the floor pan.
- Make sure your car’s carpet is not constantly wet. A frequently soaked carpet can allow water to seep down through it into the metal, rusting the floor pan.
Conclusion
There are many factors that go into the cost of your mustang floor pan replacement, such as the make and model of the mustang, the brand of the floor pan, the level and amount of damage your floor pan has undergone, and if your mustang needs any additional repairs after the replacement.
However, the most influential factor on the cost of this repair is whether you replace the floor pan yourself or if you have your floor pan professionally replaced.
If you replace the floor pan yourself, expect to pay, on average, $600. If you have your floor pan professionally replaced, expect to pay, on average, $1500.