Floorpan 1973 Chevy Nova

I just started some work on a 73 Chevy nova so far so good. I have to replace the floorpan and ive found one for a good price just was wondering how difficult it would be to do this myself or should i have this done at a shop. I am trying to decide on the single piece or the full floor pan. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

If you want to do this yourself correctly, the first thing you’ll need is a MIG welder.

Tester

so i would assume that i can buy the full floor pan and then put it in place and weld it to the frame?

There is no frame in a 1973 Nova. It’s a unibody construction with a front subframe.

If you can keep any part of the original floor that’s in good shape and cut out the bad, and then trim the replacement floor to fit and weld it in, it’s a lot easier.

Tester

Thanks a lot for the info that is much better than replacing the whole floor pan.

Unibody construction means the floor pan can be part of the supporting structure of the car. Similiar to a load bearing wall in your house. Before you start cutting stuff away you need to be sure, such as check with a good body shop or body man, that what you are doiing won’t compromise the integrety of the car.

If you are a competent welder and have some good advisors this might work. If you are a typical DIY’r this job might be better left to the pro’s. It is all about where the rust is, where the floor pan is cut, and how much of the floor pan is removed, and how well it is all welded back together.