Floor pan repair, How would you approach this? Options

[vintage914racer]

Looming winter in MN means it's time to button the cars up in the garage and dive into winter projects. I need to upgrade the seat on my race car, which kicks off a slippery slope of activities. My seat location has always been compromised (a hair too far from the wheel) due to the floor pan crossbar being in the way. So, in preparation for a new seat, I decided to remove the crossbar.

Naturally digging in I was reminded how bent, beat up and hole-y my floor pan is. So...I want to repair the gnarly, albeit not too rusty except where the crossbar was, pan while I'm in there.










If you can tell in the pictures, the LR and RR corners of the passenger pan are mangled, either from horribly wrong jack placement, someone taking a sledge to fit a race seat in (not me, I promise) or some combination thereof.

Anyway, I'm trying to determine the best way to do it. Given the rearmost corners are so mangled, I don't see myself patching into those spots, as it would take too much metal shaping. In other words, replacing the full width (long to center console) seems to make more sense. I had so much fun drilling the crossbar spot welds that I'm not too keen on using a full-width patch the full length, however, if I don't have to. Rather, my thinking is that I cut an inch or so in from either side (long on left, console on right) up to the mangled section where I'll go full width and drill out the spot welds from below. Hopefully, the highlighted image makes more sense.




Is my logic flawed? Is there a better way to tackle it? I definitely don't want to half ass it. I'm certainly not an expert in this space, although I did carefully observe the expert work @rick 918-2 did repairing my six streetcar (here for reference).

[vintage914racer]

I see now what you are up against. That pan looks like swiss cheese. I have a left pan section and a cross member if you want to move it forward. Did you want to lower the pan slighty also? Do you have a welder and an air compressor? I may be able to help over a weekend. Looks like a one day job to get you going in the right direction.

Yep, lots of holes and what looks like brute force bludgeoning.

I have a left side pan, so I’m good there. I don’t need to lower the pan, really just need the cross-member moved forward a few inches to get clearance for my race seat mounts.

I have a compressor and welder. I know you’re up to your elbows in work, but I’d welcome your help if you do have an open day on the horizon some weekend.