I am working on collecting parts for a project. It will be a heavily modified Pontiac wagon. My question is, what to do for a floor? The floor is gone. I know that Chevy and Pontiac don't interchange, but have not found what the differences in the floor are. I am just guessing that it has to do with the bracing and mounting points as they are different chassis. The wheelbase is also different and I am wondering if that is part of the difference in floors. It sure would be nice to just slap a complete floor plan in like a 55 Chevy as opposed to fabricating the whole thing. There will be a frame swap happening as well, so mounting points to factory will be a moot point. Thanks in advance.
Ames Performance Engineering in New Hampshire used to sell replacement front floor sections that could be modified to repair the rear as well. The basic body shell of a Chevrolet and Pontiac wagon are pretty much the same except for fuel tank location(Chevy is in the center and Pontiac off to the left side)and that the Pontiac has an under the seat heater on the driver's side. If the floor is completely gone it might be worth seeing if a complete new Chevy floor is available and modify it to fit. Or if you are good at fabrication just make one.
Interesting, I had a phone call at where I work from a customer two weeks ago about this very same thing. Dan the owner and a long time Tri-Five enthusiast and an employee at Dynacor who manufacturers replacement parts for vintage cars both agreed the Ponch is a tad longer and the Chev floor pan would need some massaging to work. I hope this helps.
Do you know where it would need the work? Wheel area? If that is all, and the width and general overall would work, I can handle a little massaging. I am just trying to avoid the headache and time suck of starting from nothing.
The hump in a Chevy hardtop floor is taller than a pontiac...I know this because I put a pontiac rear seat in my chevy, and had to raise the hump cutout so it would clear. I expect there are quite a few other differences. But the doors are the same, the rockers might be similar, maybe you can use the entire floor from a Chevy and it'll work? although it won't go back far enough, and won't meet up with the firewall the same.
I can trim the hump down, not a problem there. I am keeping the fold down rear seat from the Pontiac. It sounds like this may be a viable option to look into to save time and frustration.
The rockers are the same The trans tunnel is different. Iv installed the one piece floors in chevys before, I'm thinking the wheelbase is longer in front of the firewall. If you had to alter the floor at the rear, I think it would be simple under the back seat. Just my opinion. Good luck! Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I don't know what has to be done to make the Chevy floor fit into a Pontiac. If it were me, and before I would pull out my wallet, I'd want an answer from the guy who now manufactures the repro Chevy floor.
http://www.classicfabrication.com/ maybe these dudes can assist? I have not ordered from them, but plan to.
50's era Pontiacs had the heater under the seat as did Buicks. Lot of differences in the floor pans from Chevy to Pontiac.
Not worried about stock heater location, more if it is dimensionally close. This will be far from a restoration project, just looking to save some fab time.
I'm not sure how this guy will know the answer. He is making the part for Chevies and may not know anything about Pontiacs.
Well, after looking around, I found some dimensions finally, on eBay of all places. While not a direct swap, the measurements are fairly close and it looks like it will work for what I need. I would still be interested to hear from anyone who has tried using a Chevy pan in a Pontiac though to see what they did to make it work.. Thanks to all that responded so far.
Okay so I have a 56 4 door hardtop Pontiac and I was very disappointed with the sheet metal that I got from Ames performance the rear floors were okay as on my car the only part of the four that was rusted out as where you put your feet in the back and in the front. However the metal that they sent you for the back is the same as to what they send you for the front and it took more effort then it was really work to make one side work I ended up having to fabricate using thats metal stock on the right side and I ordered a 56 Chevy patch for the left side and was very minimum work it went in and was welded Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Here is the only shot I have on my phone of the right floor which as you can see took several piece due to the decay of the original floor And in this one you can also see the left one piece contoured chevy patch. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
would you happen to have some photos of your custom build on the floors? im also in this dilemma, but my dog legs are shot as well. wondering if the chevs will work
ok, i did find this for front floor pans only. seems like they got trunk patches and only front floor patches so far in my searches https://www.c2cfabrication.com/collections/all/pontiac+chieftain+1955
just some 18 ga steel cut to fit. I made some raised lines in the steel similar to factory to not flex. I taped some 1/4 rod to backside and had a square die to hammer over to form the lines.
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