i searched the tech section and wasnt able to find what i was looking for and since this is my first time to even attempt i thought i should find out what i am getting into. so i have all of the seats out & from what i have read online you basically place your new pans over the existing floor, outline them, cut out the old sections, and replace with new & weld.... so when it comes to cutting out the old i have a few questions; will a grinder with a thin wheel work or do i need to invest in a new tool? if the grinder will work, what size wheel would be appropriate? second how worried should i be about cutting into something vital below the existing floor pans? is there anything else i should know before i dig into this? thanks
It is not that bad of a project. You should check the cross braces for the body and also the inner and outer rockers too. A Cut off wheel in a electric grinder will work. You will also need to drill out the spot welds on the braces. There are a couple of way's that you can go about welding the pans in, first you can overlap the piece and drill some holes to plug weld. Second you could cut them out exact and butt weld them, this is the hardest way because if the metal is thin then you could end up with some blow outs. The best thing to remember is to go slow and measure everything. Also if you cut out around any bodymounts make sure that it does not sag. Good luck, Jon.
Im doing that same thing right now in my 52 chevy. U sed a grinder with a thin cut off wheel. Worked great! You might have some cross supports under there in some spots so be sure not to cut into them. Im using An old door skin from my cutlass to fix my floor. Cant afford the replacement panels. My floor is only bad in the front drivers and passanger sides.
If you can find someone who has it, Hot Rod put out a DVD about a year ago, step by step for floor pans, excellent.
There was a recent post you can pull up,click on Members find Nitro-Flattie he did a post "1955 Ford Customline" he posted a ton of pictures step by step of rocker and floor pan replacement you should find an answer to all your concerns there.
This is a pretty simple, yet labor involved job. It is easier with the body off the frame, but not bad either way. Drilling the spot welds is the toughest part. Take your time and it is not that bad. Over lapping the pans is definatelly the way to go. It speeds everything up not having to fill blowouts. My favorite metal tool is my makita 4" grinder with a dewalt 4 1/2 metal cutoff wheel. More accurate and faster than the air cutoff with the 3" wheel. Make sure to watch out for wiring!!
Hey, Rule #1 , when you start talking cutting, grinding & welding on a vehcle is to locate all fuel lines/tanks, brake lines, wires, and any combustable material i.e. undercoating, sounddeading material, painted surfaces, interior fabrics/vinyls etc. Plan all your work so as to avoid all of these hazards Always remember, if it can catch fire or explode, it probably will given the opportunity! Rule #2, Always remove more metal than you think is bad. Welding into thin, pitted & generally unsound metal is nothing short of stupid! Too, bad metal left behind is usually the first place that the job will fail from. A butt seam is to be prefered over a lap seam as a lap will trap water and start to rust again. Seal all seams after you prime them so as to prevent further rust damage. If you wind up removing large areas of the floor or rockers, be sure to brace the interior/door openings as they may move on you as a result of cutting & welding. Swankey Devils C.C. "Meanwhile, back aboard The Tainted Pork"
Wow, seven posts before someone mentioned to watch out for the fuel lines and brake lines. Drilling out the spot welds is not the easiest thing to do. Another option is to lay out for your new pan and cut out all the steel that is not covering a support. I prefer the overlap myself but I use a plasma and only leave about a 1/4 inch and weld both sides. Once the steel is removed you can use a grinding wheel or 80 +/- grit sanding disc and go back and grind the sheet metal off the supports. After removing all the floor that is being replaced set the new floor in and trace around the supports. Remove the new pan and drill some holes for welding down to the supports or leave the floors in and drill down threw and use a self tapping bolt to pull the floor down on to the supports and surrounding floor that was left in. Once all the floor is pulled down tight remove a screw and weld remove a screw and weldv remove a screw and weld till your done. Good luck. It's a simple job. Also, buy some weld threw primer and use it before installing the new pan.
do not cut unitl you have your replacement piece, to many guys find out they cut out to much cause they got in a hurry it is easier to make a secound cut to trim out some more then to try and add it back on after cutting out to much, just fyi, dont have front floore for the 53/54 yet still the works, but we have rear floor for 53/4 ready to ship. also front 1/4's are ready for the guys who have been waiting.
i'm doing the same thing right now. I'm using a grinder with a 4 1/2 cutting wheel. As mentioned above check for electrical lines etc. ask me how i know. I dont have replacment pans, so i got a sheet of 18 gauge and using it to shape out what i cut.
Did just like stated above being mindful not to damage underfloor channels that might still be good. after cutting out the bad used an air flange to create a recess for the patch and welded it in.
ok, finally got the pans replaced, will post some pictures soon. got a question about the "drain holes?" i have 1-1.5" and 1-1" hole in each one of the front floor pans, then the driveers side has an access for the master cylinder, and each rear pan has a 1-3/4" hole. i have called chevs40's and they have these metal plugs, which they said can be purchased at a local hardware store....so off i went, 3 bucks worth of metal plugs and none will fit correctly. called national chevy association and they have some 3/4" rubber plugs but just looking at my pans in the rear, the holes are directly over the frame and dont have enough clearance for the rubber plugs. so my question is, first, why the hell are these holes even in the pans, besides the obvious one for access to the master cylinder. second, does anyone know where i can go to find these plugs? or should i just forget looking for plugs and just weld patches to cover them? thanks
Mine were worse in my 50. I really think buying new floor pan is a waste of mone. Get some 18ga. roll some beads in it and be done. For what you save on NOT buying floor pans you can get a H.F. bead roller and still have $$ left over. Also, if you want to lap weld that is fine, just get it clean underneath and give it a good coat of weld through primer before you weld it all together. When your done use a good seam sealer on all the lap edges and you'll be all set. Here's a pic of what I did. Todd
ive already got the new pans welded in, used weld thru primer....etc.. my question is about the drain? holes, as shown in the pic above....are plugs available for these or should i just weld up some patch for them?
I never drill out spot welds, IMO its easier to cut the pan off next to what its welded to (inner rocker, floor brace, etc.) and take a grinding wheel to whats left of the small piece of sheet metal thats on top of the brace/rocker to kill the spot welds. Grind about 2/3 through it and then knock it off with a hammer & chisel. That way you's aint got no holes in your stuff.
I never drill out spot welds, IMO its easier to cut the pan off next to what its welded to (inner rocker, floor brace, etc.) and take a grinding wheel to whats left of the small piece of sheet metal thats on top of the brace/rocker to kill the spot welds. Grind about 2/3 through it and then knock it off with a hammer & chisel. That way you's aint got no holes in your stuff.
I wouldn't weld those plugs up. Some cars I've cut apart from the factory have a stamped steel plug that is basically glued into place with seam sealer. If I were in your position where the push in plastic plugs don't have clearance to fit into place, I'd cut out some sheetmetal circles about 3/4" bigger than the drain hole plugs, paint them on both sides, then lay a bead of seam sealer around the hole and push the plugs down onto it. It will seal well, and if you ever need access to that hole for any reason, you can just peel it back up with a putty knife. You want the stuff that stays gooey forever, nothing that will dry up hard like body filler. Usually those plugs are in there for a reason, access to a body mount bolt, master cylinder, or for drainage, which you think you'll never need but you'll be glad to have it if you do.
If I wanted drainage in the floor boards of my car, I have a Wet N Dry vacuum. If you need plugs for the holes the Pick a part yard has cars with lots of neat plugs that you can remove and will cost almost nothing. I would weld up the holes that I don't need and plug the one's that I do. I made a lid for my underfloor M/C using a lid of a old master cylinder lid that I ground down the height of the lip. I used the center tie down hole to put a bolt through in to the butterfly wings to keep the cap tight to the floor. I believe it was off a 50's IHC truck. Old 4 X 5 steel truck mirrors of 63 - 65 Ford 1/2 tons work well. You can cut and weld a variety of sizes from them. The rubber ring works well to keep the moisture out.
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