That car looks too nice to screw it up! Buy a small MIG wleder and practice a bit. Make some floors, like Johnny A demonstrated (VERY nice, by the way!) You'll have the satisfaction of doing it yourself, doing it in an acceptable way, and saving lots of money...besides having a welder to do more work with!
Carefully cut out the new floor and then the rusted one and reinstall the new floor. it takes time but it's worth the trouble.
Southpark is right - buy the matel and do it yourself. Then you have nearly enough left over for that Mig welder you need adn more importantly, you'll have plenty of practice on floorboards that will be covered by carpet and such. Therefore, no worries about how good your welds are. You'll be surprised how quick you'll pick it up. Great project, BTW - I really like that body style ....
Already have a wire feed.. 18 gauge sheet metal here is $95.00 the last time I bout it, but that is for a 8x11
I found out from the guy I bought it from that the new floor is galvinized. He painted it with a zink cromate primer.. I am thinking of maybe jacking up the front enough to put some 4x4 chunks under it, and crawl under it and pry on the old floor and cut it out with air sheers.. Then just replace the front top part of the floor with a new piece.. I either have to do this now, or wait untill next Spring.. It is starting to get colder, and there is no heat in the garage..
Use a sawzall and a 22 tpi 6" blade, it will go alot faster and you can do everything from the top side. Eating rust sucks, and when it gets in your eye, it REALLY sucks...
How's it look from the bottom .You could fiberglass the floor. I would skim with Bondo first .Alot of guys wouldn't skim with Bondo.I learned this from one of the best guys who has done many show cars. He passed many years ago Bob Weston RIP
I will take a few pics. of the bottom.. I think that if I glassed the bottom, or Bondo.. It would rattle right off.. I think I will go in from the top and save my new floor.. How far away from the walls, and door opening should I make the cut??
I took a few pictures of the floor.. I just need to know how far in to cut along the frame rails??, or do I cut on the outside of the frame raills??
I just sold a 37 Ford just like yours, (body only, on a boxed original frame, with a complete new floor pan installed) On the hamb, for $1200. I personaly wouldnt look twice at a car with the floor pans fixed with wood.
We can't really tell by those pics. Basic common sense would be to save the outer edges of the floor where the floor attaches to any structural part like door posts, etc. "IF" those edges are not all soft with pinholed rot. Just look at the whole deal to try to understand what is holding the car together and holding the body up...then figure out what is safe to cut out. If the floors used to be great on the outside edges, but holes were mainly in low spots farher away,I'd try to save the perimiter metal if I could clean it good enough to weld to.
any pictures of the underside? if i read your posts correctly that new floor is over the rusted original? where is this oil canning? i seams to me once you got the floor bolted down to the x-member that would stop hard to tell in your pictures what your problem is. the floor doesn't look too bad. maybe you could find someone who knows what's up take a look at in person....didn't you say once your brother works on hot rods?
Where the metal in the back turns up.. The posts that it is welded to are all strong. There is one little spot in one corner, but it is not effected by the floor. If I cut 2" in all of the way around.. Would I then also remove any part of the old floor under like the frame rails?? Would I also have to add a lip under the 2" part of the new floor for the floor to rest on for plug welding?? I will also put on a pic of the frame without the car on it.. Then you can see the other frame work that is there..
http://www.hotrodssheetmetal.com/191fofrflpa1.html It is probably the most simple floor pan you will find.I don't know if anyone mentioned this but if you do cut out the floor be sure to brace the body. 245 is not a bad price for the front.A sheet of 18g is close to 70 bucks now.With the tunnel and the beads it is well worth it. Take care of mama and save your beer money.
Is there anyone around him who could plan some time to help him? He seems like a good guy, and this might be an opportunity to meet a member and a chance for him to learn something.
i agree , someone should take a look at it in person and give some guidance.there is only so much that can be done over the internet. he is about 5 hours from me. i know that there are a lot of hot rodders in the Duluth area. floors for `35-`40 Ford are not that spooky to replace , and are not hard to make yourself
My Brother lives in New York.. I am charging up the camera. As soon as the battery is charged I will see if I can get any good pics of underneath it. The oil canning seems to come from all over.. I thought that I could just screw the new floor down. Even if I have to go threw the old floor and go right into that square conduit frame work.. Or put that product like Dynamat down. Then the 1/4" plywood over it and screw threw all of it into that frame work. Any oil canning would be sandwiched between the frame work and the plywood.. The oil canning would be gone. I know that I have to replace the front of the floor.. It had to be cut out because the other owner put the motor mounts back nine inches, and I was lowering the body by myself and had the engine already in the frame. The original firewall, along with part of the floor had to be removed for the body to sit on the frame.. I have a pic of that also..
I looked under the car, and it really doesn't look all of that bad. There is one crossmember, or brace of some sort that doesn't fit quite right, but if I cut it out it might all come down. Looks like the problem might be that there are no holes in the new floor for bolts to pass threw thye rubber cushions.. If I can find the spots for the bolts to go.. I might be able to keep the whole thing the way it is execpt to replace the front part just below the firewall..
Face it.. No help.. I'll take that brace out. It is seen in the second picture of the second row. The loop over the transmission is there and some sort of brace sits there as well.. Looking close at it. That brace is on both sides and sits on the frame work not allowing the body to sit on those rubber cushions. If I cut that thing out on both sides.. It should sit back down where it belongs.. I hope.. Al
After hearing from a Friend many miles away.. I will cut the floor out tomorrow.. He said to leave 2" all the way around for a place to add a lip if needed.. I will try to figure out how to get the main floor out in one piece. Then cut the old floor out, and drill threw the frame work where the rubber pads are. After I get it all setup. I'll put the floor back in and do some plug welds, and fill in any cracks, or gaps from the little edge that I cut. I will need to make, or replace the part by the firewall with a new piece as well.. I will let you all no how it turns out.. Al
Not really helpful in the original posts problem but it has been mentioned a few times. So just a friendly reminder to all on a budget if you need sheet metal look into old used steel service doors you get two layers and usually 4x7 sizes. I've gotten two so far for free. I have also just found a consolidated door company with a dumpster full of steel doors I'm sure you could buy old doors from them for very cheap considering how much they would get in scrap.