I own a convertible chevelle that literally needs pans from front to back (complete floors, including metal under rear seat, area immediately behind seat and complete trunk). Both quarters may also need to be replaced. The rest of the car is pretty solid. Is the body repairable? Would the metal from a donor coup fit a convertible?

Thank you
oc

No, I hate to tell you, but it's not. You should just let me come by and take it off your hands for you... :D

Just kidding. Of course it is repairable. That's why they sell practically every part you just mentioned new on the aftermarket. I also have a '66 Convertible, and not only does mine need some floor/trunk pan work, but the frame has some holes in it, too. :(
While it seems like a daunting task, I am just taking it one piece at a time. I am looking at my options to replace the frame, and I have started picking up the body repair panels. When I have everything I need to do the job all at once, she'll get a good once over.
One very useful tool is this web site, and countless others. Many cool people who are willing to share their experiences and info with you hang out here. I am sure you'll find that out soon enough.
Good luck with your project, don't lose hope. I'd be interested in seeing your pics, if you have some. graemlins/beers.gif

Thank you for the reply. I am not too familiar with this website. My membership began yesterday! I would be happy to send you pictures. I just photo-documented the car. I believe the car to be a real L78 convertible that needs alot of work. The car has been stored since 1977 and has all the L78 goodies including CU rear, 4 speed, 7000 tach, 962 block, L78 heads, L78 carb, aluminum intake. All components including EE carb, alt, etc have correct cast numbers and dates, as you will see from the pictures. I just need help finding someone who knows 66 chevelles and would be willing to do all the body work correctly and as perfectly as possible.

Anyway, how do I send you pictures from this site. Or should I just send them via e-mail.

Thanks again
oc

Welcome 66 L78 ragtop

I have to patch my frame, replace entire floor and trunk, front fenders, hood, some firewall sections and possibly the rear quarters and the area around the rear window is rusted through too.
I have done a lot of mechanic work but almost no body work. These cars are 40 years old and many are heavily damaged. None the less a can't wait to drive this beauty. They have character and size you just can't find in new cars.

Welcome to the club.

Thank you for the warm welcome Mark. It is really nice to meet other people with a genuine interest in these classics.

Orlando

Would it be possible and correct to replace the floor pans( including the metal under and behind the rear seat) and complete trunk pan on a 66 convertible with that from a 66 coupe?? Are the quarters and front clip interchangable? HELP!!

Thanks
Orlando

I need help with the above question regarding 1966 chevelle pans

I think you probably could do that buy why not just buy a pair of floor pans and a 7 piece complete trunk kit.

There is a search link on the top right and almost everything has been addressed before.

I think it is proper etiquette to search first and then post further comments after...

From what I have heard Goodmark has the best sheet metal.

Goodmark is good, and expensive. If you are doing a show car concours restoration, then you want the best of everything and will pay dearly for it. If you are doing a "driver restoration", there are plenty of suppliers of other good sheet metal products out there. This site sponsor has some. I'm doing a similar resto on a coupe and using NationalPartsDdepot parts. I've found them to be very good and the savings on shipping when bought at one time and the service and other special pricing offers more than made them the best deal for me. Money is tight for me so I always consider price as a factor but not necessarily the only or deciding one.

See the "souces" list on this site and elsewhere.

I really appreciate your input. Guys like you, who are willing to help, make the hobby fun and exciting. Thanks My neighbor has a 1966 Malibu coupe shell that is very solid. Hence, my question regarding coupe to convertible metal transplantation. I tried doing a search, but could not find info. to address my question. I would like to restore my chevelle to diamond status and figured that original metal would fit better and be more correct that repro. I will look into goodmark product. Again, thanks to both chevellenut (Mark) and Herb. By the way, Herb is also my dad and my brothers name!

herbs make the difference graemlins/waving.gif

I thought that the convertables had a lot of extra bracing on the floor pans, but, not on the hardtops. I had a 67 Malibu hardtop that had all the convertable bracing on it. Some one told me tha all the NASCAR chevelles had the convertable bracing also. Of course I'm over fifty now, so, I don't remember all this stuff so well.

The parts would interchange. Personally, I have to ask why not let someone use the complete hardtop for a project instead of cutting it up? Good solid body shells are getting harder to find every year. Also, I think you'd find it's easier starting with the repair panels than trying to seperate an origional shell for parts.

Peter

Hello Peter,

Great question!! The cost of the shell would be much less than buying all of the panels as reproduction. However, I am starting to feel guilty about wanting to cut up a solid chevelle especially considering that the original 283 and powerglide as well as warantee book are in the current owner's basement.


I am definately going to buy the car. Chances are, I will not cut it up.

Question:
Are the pans the same for coupe and convertible?
Since I want to build a diamond car, would repro panels work just as well as originals?

Would reproduction panels really fit as well as originals? Thanks to both Peter and 67 slowpoke for their input and questions. PS I have a brother named Peter!!

Sounds to me you have a great car to start with,do you have any paperwork with it,factory invoice,build sheets etc? Anyway it sounds like your car needs a experienced shop to weld in the floor pans etc.butt welding in everthing and installing as many panels at the spot welds as possible,a rotisseree resto,it also sounds like you will need to weld in crossbracing to hold this car in place before it ever comes off the frame,also if you need frames,check out Hemmings Motor News,this site and e bay motors for parts,as for repro floors,trunk panels etc. they will work fine,but even though nos quarters cost more,it sounds like your car would justify buying them! Also if you are looking for a resto shop I would try to find one that does resto work,not one that does both,the shops that do both of which I can't speak for all of them seems like the collision work comes first and the resto work gets fitted in on the slow times,the car never gets done,been there twice and it won't happen a third time.Ive done 2 70 chevelles and am just finishing up a 4 year project on a 69 camaro ss,sounds like your car deserves a shop like Troy Terpaniers in Manteno Il.although expensive there work is top notch!

Hello MR454SS

Thank you for the response. I do not have any documentation. However, the car has never been apart or restored. It still sports the original marina blue paint, although it is faded and the red primer is coming through. I was told that since the car has never been apart, there is a possibility that a build sheet may be tucked away in the car, somewhere. I recently purchased an awesome CD with 1966/7 Chevelle Fact information (by John Haislip) which cued me to check for more L78 specific items. I found that the car has the original date coded 7000 RPM L78 tach, the original metal tag on the transmission #3890534, distributor #1111100, all deep groove pullys, and more...!! Anyway. I would like to have this car restored to diamond status. Do you have the telephone number to Troy Terpaniers body shop. I would like to speak with him and take a look at some of his work.

I also have a camaro, numbers and date code matching with 20K original miles. (68 RS/SS 396/375 convertible with M22 rockcrusher) Yes, I do have the protect o plate and other dealership records, including window sticker. I also have a one owner 1966 Impala SS 396 4speed convertible. They are alot of fun. Lets swap pictures. I would really like to see your 70 chevelles and 69 camaro. Thanks

Orlando

Orlando,
I am restoring a 67 SS convertible, which I will be painting next week, and we just finished the metal work(complete bottoms, rockers, tubs, etc) on another 67 SS convertible for a friend here. Much of Goodmark's metal will fit with some persuasion(although I was not impressed). Most of your problem will be in trying to rebuild the wheel tubs if they are gone. We had to split the hardtop tubs into six pieces and rebuild it to get it to fit properly. The trunk pans (three piece) can be used, but it takes some good metal work to make the seams disappear at the rear trunk panel. No offense to Troy( as his work is the best on the planet, for the type of work that he does) but I would think if you have as rare of a car as you think, you might want to interview several restorers who specialize in Chevelles. Believe me, (and others like me) when I tell you that building a hot rod is much different than doing a concours restoration.

Just my 2 cents, and best of luck with your project.
Dave in Denver

Dave,

Thank you very much for your reply. I really appreciate your input. If you know of any chevelle experts who would be interested in restoring my chevelle, please forward their numbers to me. Also, If you know of any good chevelle sources (books, web sites etc.) please let me know. Thanks for all the pictures. The 57 and 67 are absolutely awesome. Hayden and Ivy are beautiful kids. God bless them. Thanks

Orlando

Orlando

You might try fellow ACES member Doug Yoder out of Red Lion, PA ( western PA ) he specializes in Chevelle restorations and has one of the best 66 SS Chevelles in the country as well.

I don't have my address book handy, but he is listed and also advertises in the Chevelle World magazine... ( you should join ACES via the home page here at Team Chevelle)

I guess you already know that without any paper work and a Block that has been decked ( no visible numbers ) you will never be able to truly say the car is one of the very few 66 SS Conv. L-78 cars made. I say that only in terms of the huge money you may start to drop in order to restore this car to Diamond Certified Status, not saying you shouldn't do it, but at this point.. you are restoring just another 66 SS Ragtop.. not that there is anything wrong with that, but I just wouldn't want for you to think that anyone will ever be convinced the car is anything more than a 66 SS with an L-78 block or parts that would be correct for an L-78 car :(

Enjoy...

Mike

Hello Mike,

Thank you for the reply. You are absolutely correct. Because the blocked was decked and I currently do not have any documentation, people would be justifiably skeptical. However, from my point of view, how can someone definatively disprove the cars authenticity considering that it has been documented to have been in storage and not registered since 1977. The second owner left the car in storage in 1977 and had not paid storage fees so the storage owner took official ownership in 2004. The storage owner is not a "car person" and confirms that the car has not seen sunlight since it was stored. To my knowledge,the information to correctly clone an L78 was not available in 1977 (or probably not even the interest). Is it coincidental that the car has all of the correct, date coded components that a true L78 car should have? Even date coded tach and original L78 metal tag still on the transmission which has the cars vin and correct build date? Every date code matches. Every component is correct for L78. It doesn't make sense that someone would spend a fortune and time to find original date coded components from carb, alt, heads, intake, block, starter, correct L78 fuel pump, original deep groove pully set, transmission, L78 trans tag, CU coded date correct rear e

Hello Mike,

Thank you for the reply. You are absolutely correct. Because the blocked was decked and I currently do not have any documentation, people would be justifiably skeptical. However, from my point of view, how can someone definatively disprove the cars authenticity considering that it has been documented to have been in storage and not registered since 1977. The second owner left the car in storage in 1977 and had not paid storage fees so the storage owner took official ownership in 2004. The storage owner is not a "car person" and confirms that the car has not seen sunlight since it was stored. To my knowledge,the information to correctly clone an L78 was not available in 1977 (or probably not even the interest). Is it coincidental that the car has all of the correct, date coded components that a true L78 car should have? Even date coded tach and original L78 metal tag still on the transmission which has the cars vin and correct build date? Every date code matches. Every component is correct for L78. It doesn't make sense that someone would spend a fortune and time to find original date coded components from carb, alt, heads, intake, block, starter, correct L78 fuel pump, original deep groove pully set, transmission, L78 trans tag, CU coded date correct rear end, Date coded correct tach, in dash guages, Harrison radiator, harmonic balancer, water pump, L coded cowl tag, distributor etc. just to turn around and give the car away. I purchased the car two months ago, literally, for next to nothing. You couldn't buy the engine on e-bay for what I paid for the car. Based on the consistent grease build up throughout the bottom of the car, you must see the pictures, not one part has been changed. Not to mention that all of the components appear to have the same age appearance. (One would probably have to see the pictures to fully appreciate the age appearance of the items. Nonetheless, it remains somewhat of a mystery. And as a general rule, if a cars authenticity is questionable, the wise thing to do would be to yield on the side of safety and consider the car as something other that what it may be.

Having said that, knowing what I know, it is unreasonable for me to follow the general rule. I plan to restore the car to diamond status and keep it in my collection. I have no interest in selling the car to turn a profit. Nor am I trying to market the car to make a sale. I earn a very comfortable living in the medical field, not the classic car industry. I enjoy the classic car industry strictly as a hobby for pure enjoyment. I plan to share my story with anyone who may be interested and let them draw their own conclusion. Thanks again for your reply Mike.
I have heard alot of awesome things about ACES. I plan on joining. Do you have Doug Yoder's e-mail? Also thanks for the great Chevelle Fact CD by John Haislip. It is awesome and I highly recommend it. My brother has a 66 ragtop with air that he is planning to restore. He viewed the CD and loved it. He will be placing an order shortly. Hopefully I'll see you at the next chevelle nationals!!

OC