Well it all started with the need to replace the fuel line which led to noticing multiple areas of rust and rot that needed replacing which led to a frame off restoration that I had no idea I would be in for. After drying up the tears...... Anyways, I have hired a local welder that will be doing the work but have a few questions. As you can see I have the body sitting on 2 sturdy saw horses we built to do the work. One is placed at the front body mounts under the cowl and the other is at the furthest rear body mounts. At the moment my welder has only removed most of the floor pan but still has the floor pan braces in tact. Below is a list of sheet metal he has to replace. I would greatly appreciate if someone with experience could tell me the order which would be best to replace them and if any temporary bracing needs to be installed at any point to avoid any possibility of shifting or sag.

Inner rocker panels
Floor pan braces
Floor pans, 2 section lh, rh
Rear seat pan, 1 piece
Inner and outer wheel wells
Trunk pan repairs (patching in various areas)
LH and right hand cowl sections including body mounts which is where

Thanks,
Mark

take a look at my thread a few posts down lol. Same question.

Thanks Matty, I read your post but I'm not having to replace any quarters or any other exterior sheet metal since the previous owner did that but did'nt address the interior sheetmetal areas of the car.

The body had to come off in order to provide access to the inner rocker panels. My welder is starting back on the car today and he feels it would be best to weld in some temporary tubing inside the car to keep anything from sagging or shifting. A local guy told me it would be doubtful I would need it since the roof and exterior panels are still intact but I don't want to take any chances if there is any possibility of a problem.

If there is anyone out there that has had to replace all of the sheet metal listed below please let me know:

1. If there is any temporary bracing needed considering where I mentioned in my original post of where I have the body supported?

2.The order in which these items should be replaced and if the body needs to be set back down on the frame at any point or any more body support in addition to what I currently have as described using the saw horses above to replace any of them?

Inner rocker panels (both sides)
Floor pan braces (all three which are attached to inner rockers)
Floor pans (2 sections, left hand and right hand)
Rear seat pan (1 section)
Left hand and right hand cowl sections
Frame mounts which are adjacent to the cowl sections

Thanks,
Mark

I also forgot to list in my last post the inner and outer rear fenders.

Anyone out there that could could give me some advice for these areas?

it's prob a good idea to brace the insides to prevent shifting,in multiple X patterns front to back and side to side,A-pillars back to C pillars especially when doing the floor.The car should be on the frame even though it is easier to get at the panels with it off the frame,because you might run into issues with panel alignment when putting the quarters on(a structural piece of the car)i would tackle those pieces with the car on the frame,and do the other stuff off of the frame with braces installed,that way you know the car is square to begin with structure wise and the other panels will have to be fitted in.Not all repop pieces are perfect depends on the vendor that made em,other wise you'll be chasing your tail and it just dominos from there if the main parts aren't square to begin with.I would do the inner rocker panels,floor pan braces and inner and outer wheel wells with the car on the frame,then do the other stuff with the car off of the frame.

Thanks sevenup very much for your reply but I was wondering how it is possible to replace the inner rockers with the car on the frame? That seemed to be the kicker why we had to lift it off since it was not accessable.

Mark

My opinion, if you're not taking off any of the outer structure, IE: outer rockers, rear quarters, roof, A-pillars.... there's nowhere for the structure to go. Just make sure that the bottoms of the front of the quarter panels are welded to the outer rocker good. This is a tough area to weld. You might put the doors back on and align them to the car before you cut it apart. If anything moves, you'll see it in the door line/gap.

Do the front floors first without cutting any of the trunk or wheelhouses. You should be able to cut the whole floor and bracing out without anything moving. Take some measurements before cutting anything. Measure across the bottoms of the rocker panels from side to side in like 4 places. Measure your new floor braces and compare that measurement to the existing parts that are still in the car. If you're within 1/16th, you're good.
Then work your way to the rear of the car, and do one side at a time.

Thanks so much Dave. Certainly out of my area of expertise but what you said makes perfect sense to me! Thanks again!!

Mark

oh i thought you were removing the outer quarters,if you're not then you're good.I knew you were'nt replacing the trunk panels but i thought you were replacing the whole rocker panel not just the insides?...in that case i would remove the car from the frame,i was under the understanding that you were replacing the entire quarter and rocker panels which would take the backbone out of the car if you removed the floor/braces/entire rocker and quarters at the same time....