[kmchugh]

I can't seem to find the spot welds, I want to cut the floor pan out up to the vertical kick panel. I don't have good steel to weld to on the floor, so the new opan will have to welded to a vertical panel.

Kevin

 

[kmchugh]

Thanks for all the help

 

[72SS454Chevelle]

How much do you have to take out? Could you just cut out what is bad and then cut a similar section out of the new pan to patch.

I am not sure where to cut exactly so I can't help you with that part.

 

[Randy Mosier]

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are slow days on this board. They always have been. To answer your question, have you scuffed the paint from the seam at the kick panel? This should reveal the spot welds. I don't recommend cutting away at the seam because the rocker panel is also tied in at this seam. You have to locate those spot welds and cut them out so you can peel the layers of sheetmetal apart. The floor panel should be sandwiched in between the kick panel and rocker panel. You might also have to raise the car and locate the spot welds from underneath.

 

[kmchugh]

Deon, Randy,

Thanks for responding, I guess I'm antsy. I have a lot of work to do, and I was really motivated to get a good part of it done last weekend. Randy, I will try to post a pic so you all can understand a little better the trouble I am having. I did scuff away the paint at the kick panel but I did not see the spot welds. I think they are underneath, near the frame. I did manage to get the pan cut out almost to the kick panel. I think the lip from the rocker panel is rusted out in that area. I will get the pic posted this week, and I will give it another shot this weekend.

Regards, Kevin

 

[Randy Mosier]

I looked at my 71 a little more closely tonight. I see what you're talking about. That location is tough to get at from underneath with the body on the frame. I located one spot weld from the top in the forward section of the panel. I thought I felt a couple of others from the bottom, though I did have a tough time squeezing my hand between the frame rail and the rocker panel. I was able to determine that the pan sits on top of the rocker lip. If you're saying that the rocker lip is gone, you have more damage than you originally thought, and you may end up having to replace the rocker panel as well. Pictures are coming.

 

[Randy Mosier]

There aren't many spot welds, but they are there. In the pictures, you can see three very clearly. In the bottom picture, I drew in a white dotted line to show where the rocker lip is attached to the bottom of the floor panel. It extends to that line approximately.