replacing floors...orlando florida, need some help / suggestions Options

[rufio0205]

so i am replacing my floors. i have all the pieces necessary. i just need to know if anyone knows how to...i know yeah, cut them out weld them in. that isn't the problem. my problem is that i need to either turn the car on its side or completely upside down. i know i could get a rotisserie. but i cant spend that much money. i know there are places to go that have a lift in the garage bay but i dont know any off the top of my head that i can rent out for a day or whatever i might need. if anyone know of anywhere in the orlando florida area that does this or if you have any suggestions on what to do. please let me know


thomas

[tdgray]

Thomas... you pretty much covered all the ways it can be done but...

You can put the car up on stands or ramps and do it that way...lying on your back and drilling out the ungodly amount of spotwelds. Pretty tough on you though.

That said... I would see if you can rent some space somewhere with a four post lift... would go alot faster.

sorry no real help as this is a down and dirty job.

[jamara]

Agreed. Down and dirty. I finished getting my rear floor pan out and it took quite a long time to get everything drilled. Get the car as high into the air as you can SAFELY go.


At the risk of telling you what you may already know, I do have a few suggestions that I figured out trial and error. If this is all redundant for you, disregard. This is simply stuff I didn't know I needed to know when I did mine. If I'd known this stuff before, it would have made it much easier.

Buy one or two of these:

http://cgi.ebay.com/2-3-8-inch-HSS-Spot-We...1QQcmdZViewItem

And one or two of these:

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-DEWALT-1924-PILOT-...1QQcmdZViewItem

I found that the 5/16" bits I bought were just a tiny bit to small if you didn't get on the weld exactly center. If you are good, you might be able to make the 5/16" bits work. Well, you can make them work regardless, it will just take longer if you are not experienced. I made it work and I am not "good".

Use the spot weld bits for the longs or anywhere you cannot afford to go all the way through all the metal. These are designed with a really small, shallow pilot so the cutting in the center is minimal. Use the Dewalt style regular bits for the areas like the center tunnel and firewall sections where you should go through the metal. Yes, go all the way through with the pilot portion of the bit. Dewalt and Rigid bit have a nice flat outer section like a spot weld bit but with a long pilot, which is great for this. I wouldn't go all the way through with the 3/8" part, just the pilot. The advantage here is that when you go to rosette weld the floor back in, you can do these spots from above. Plus, you don't have to drill holes in your new pan. Make sense? PM me if you need pics. I don't have any now but could get you some.

Use cutting oil and a regular variable speed drill. Doesn't have to be a "spot weld drill". Just go slow. These bits cut amazingly well but should not be used fast. Use pressure if you have to, not speed. The cutting oil (3n1) will make them last a long time.

Good luck. Be methodical and patient and you will make it happen. If you get frustrated, walk away for a while. Get in the zone, listen to music, whatever. Just realize that this is "down and dirty work", as was mentioned.

[Al Meredith]

I am assuming the engine and Xmission and fuel tank are removed. We did a floor pan job in my garage by putting two tires just to either side of the doors and turning the car up on it's side. We tied it to a colume in the center of the garage so it would not fall down. Worked great. The door were removed so the tires were bearing on the sills where there is strength. Doesn't do any good to fix the floor and dent the side.

[Bartlett 914]

Spot weld drilling is hard on the arms and elbows. I did mine differently. I first used a cutoff wheel and remove all the sheet metal that I could leaving a strip close to the spot welds. I then used a 4.5" cutoff wheel and cut around the spot weld. This lets you pull most of the metal away from the spot weld. I then ground it down flat. You will still need to grind the weld flat after the drilling process so that work does not change. You need to be careful to not cut into the longs but when drilling you need to also be careful to not drill too deep. Be sure to wear a GOOD dust mask. Comfort masks are BS. Get good ones. Breathing this stuff is very hard on the lungs.