How to inspect the underside and longs without a lift, now the Not another novice project thread Options

[seanpaulmc]

Mmmmmm parts!



Had to share my excitement.

[East coaster]

Good metal work. I just did some of those same spots myself, not much fun but it’s nice to see the car become solid again.

[seanpaulmc]

Been a while for an update… floors are done. At least the inside of the floors. Brushed on three layers of rust bullet. Two coats then seam sealed and then the final third coat. I’m impressed with its durability.





Had to treat the longs with ospho for some surface rust that developed during the very rainy week we had here. Will get them cleaned off and coat with rust bullet to finish off the longs and interior floors.

Then I will need to clean and treat the underneath outside of the floors. Followed by Raptor? Herculiner? Anyone want to share their experiences with either?

Thanks for looking.

[Dave_Darling]

Herculiner? Make sure you don't get it on your hootus.

(Dammit, the Exploder Forum won't let you see that thread any more without logging in.)

--DD

[mgarrison]

Been a while for an update… floors are done. At least the inside of the floors. Brushed on three layers of rust bullet. Two coats then seam sealed and then the final third coat. I’m impressed with its durability.





Had to treat the longs with ospho for some surface rust that developed during the very rainy week we had here. Will get them cleaned off and coat with rust bullet to finish off the longs and interior floors.

Then I will need to clean and treat the underneath outside of the floors. Followed by Raptor? Herculiner? Anyone want to share their experiences with either?

Thanks for looking.

Here's my Raptor liner experience/results for reference:

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?s=&...t&p=2923677

[East coaster]

Just sprayed my tub with Custom Coat bedliner (from TCP Global). I did black on the underside of the car and tinted (to match my exterior paint color) in the trunks, engine compartment, and interior. I used Raptor on my last project and this was the same to work with and results seem the same. Just another option……I got mine from Amazon.

[seanpaulmc]

Thanks for the references on the bed / raptor liner. Results on both your cars looks amazing. Nice work, Gents!

[bajafreaks]

Well it’s been a while.
Where was I?

Right, a life on jack stands…


The passenger floor - front to back - is in with a new cross brace.
This photo is from before the welding.



Inner firewall patched (hellhole).



Outer firewall patched (hellhole).



Corner triangle replaced (hellhole).




Looks a little better now than when I got it. And, surely a lot stronger.






Now it needs a new engine shelf and some decisions need to be made about where to relocate the battery. I’m fairly certain I won’t put it back in the original location with this now being a Florida. But there’s more to do before I get to that - front of the floor board at the bulkhead, replacement of the door sill, and all the layers to the A-pillar support.





Hope you all enjoy the progress report.

Thanks for looking!

Did the replacement passenger floor pan come with the seat rails and brackets already attached/welded in place? If so where did you get the pan? I need to do the same repair including the center support cross brace. Thanks

[seanpaulmc]

@bajafreaks

The passenger floor pan I bought from the classifieds here on World from another member. With shipping it still cost me the price as a new one but I got to help another member out with the purchase.

The pan was likely originally from Stoddard since it was the full passenger side. Yes, this pan came with the seat rail underside reinforcement and the seat hinge brackets/risers installed. I only had to weld on the hinges themselves which I was able to salvage from the old floor.

Depending on what you need various configurations of floor replacement pans can be obtained from Restoration Design, AA, Stoddard and maybe others. These same vendors will also have the cross brace.

You could start with a WTB ad to see what others might have to offer up before going straight to retail.

Good luck!

[bajafreaks]

[quote name='seanpaulmc' date='May 29 2023, 12:45 PM' post='3080330']
@bajafreaks

The passenger floor pan I bought from the classifieds here on World from another member. With shipping it still cost me the price as a new one but I got to help another member out with the purchase.

The pan was likely originally from Stoddard since it was the full passenger side. Yes, this pan came with the seat rail underside reinforcement and the seat hinge brackets/risers installed. I only had to weld on the hinges themselves which I was able to salvage from the old floor.

Depending on what you need various configurations of floor replacement pans can be obtained from Restoration Design, AA, Stoddard and maybe others. These same vendors will also have the cross brace.

You could start with a WTB ad to see what others might have to offer up before going straight to retail.

Good luck!
[/quote

Thanks for getting back to me. Res. Design and Stoddard look to have the best sheet metal. Working on cars for 40+years Ive been able to do just about anything mechanically including body work and paint, but welding has never been my thing, oh well time to dive in...

[seanpaulmc]

For review, we last left off with completion of the inner stiffening kit installation and a liberal coating of Rust Bullet. 3 coats brushed on.

With the holiday weekend and cool, dry weather (upper 90s and feels like in the 100s) time to get back to the floor weld repairs. So, I opened up the shop for the weekend.



Of course it’s bigger on the inside.



Remaining areas needing repair before I can move on to applying an underside protective coating of the floorpan are the A-pillar door support and this little spot at the bulkhead in the forward section of the tunnel underneath the fuel tank.







I posted separately about removal of the bulkhead fuel line grommet. Light heat and liberal amounts of soapy water and we can see what we’re working with behind there. Thanks for the removal tips, Zach.







After 3 days of acrobatics, hot yoga, and inventing new swear words my attempt at making an acceptable weld repair yielded what I am calling a passable repair. Much better than the as found rotten metal but I had to acquiesce and use a small lap panel because one edge kept blowing through. I also had to use a little epoxy at edges as well since I could not get the mig nozzle positioned correctly.

This patch piece has quite the geometry.









I’ll fiddle with it some more before I’m done with it of course. I need to confirm the shape of the hole and flange lip. Then add some seam sealer and a good coat of rust bullet and reinstall the fuel line grommet.

I miss our shade tree.





I really could have used an extra set of hands and of course there’s always that neighbor looking over your shoulder never offering to help.



No further mention of the A-pillar support repair should speak for itself.
That repair will have to wait for the next heat wave.

[930cabman]

Great progress, currently I am repairing some minor rusting issues, completing a good prep job with the entire area and coating with oil based brush on paint from my local True Value hardware store. I can't really see all the hype with such high performance coatings when our cars have made it 1/2 century with minimal protection from the factory and in many cases very little maintenance. In 50 years I will be 120 years of age

Getting most of the rust out is key

[seanpaulmc]

Back at it.



I made up my own replacement corner out of some other cut offs rather than cutting out a tiny section from a brand new RD piece which seemed wasteful to me. Used the RD piece as a template.



Turned out rather nice.
But it is just going to get covered up by the outer reinforcement piece that goes here.



Question for you experts. Any tips for getting the door on and off alone?
To install the outer reinforcement piece I have to get the door out of the way. It’ll probably take a couple on and offs I’m sure so looking for some practiced advise.

Thanks for looking.

[DennisV]

About that welder, is there advice for a recommended welder for a novice on here? Likewise, on what to stay away from?

I started down the path of welding just over a year ago. If you plan to do any body panels, you may benefit from learning TIG. Plenty of people are successful with MIG, but I think you'll find it offers less control and introduces more heat distortion on body panels.

I ended up buying the Lincoln POWER MIG 140 Multi-Process. I’ve been very happy with it so far. You can do TIG, MIG, or stick. Runs off 110 which is convenient. It is pretty compact. I put it on a cheap Harbor Freight cart and it has been fine. I have only used it for TIG of 18-20 gauge sheet metal so far. There are two key drawbacks, but neither would stop me from buying this one again:
1. Volt / Amp control doesn’t allow you to select a value. It’s a letter system that take a little trial and error. But once you know, you know. You will spend at least another $500 to get a Lincoln model that offers precise readout.
2. It is lift start. You get used to it. High Frequency start would be ideal. Again more $$$.

I did online classes first. Tom Perazzo who is pretty well known for his Garage Time YouTube channel has a very good TIG video class. Also, master metal shaper Ron Covell has MIG and TIG videos. Beyond being good teachers, they are swell people. And don't rule out YouTube. Ray Schelin has a wealth of knowledge he shares for free from ProShaper.

Then took three hands on classes. Starting with a MIG class at my local maker space. You may also be able to find classes at a junior college too.
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/welder.gif)

Ultimately, practice, practices, practice.

[seanpaulmc]

With a little help from you guys I was able to figure out how this piece should look and fit on the bottom. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sawzall-smiley.gif)







Some (IMG:style_emoticons/default/welder.gif)



Mostly done.

[930cabman]

+1 with your progress, all the while working outdoors in the hurricane season. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/piratenanner.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/piratenanner.gif)

Keep up your efforts and soon you will be cruising

[seanpaulmc]

Put back the old door sill.
Mostly. Almost done but still some finishing to do.





Advice on painting anyone?
At my rate of metal repair it will be a while before this chassis gets repainted. Till then I’ll need to keep the rust off the new and repaired metal. What should I be doing? Advice?

Thanks