Floor Pan Perimeter Work

I worked for about 4 hours today on the floor pan perimeter, or more properly, the lower part of the inner longitudinal. This portion of the inner longitudinal forms a flange that the floor pan sits on and is welded to, so it is critical that it is in good condition. If not, even if you have a solid floor pan, it will sag or bow anyway because the thing it is attached to is weak!

I'm working on the driver's side first. The forward portion seems to be the most difficult because there are three regions meeting in this area: The inner longitudinal, the front closing panel of the wheel well, and the frame strut member that goes underneath the front suspension cross member. You have to be careful not to cut away too much rusty metal, because rust or no, it is supporting things, and you don't want the car to sag. I managed to get a new section formed and butt-welded in before moving rearward towards the long side-section of the inner longitudinal (I'll finish the rest of the front later, it is tedious and I need progress to stay motivated...). This section should be easier, as it is all straight. I cut out most of the rest of the driver's side floor pan for access.

Tonight I also looked at Willhoit Restoration's site for pictures of how they have done this repair in the past. There are very detailed pictures of a 64 SC cabriolet that underwent many of the same operations my coupe is experiencing; indeed I think the cab was more rusty! I noticed that when they did the inner longitudinal, they overlapped the repair sections and plug-welded them over the old parts. While not strictly original, this would definitely be faster. Maybe they were working on a budget, because from what I've seen from this shop, they do it all the "right way." Ron Roland described the butt-welding technique, and as I've already started down that path, I'll probably stick with it.