Floor Pans
In order to get the
body positioned correctly and as far down on the frame as it will go, I
decided to install the rear floor pans now. That will allow me to see
that the body is all the way down and if not, where it is hitting. The
first step is to trim the edges so each pan sits on top of the frame rails
and doesn't overlap with anything.
Next, I used a hole
saw to cut holes in the corners so I could find the edges of the pan.
Using actual measurements through the holes, I scribed cut lines and cut the
floor out in sections until I was happy with the fit. I then drilled
holes along the edge and clecoed the pan in place so I could remove the
body.
After removing the
body from the frame, I prepped the body underside by using a sanding disk
and roughing up the edges of the opening so the fiberglass filler would have
something to grip.
I also roughed up the
edge of the floor pan.
I mixed up a batch of
fiberglass filler and used it to butter the floor pan into place. I
used the clecoes to hold it while it dried. I also mixed up some
additional batches and used them to fill tin the gaps around the entire
opening. Once dried, I used my sanding disk to smooth out the edges
both inside and outside.
On the front pans, the
right one goes in basically just like the rear pans. I cut out an
opening that matched the location of the pan, roughed up the edges, and
glassed the pan in place.
The right pan requires
some modification. First, I decided to modify my right front pan to
expand the foot box. This will allow me to move the gas pedal over to
the right and will give me more space for the brake/clutch pedals. I
can do this because my SB engine gives me the space for this. While
the body was on the frame, I measured how much space I had to expand the box
and determined that I could add 11" to the height and 5" to the width.
I trimmed off the
corner where the box was angled to the left. My plan is to extend the
pan as if it was straight.
Second, I cut the
opening in the firewall, square with the floor pan, that allows for the new
box to be built.
I then attached the
floor pan to the body with some fiberglass filler and let it set overnight
to harden. What I was left with was a rectangular opening in the end
of the floor pan for the expanded foot box.
Next step is to build
out and fiberglass the foot box expansion. That work begins on the
next page.
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