central_texan

I have a '66 convertible that I recently started storing on a lift. I noticed that when on the lift, the doors were hard to open and close. When the car is on the wheels the doors work okay. I suspect that the pans, torque boxes, and rocker panels are rusted to the point that they are letting the car sag (or rise) in the middle. I have several questions: 1. Is this a job that I want to undertake (I have a good shop but I'm 68 years old with bad legs)? 2. Should it be done with the wheels on the ground? 3. Is there anywhere out there that still has original Ford sheet metal? and 4. If I have it done, what is a reasonable price for the job? Thanks

MustangBradley

My car has (or had) minimal rust on it. When I put it on a lift, the gap at the doors would open to approximately 3/8 of an inch. I then put on sub-frame connectors. Now on the lift, the gap moves from a little less than 1/8 on the ground, to 3/16 up in the air.

While this won't fix any major rust issues you have, it may buy you some time.

LynnBob Mustang

Having just put a full rocker in my '65 coupe it is a pain the butt big time!!!
The repop rocker was 1" too tall and about 3/8" too wide, it was a total pain to get in. It was not squeezed tight enough from the factory on the height and the wire channel on top was made too wide.
Lynn

OCHOHILL

I would first investigate what part of you car that is not 100% before deciding you need a new floor.

I would not recommend replacing that yourself if you haven't done some sheet metal replacement in the past. Any experiance is better than none.

I would guess a complete new floor including conv specific parts would cost about $8k to have replaced at a body shop.

steveh326

my 66 convertible was rusted so bad that when I sat in the car it was almost impossible to get the doors open. Not trusting my skills, I farmed it out to a retired mechanic/bodyman who has been working on it in his spare time, and I'm glad I did. There is now more new metal on it than old. The more he got into it the more rust he found. Now it's very close to being ready for paint. I am fairly proficient around most things on a car but no way could I have tackled tis job myself. That was the right decision for me, but YMMV.