Just a note, I was talking to the guy at my local Mustang parts place and he advised me if you are doing it mainly alone a full pan is not the easist way to go, plus if the transmission hump is good it is alot more money than full length pans.

 

Well its just the driver side front and the passenger side rear that I see problems. I figured it would be better to get a one piece than patch it up.

 

i used a grinder, cut off wheel, chisel, drill with a spot weld bit, screwdriver to pry up on the panel, welder (110 mig pack from lincoln) and seam sealer... but remove your fuel line from the inner rocker or you could cause a problem you dont want!

 

Thanks, I was going to ask what kinda spot weld remover I should get cause CJ Pony has about 3-4 different ones listed. And the welder I have is an Easy 100 Mig...and yeah we'll remove the fuel line I dont think I'd like it if the car got fire damaged...

 

a full pan is alot of work, and almost as much welding. To do a full pan you will have to strip the car down pretty far. Also if you dont pull the engine and trans beforehand, and get the car as light as possible, it will move around on you and nothing will line up ever again. The floor provides alot of the structural strength in a mustang. If you cut the entire floor out, it will move around easier so you gotta be carefull. Lighter is better in this case, light doesnt mean you leave the entire front end on the car unless its supported.

I would pull the dash out, but its not mandatory to do so. The sterring column is a good thing to pull though, you will need the room to move around. I do recomend you pull the entire interior except the headliner out, welding splatter makes a mess even with a Mig and you need to see if there is any other rust that needs fixed. I bet there is more than you think in the wheelwells...

If I was doing your car with just a few hand sized holes I would do either patches or sides, buttwelding them instead of having them overlap then gringing down the welds will make it look pretty good.

What you need to know before you start cutting is whats under the car. The driveshaft tunnel has a brake line and a fuel line running along it. You dont want to cut that unless you intend on replacing it. The park brake goes through the floor near the toeboard, the front subframe attaches to the floorpan almost all the way back to the seat. You have to get the metal off the rocker rails, its spot welded the entire length.

I used an air chisel to remove my floor. It didnt cut very deep with the shear attachment so it didnt cut anything under the car. I used the chisel bit to pop the spot welds on the rockers. I took it out a piece at a time, not the entire floor at once. Lots of sharp metal edges so wear gloves and goggles when you do it. Then I ground down the spot welds with an angle grinder.

Going back together you will have to tack it in and make sure its straight. The welds on the rear torque boxes where the leaf springs mount will have to be done right. Same with the front subframe stubs, if you dont get it right it will get ugly fast when you start driving it. Then the seat risers, good luck getting the old ones off in one piece, you will probably have to buy new ones. its not a weekend job for sure, its gonna take a while to do right.

Good luck and if you hit any snags, you know where we are..

 

Thanks for the long reply. Do you think it would be possible to do this all in one day? I have the car parked on the side of the house, but theres barely enough room to get in and out of the car. We've done most the work out in the street. We want to pull the engine so theres plenty of room to get the new fender aprons welded in. Were working on finding a way to get the engine out. Ill prolly pull everything off since most of it will be off anyways to check for more rust.

 

So originally I was going to have my uncle who lives a short drive away from NPD go pick up my new floor, and bring it up during thanksgiving and possibly have him, my cousin, my dad and I tackle some body work. But my great-grandma died and the funeral will be in Sep the same week as my birthday. Course were gonna go down because this will be the biggest gathering of my family since...well...ever, so now were plannin on pickin it up during that time to avoid the shipping costs! So excited Ill get my floor next month, now I gotta stash some cash just in case I see some other goodies I want. Also I checked a magazine that had an article about replacing the floor and they used a dyatron dyna pro (i think its pro, could be something else) to undercoat after install but its rubberized. Is this a no-no, or what?

And I didnt know my great-grandma all that well, she moved across country to be with the rest of the family I dont know so no apologies are necessary.

 

Woohoo, I bought it finally! $495 + $30 of tax. Now Im waiting for my parents to finish driving up home and then I can pull the engine and get to work! After this its some minor repair and then I can prep for the paint job that'll be a long way off.