76 Chevy Floor Pans and Rocker Panels

[THauler]

Hey Guys,
I have a 76 Chevy pickup That I need to put floor pans and rocker panels in. How do I go about doing this? I alredy have all the stuff to do it with. Cab mount bushings,floor pans,floor supports and rocker panels. Hopefully somebody has a step by step detail as to how to do this. I am new at this. Thanks for your help
THauler

[BowtieGuy]

I haven't done this myself but pretty much all the panels you are talking about replacing will need to be cut out and the new replacements welded back in place. Maybe some of the other members here can give you better details on this than me.

[THauler]

Thanks,
I am just trying to figure out where to cut them at.Is there markings under the paint or would there be guess work.
Thanks again
THauler

[19_Chevelle_69]

There's no marks on the old body, but on the other hand, it's not guess work either.

You will have to test fit each new piece over the existing panel, mark the orig body at the edge of the new panel. remove the new peice, then remark the old body 1/2" below the first mark. This will leave you with a 1/2" margin to button weld your new panel to. Cut out everything that will be covered by the new panel to avoid creating an area where water and dirt can collect and rot out the new panel.

Clean up the perimeter of the new panel about 1/2" in from the edge. Drill a series of 3/16" holes spaced 2-3 inches apart along the edge where you will be welding. You can start in the middle of the hole with the welder, once you have a nice puddle in there, spread the puddle onto the new panel. This should give you a nice flat spot weld instead of having to grind down 186 hardened steel mountains before applying filler...

If you have access to an air compressor, you may want to consider one of these....
www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=41696

An invaluable tool when doing panel section replacement. It will pay for itself in time savings. It lets you crimp down the old body so when you lay the patch on, it sits flush with the rest of the body, and doesn't leave a huge ridge to fill. I have a comparable unit that is actually an attatchment for an air hammer, at a fraction of the cost.