The Forward Look Network
The Forward Look Network
Search | Statistics | User Listing Forums | Chat | eBay | Calendars | Albums | Skins | Language
You are logged in as a guest. ( logon | register )

Trunk floor replacement on a unibody car
Jump to page : 1
Now viewing page 1 [50 messages per page]
View previous thread :: View next thread
   Forward Look Technical Discussions -> Body, Glass, Interior and TrimMessage format
 
carjock
Posted 2007-03-27 1:32 PM (#78419)
Subject: Trunk floor replacement on a unibody car


Account Inactive by Request

Posts: 1601
1000500100
Has anyone here ever got so "adventurous" as to attempt to replace a complete trunk floor on a 1960 or newer unibody FL car? I know the pros can do it, but has anyone attempted the job at home? I'm wondering how it differs from installing a trunk floor on a car with a separable frame. Any ideas, comments, or warnings?
Top of the page Bottom of the page
narleycharlie
Posted 2007-03-27 4:45 PM (#78427 - in reply to #78419)
Subject: Re: Trunk floor replacement on a unibody car


Expert

Posts: 1812
1000500100100100
Location: Slidell La.
I haven t done one but , it can t be all that hard . If you have a replacement for your particular body seems like all you have to do is clean away all of the seamsealer and drill out all the spot welds .If your worried about the body starting to sag , I would think there are a lot of other weld points in the surrounding area to support the trunk floor being removed . And you could always have jackstands under the rear body for insurance . Check out some of the pics in the album section .there may be one that was done in there .
Top of the page Bottom of the page
1960fury
Posted 2007-03-27 4:46 PM (#78428 - in reply to #78419)
Subject: RE: Trunk floor replacement on a unibody car



Expert 5K+

Posts: 7385
50002000100100100252525
Location: northern germany
carjock - 2007-03-27 1:32 PM

Has anyone here ever got so "adventurous" as to attempt to replace a complete trunk floor on a 1960 or newer unibody FL car?


yes, just cut out and replace, either with a new one (repro) or flat sheet but you'll have to use braces to reinforce it, or, what i did once, fabricate your own oem floor by pressing in the reinforcements with a big hydraulic jack. actually, although not "correct" the "brace" method is better since you will have a stronger floor which strenghtens the unibody too.
Top of the page Bottom of the page
Rebels-59
Posted 2007-03-28 5:01 PM (#78529 - in reply to #78419)
Subject: Re: Trunk floor replacement on a unibody car



Board Moderator & Exner Expert 10K+

500050002000500
Location: .Norfolk..Mafia.. ,England UK
JIM, Not sure about the 60 Dodge, But the 60 Plymouth has 2 Strenghtening Bars connected to the Trunk Floor, Which is what the top of the Gas Tank presses against , Not sure if these will be on the Re-placement floor pan, If not re-use the Old ones.. Your main priority is You have to Spot Weld through the New Floor to the Tops of the Chassis, And Obvousily Seam Weld the Complete Trunk Floor, But No Big Issue,s to Worry about,,,

Just make sure you remove the Tank First.. LOL
Top of the page Bottom of the page
1960fury
Posted 2007-03-28 6:11 PM (#78534 - in reply to #78529)
Subject: Re: Trunk floor replacement on a unibody car



Expert 5K+

Posts: 7385
50002000100100100252525
Location: northern germany
i never used a spot welder. spot welding would be a big issue. you would need huge spot welder "claws". just drill (deburr the holes) thru the floor were frame rails, etc, go, press on, and mig weld.

Edited by 1960fury 2007-03-28 6:22 PM
Top of the page Bottom of the page
1960fury
Posted 2007-03-28 6:18 PM (#78538 - in reply to #78529)
Subject: Re: Trunk floor replacement on a unibody car



Expert 5K+

Posts: 7385
50002000100100100252525
Location: northern germany
Rebels-59 Coronet - 2007-03-28 5:01 PM

JIM, Not sure about the 60 Dodge, But the 60 Plymouth has 2 Strenghtening Bars connected to the Trunk Floor, Which is what the top of the Gas Tank presses against , Not sure if these will be on the Re-placement floor pan, If not re-use the Old ones..


yes, but make sure they are in the CORRECT position, since these keep the tank in the proper position, very important because these cars have rear tank inlet pipe without a rubber hose connection.
Top of the page Bottom of the page
Rebels-59
Posted 2007-03-28 7:39 PM (#78554 - in reply to #78534)
Subject: Re: Trunk floor replacement on a unibody car



Board Moderator & Exner Expert 10K+

500050002000500
Location: .Norfolk..Mafia.. ,England UK
1960fury - 2007-03-28 11:11 PM

i never used a spot welder. spot welding would be a big issue. you would need huge spot welder "claws". just drill (deburr the holes) thru the floor were frame rails, etc, go, press on, and mig weld.


THANKS....
That is the way i would also do it,, Pre-Drill and then Mig-Weld the tops of Chassis.. If the holes are not Pre-drilled, Lay the Panel in Position and Mark a line on the underside along the Chassis rails and then drill about 5mm in on both sides of the Chassis on both sides with 10mm holes, the more holes the better...
Top of the page Bottom of the page
carjock
Posted 2007-03-29 8:32 AM (#78589 - in reply to #78419)
Subject: Re: Trunk floor replacement on a unibody car


Account Inactive by Request

Posts: 1601
1000500100
Thanks, you guys--sounds like something I can actually do. You mentioned using "repro" trunk floors--are they available anywhere for a '60 Dodge? I have not been able to locate them. Is the quality OK if they are available?
Top of the page Bottom of the page
carjock
Posted 2007-04-03 7:32 PM (#79079 - in reply to #78419)
Subject: Re: Trunk floor replacement on a unibody car


Account Inactive by Request

Posts: 1601
1000500100
Anyone out there able to answer this one? John of "Big M" (great guy) has a complete trunk floor from a 1960 Dodge Phoenix (Dart Series) that he will sell
me for use in my 1960 Dodge Matador. Since the Phoenix is a smaller car, will the trunk floor work for the larger Matador? Remember, these are unibody cars so the trunk floor comes with a lot of underbracing. Even if it is not an exact fit, could it be put in place and adapted to work? Any advice appreciated!!
Top of the page Bottom of the page
big m
Posted 2007-04-03 9:03 PM (#79111 - in reply to #78419)
Subject: Re: Trunk floor replacement on a unibody car



Expert 5K+

Posts: 7805
50002000500100100100
Location: Williams California
Jim, if nobody has a concrete answer to your question [Hollanders does not show cross reference for floorboards], I can make specific measurements across the one I have here, for comparison to your Matador. ---John
Top of the page Bottom of the page
carjock
Posted 2007-04-04 1:53 PM (#79159 - in reply to #78419)
Subject: Re: Trunk floor replacement on a unibody car


Account Inactive by Request

Posts: 1601
1000500100
John: That may be what we have to do. I don't have either Matador in my possession yet, so can't measure. As soon as one or both arrive, we can agree on some measuring scheme and go forward from there? Unless someone else, here, has the answer?
Top of the page Bottom of the page
61plymy
Posted 2007-04-05 8:35 PM (#79301 - in reply to #78419)
Subject: Re: Trunk floor replacement on a unibody car


Expert

Posts: 2824
2000500100100100
Location: Snohomish, WA.
Jim ,

As far as I know, yes, they are the same. Let me look at the manual to make sure.

The shorter wheelbase cars don't have an extender panel in the rear floor area between front pans and rear pans, which was how Chrysler got different wheelbases but used a lot of common parts, like rockers, floors, etc. The real trunk pan runs from in front of the rear axle all the way to the back valance.

When Rcar was repopping his floors, all of the Chrysler, Plymouth, Dodge, DeSoto models (except Imperial) used all of the same floors, just different trunk extensions and the like. And obviously the Valiant didn't use common stuff.

I haven't pulled the trunk pan on my 61 yet, so am interested also in precautions to take, but I think the best advice is to either support the body at the same attach points the axles support, or wait to weld the trunk in untill AFTER it is back on its wheels and sitting level again. Then weld it up. Too easy to get a twist into things, especially on a unibody car, if you aren't careful.

You might think about adding cross bracing to the trunk area prior to cutting out the floor, thus avoiding a change in attitude of the sheetmetal. But it sort of depends on how deep you need/want to go into it.

Congrats on finding the 2-door HT. I know you have been on the chase a long time. And it sounds like a high optioned specimen to boot. That's a bit of good luck too. Now I'm jealous and will have to contract your brother Wild Bill again.

Mike
Top of the page Bottom of the page
carjock
Posted 2007-04-06 1:48 PM (#79365 - in reply to #78419)
Subject: Re: Trunk floor replacement on a unibody car


Account Inactive by Request

Posts: 1601
1000500100
Thanks for the info, Mike. I think you are right about the commonality of the floor panels in these cars--I will be very surprised if there is any difference. The 4-door Matador is arriving here today, and then I will have something to measure and compare with John's measurements.
As far as putting the floor into the car, I'm definitely going to have to study that a little! If all of the underbracing in the original floor is still good, I might be able to work with just the sheetmetal, but if any of that structure has been rusted out as well, the job gets more complicated. But for a '60 Dodge, I'll figure it out!
And please, don't encourage my big brother--he will post something of significance in the new rec room very soon, I'm almost certain of that!
Top of the page Bottom of the page
bigfinmopar56
Posted 2007-04-23 7:42 PM (#80970 - in reply to #78589)
Subject: Re: Trunk floor replacement on a unibody car



Veteran

Posts: 118
100
Location: alpena,michigan,USA
Hi Carjock, I just found a new trunk floor and replacement floor pans for my `60 Dart Phoenix. I ordered them from Bob at R/CAR fabrications. I haven`t got them yet, He said they would be done this weekend. There is an old auction with the info,here`s the auction number on ebay. #130081687195. I hope this can help you. Take care,Mike-bigfin....
Top of the page Bottom of the page
itattoou2002
Posted 2007-04-23 10:17 PM (#80987 - in reply to #78419)
Subject: Re: Trunk floor replacement on a unibody car


Veteran

Posts: 104
100
Location: dunbar , wv
i have installed alot of trunk floors over the years , get a good sawzall and buy the blades from milwakee that are called the torch , these will really help , measure 5 times and cut twice once a lil sparingly then trim it up a lil at a time , keep as much of the original metal as possible , bead blast all the braces drill holes in them where they attach and mig em back on , roll the trunk with some roll in bed liner its better than anything else you can buy . adam
Top of the page Bottom of the page
1960fury
Posted 2007-04-26 7:33 AM (#81205 - in reply to #80987)
Subject: Re: Trunk floor replacement on a unibody car



Expert 5K+

Posts: 7385
50002000100100100252525
Location: northern germany
itattoou2002 - 2007-04-23 10:17 PM

measure 5 times and cut twice once a lil sparingly then trim it up a lil at a time , keep as much of the original metal as possible ,


yes! very important, keep as much original metal as possible. and take your time when welding. let it cool down completly after a couple of welds.
Top of the page Bottom of the page
carjock
Posted 2007-04-29 3:31 PM (#81457 - in reply to #78419)
Subject: Re: Trunk floor replacement on a unibody car


Account Inactive by Request

Posts: 1601
1000500100
Well. I've finally got the car home and aside from the "vaporized trunk floor" it is a real thing of beauty (at least to me). Yeah, it is very cosmetically challenged at this point, but it's complete, highly equipped, and really very solid. The trunk floor itself is gone--only small pieces of it remain. Fortunately, the rust stopped where the rubber mat stopped, so the rear, vertical panel is solid, and the entire area between the wheel-wells is solid. The pieces that extend downward from the trunk floor to attach to the quater panels are gone as well. All of the underbracing looks good and the main structural pieces are sound. The car sits squarely, and the spring mounts seem very good. I found the cross-stiffeners that the gas tank pushes up against, and while a little rusty are probably useable. Now the fun starts. I'm going to clean it all out, cut out all of the remaining shreds of the trunk floor, and then start to cut for the replacement floor. I have a complete floor from a donor car, so probably have more than I need. But cutting carefully, straight, and accurate is going to be a challenge. It appears that just getting all of the rust out, and getting the new floor to perfectly match the opening that is left will be the real trick. Sounds like it will be interesting and fun, though. And I definitely agree about using the roll-in bedliner material. I have done that on several cars.
Top of the page Bottom of the page
itattoou2002
Posted 2007-04-29 9:57 PM (#81486 - in reply to #78419)
Subject: Re: Trunk floor replacement on a unibody car


Veteran

Posts: 104
100
Location: dunbar , wv
i use a plasma cutter to cut panels but a sawzall will do the trick , a small sand blaster may be just the trick to clean up the metal or snap on makes a neat air tool called the crud thug , its a rotary tool that comes with assorted belts that have different grades of metal fingers that strip paint rust and undercoating really easy , i use it for alot of restoration work .you will be surprised how well it works , much better than a wire wheel and a drill , too bad ya live in texas id stop by and we would make a weekend project out of it !! no one in my neck of the woods wants to work on this rusty junk , some of my buddies think im nuts weilding all this old rust back together to make cars , i think i could take what other people would use as a parts car and build me a christine out of it , i wish i had 3 or 4 old parts cars so i could !!! well you better get on that trunk floor rust never sleeps
Top of the page Bottom of the page
61plymy
Posted 2007-04-30 1:39 PM (#81525 - in reply to #78419)
Subject: Re: Trunk floor replacement on a unibody car


Expert

Posts: 2824
2000500100100100
Location: Snohomish, WA.
Jim,

A fella on the Metalshapers web site shows a trick that seems to be pretty good. He lays the new panel up over the old one and using a cutoff wheel (the narrow 3" ones, about 1/16" thick) held at about a 45 dgree angle to the surface, simultaneously cuts both old and new sheet. After about a foot of progress, he aligns the panel to be level and tacks the new sheet in, then continues cutting.

The advantage is that the angle allows the new panel to lay right up to the old panel and makes a nice small gap for welding. When completed, the old steel flops off, so you need access to retrieve it. I've done it on a couple of patch panels and it works great.

I'd give you a link, but when I went to the metalshapers site, it is so changed I can't find a way into the albums now. If I can find it I'll send you the link. Pictures do more to explain it than I can.

Mike
Top of the page Bottom of the page
carjock
Posted 2007-05-06 7:44 PM (#82070 - in reply to #78419)
Subject: Re: Trunk floor replacement on a unibody car


Account Inactive by Request

Posts: 1601
1000500100
Well, I have found that getting the old shreds of rusted metal out of the way is an easy but slightly dirty chore. A good cutoff wheel makes short work of that. And cleaning up the structure underneath is time consuming but not difficult. Fortunately, my replacement requirement is turning out to be just the flat part of the floor which makes it a little easier. The bigger problem is that the inner quarter panels that join the trunk floor are gone as well, and I don't know where to find those. I'm told that they usually come with the outer quarters (which I need) but are quite difficult to find. Any suggestions?
Top of the page Bottom of the page
61plymy
Posted 2007-05-08 7:51 PM (#82259 - in reply to #78419)
Subject: Re: Trunk floor replacement on a unibody car


Expert

Posts: 2824
2000500100100100
Location: Snohomish, WA.
Jim,

Those are the trunk extensions, and I thought R/Car was making them. They are model specific because they have to match the rear lower quarter profile.

I am in the process of cutting the quarters off that parts car you sold me (the 61 4-door0 specifically to get the good extensions from them, but also to glean the rear lower quarters as possible patch's for the fury.

If the upper portion of your extensions are solid enough, the lower portion is usually just flat sheet with bent flages to weld to the quarter panel and into the wheel housing outer side. A lot of guys would bend that up for you at a sheet metal shop if you could take them a semi-intact unit as a model.

With a reproduced lower section, you can weld it to the solid upper and have a complete extension again. And because you are getting rid of the bad lower piece, it's way easier to grind it off off the quarter panel than to try and use a spot weld cutter to separate the two.

Now, let me tell you how many spot welds Mother Mopar used to weld in a complete trunk floor...........
Top of the page Bottom of the page
Powerflite
Posted 2018-03-18 4:40 PM (#560112 - in reply to #81525)
Subject: Re: Trunk floor replacement on a unibody car



Expert 5K+

Posts: 9604
500020002000500100
Location: So. Cal
I'm planning to replace the trunk floor in my '60 New Yorker. One question I have is, how do you get the new floor inside the car in one piece? The floor is huge. Do I have to cut it in half first and weld it back together after it is in the car? Anyone done it and have advice for me?
Top of the page Bottom of the page
b5rt
Posted 2018-03-18 8:28 PM (#560125 - in reply to #560112)
Subject: Re: Trunk floor replacement on a unibody car



Expert

Posts: 2519
2000500
Location: central Illinois
Reproduction that went in the Desoto. The guy that made it dropped off the map for a few years and now has the business for sale. He's on the facebook app.



(IMG_0383.JPG)



Attachments
----------------
Attachments IMG_0383.JPG (114KB - 172 downloads)
Top of the page Bottom of the page
Powerflite
Posted 2018-03-18 9:01 PM (#560127 - in reply to #78419)
Subject: Re: Trunk floor replacement on a unibody car



Expert 5K+

Posts: 9604
500020002000500100
Location: So. Cal
Nice looking floor. Were you able to get it to fit into the trunk opening in one piece?
Top of the page Bottom of the page
Rebels-59
Posted 2018-03-19 11:12 AM (#560152 - in reply to #560112)
Subject: Re: Trunk floor replacement on a unibody car



Board Moderator & Exner Expert 10K+

500050002000500
Location: .Norfolk..Mafia.. ,England UK
Powerflite - 2018-03-18 9:40 PM

I'm planning to replace the trunk floor in my '60 New Yorker. One question I have is, how do you get the new floor inside the car in one piece? The floor is huge. Do I have to cut it in half first and weld it back together after it is in the car? Anyone done it and have advice for me?


The trunk Floor Pans will not come with the Trunk floor extensions , so do fit through the trunk lid opening as the floor pan panel is shorter in width , the trunk floor extension panels can be sourced also, and are normally positioned in place first ..
Top of the page Bottom of the page
b5rt
Posted 2018-03-19 8:49 PM (#560177 - in reply to #560127)
Subject: Re: Trunk floor replacement on a unibody car



Expert

Posts: 2519
2000500
Location: central Illinois
Powerflite - 2018-03-18 8:01 PM

Nice looking floor. Were you able to get it to fit into the trunk opening in one piece?


I hired out the body work but yes, it went in in one piece. Great fit, notice the welded areas behind the wheels. Only issue is the holes are smaller than original so different plugs needed to be used. So glad I was able to get it. Bob said it was the last 60 Chrysler/Desoto he would make. Hope someone takes over his business.
Top of the page Bottom of the page
Jump to page : 1
Now viewing page 1 [50 messages per page]
Jump to forum :
Search this forum
Printer friendly version
E-mail a link to this thread

* * * This site contains affiliate links for which we may be compensated * * *


(Delete all cookies set by this site)