I'm just getting started on replacing the passenger side floor pan on my '66 canso. I'm using a full length pan that runs from the firewall to the rear seat pan. I'm wondering if I need to be concerned about the car experiencing any twisting once I have the pan removed? I have the car on stands right now. The rear is on the axle and the front end under the frame rails. Any suggestions?
Put the car on the floor. It is important to have the car on all fours unless you want to weld body bracing into the car. Make sure you keep the door shut until you have the pan welded in. The shut door will act as a brace.
Would I be able to weld in some braces in place of the doors? The doors are off the car right now and I am still doing work on them. So the car should be sitting on the wheels?
RJ, I did both pans on my 65 a few years ago (same pans)
There is a write up on Steves Nova Site that has great detail on this job. I contributed a lot of my experience there as well, adding to the writing by the originator of that thread. I hate to refer you elsewhere but it's worth reading.
I shared your concerns. One of the things I did was to constantly check the fit of my door on the side I was welding the pan. The door on the opposite side was CLOSED for the duration. Also, I did not kneel on the door sill while I was working. It is tough not to kneel as it would make a lot of the work much easier. I also had all 4 wheels on the floor as stated, and supported the car in a number of areas besides. I did not jack up on these areas, just added support to prevent any sagging. As you have figured out, the floor is a huge part of the structural integrity of our Acadians.
If you have questions, feel free to ask me and hopefully I can help.
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1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles
1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars (now converted to a "factory" 4 speed)
