Holy rusted metal Batman!!!

[SuperSickBoy]

I ripped out my seats and interior cuz I had a hunch about my floors. I was right!! On the passenger side there is a nice size hole that I can see the ground through. I think I could get away with cutting a piece of sheet metal to fit and welding the hole up, but I haven't punched the complete hole out yet. I am not sure how big it will get when I sand everything down to primer it. If this hole grows durring the quest for good metal, is there anyone who makes floor pans that fit a 56 olds? I guess its about time I learn to weld huh? hahahahahaha, this is going to be intertesting!! On the same note, I am almost ready to start sanding down the entire car. Just a few dash chrome left to take out and then it begins. Anyone have some advice to make this go smoothly? What type of sander is the best to use? what grit sand paper should I start and finish with? I know of some really good primer but I am looking for advice from someone who has done this before. I want to use white and black primer. Basically, can anyone give me a sort of "walk through" on the proccess? I was also curious about the outside chrome that goes along the window edges. This metal seems very flimsy and if I pull it I don't believe I will be able to use it again. How has this been replaced by you guys? Wow, I didn't intend for this post to be so long. lol. Thanks for all of you that read the whole thing!!

[Oldsguy]

Pauly, sounds like you have your work cut out for you! Try Fusicks or Kanter to get your floorpans, otherwise, it's fabrication time. A lot of what we call "chrome trim" is actually stainless and polishes up real well but you are correct that it is sometimes very flimsy, the ones around the windows on my '48 are attached to studs that are actually welded to the body but I couldn't say about your car. I sanded and primered my '69 Delta before sending it to get painted. It didn't turn out too well as it is only four years old now and rust is coming through in bubbles in some places. I really don't know what went wrong except maybe that I did it at home in the driveway, section at a time and it took about a week to get the whole thing done, maybe moisture was the enemy. Hope your experience is better.

[SuperSickBoy]

I think I would enjoy the fab time more, but I want to practice first. Never the less this is all turning out to be more fun than I thought it would be. Thanks for the info Dan. Hope you get a hold of that rust and kick its butt. lol

[clloyd]

A lot of the rust in the floor pans are caused by old and failing undercoating that actually traps and holds moisture. Get underneath and scrape off the old loose stuff so you can see the whole picture. You also have drain tubes at each end of your windshield and back window to drain away condensation and leaky gaskets. The tube should run through holes to your inner fender. If the tubes are dry and broken then the water will drain down onto your floor. When you find major rust problems you have to find the cause of problem and address it before you can consider a repair complete. The lower window trim has mall screws in each end. If you remove the screws you should be able to slide the trim off. Good luck

[72drptop]

Get Yourself A Da Sander With Some 80grit Paper Use A 6 Inch Pad, After The Car Is Down To Primer Or Bare Metal Go Over It With 220, Then You Can Use A Sealer On The Car, Do Your Body Work And Then Prime The Car With A Good Urethane Primer. Block The Car Out By Hand With 320 Or 400 And Squirt The Color. Good Luck. Oh About The Floors, If You Can Find The Replacement Metal Try The Structural Adhesive Made By 3m Or Fusor, The Stuf Is Just As Strong As Welding . I Have Seen Alot Of Guys Mess Up Some Good Sheet Metal If They Dont Know How To Weld. Good Luck Man.

[Retrorocket88]

There is a set on Ebay for a 56'. I am looking to replace the front and rears on my 56' as well.

[Fishydoo]

I bought a set from Classicfabrications. Once they arrived, they turned out to be hand made, and not stamped. has anyone else used their products? They will work, but are probably best suited to a repair, than a complete floor pan as I had thought. My .02c.

[Oldsguy]

Fishy, I checked you link. Trouble looks like trouble for sure! You should check out Jalopyjournal, go to their H.A.M.B. forum. You will have a blast there sharing Trouble with the guys and gals there and they are active down in New Zealand too!

[Fishydoo]

My Uncle spends a lot of time on Hokey. I don't generally have the time for Forums, but this Classic Olds one is a bit closer to my heart.