1971 Cutlass Floor Replacement - PART 4
July 20th, 2014 | 04:18 PM
#1
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Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 88
From: New Orleans, LA
1971 Cutlass Floor Replacement - PART 4
Previous post: https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...-part-3-a.html
OK - this is the fourth and final post in the floor removal! This is as much progress as we've made. I'm planning the steps for installation now and will be doing that next as time permits.
So, this last post will cover a few trouble spots and final tips:
1. At the front limit of the rocker panel, the kick panel extends down over the side of the rocker. The side of the floor also overlaps with this area. It's about 4" x 6" where multiple layers all come together. Here, there are between 9 and 12 welds that sandwich all of these pieces together. Take care in splitting these. You need to free the floor of the kick panel and rocker, but not necessarily the rocker from the kick panel. This area took some work and it looked like the factory welder on the passenger side was methodical while his partner on the driver's side must have been like "just weld it everywhere!"
2. Also at this corner, the floor is sandwiched by the edge of the fire wall. So far I've just cut this area free, but I might have to do a little surgical removal once we start putting the pan in and can see where the overlaps are and where a little surgical fitting might be required.
One thing that I should have mentioned earlier is HOW to get the seams separated. In an ideal world, once you drill the welds, the parts should just split apart, right? Right? Of course not!
The factory welds are not nearly as uniform, tidy or predictable as what they might be for today's cars, which are actually welded with computerized robotic arms. You might find some that are barely tacked while others that have what may be as many as three separate "spots" all on top of one another.
We found that by using old wood chisels and a hammer, we could just get the separation started. Then, using an air chisel, we were able to pry everything apart. One thing that this will do is reveal any welds that you may have missed. When you find a missed weld, just drill it out and continue chiseling.
There may be as many as 150 welds to remove throughout this process. We went through quite a few bits and really made use of the bench grinder to refresh the point probably once every 5 to 10 holes. I also found that it takes a lot of pressure to get the bit to start cutting into the welded area, so you're going to want to brace yourself and use your free arm to pull your body forward quite a bit. It's a workout!
And removing the floor with a torch beforehand was a good call. It allowed us to see what we were doing and to gain access to the joint all the way around. I'd definitely recommend going it this way!
If there are any questions, please feel free to ask!
Hope it helps!!!
OK - this is the fourth and final post in the floor removal! This is as much progress as we've made. I'm planning the steps for installation now and will be doing that next as time permits.
So, this last post will cover a few trouble spots and final tips:
1. At the front limit of the rocker panel, the kick panel extends down over the side of the rocker. The side of the floor also overlaps with this area. It's about 4" x 6" where multiple layers all come together. Here, there are between 9 and 12 welds that sandwich all of these pieces together. Take care in splitting these. You need to free the floor of the kick panel and rocker, but not necessarily the rocker from the kick panel. This area took some work and it looked like the factory welder on the passenger side was methodical while his partner on the driver's side must have been like "just weld it everywhere!"
2. Also at this corner, the floor is sandwiched by the edge of the fire wall. So far I've just cut this area free, but I might have to do a little surgical removal once we start putting the pan in and can see where the overlaps are and where a little surgical fitting might be required.
One thing that I should have mentioned earlier is HOW to get the seams separated. In an ideal world, once you drill the welds, the parts should just split apart, right? Right? Of course not!
The factory welds are not nearly as uniform, tidy or predictable as what they might be for today's cars, which are actually welded with computerized robotic arms. You might find some that are barely tacked while others that have what may be as many as three separate "spots" all on top of one another.
We found that by using old wood chisels and a hammer, we could just get the separation started. Then, using an air chisel, we were able to pry everything apart. One thing that this will do is reveal any welds that you may have missed. When you find a missed weld, just drill it out and continue chiseling.
There may be as many as 150 welds to remove throughout this process. We went through quite a few bits and really made use of the bench grinder to refresh the point probably once every 5 to 10 holes. I also found that it takes a lot of pressure to get the bit to start cutting into the welded area, so you're going to want to brace yourself and use your free arm to pull your body forward quite a bit. It's a workout!
And removing the floor with a torch beforehand was a good call. It allowed us to see what we were doing and to gain access to the joint all the way around. I'd definitely recommend going it this way!
If there are any questions, please feel free to ask!
Hope it helps!!!
Last edited by Racer24ksi; July 20th, 2014 at 04:25 PM. Reason: Added links
August 21st, 2023 | 03:34 PM
#2
Registered User
Joined: Dec 2020
Posts: 20
Floor replacement
Previous post: https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...-part-3-a.html
OK - this is the fourth and final post in the floor removal! This is as much progress as we've made. I'm planning the steps for installation now and will be doing that next as time permits.
So, this last post will cover a few trouble spots and final tips:
1. At the front limit of the rocker panel, the kick panel extends down over the side of the rocker. The side of the floor also overlaps with this area. It's about 4" x 6" where multiple layers all come together. Here, there are between 9 and 12 welds that sandwich all of these pieces together. Take care in splitting these. You need to free the floor of the kick panel and rocker, but not necessarily the rocker from the kick panel. This area took some work and it looked like the factory welder on the passenger side was methodical while his partner on the driver's side must have been like "just weld it everywhere!"
2. Also at this corner, the floor is sandwiched by the edge of the fire wall. So far I've just cut this area free, but I might have to do a little surgical removal once we start putting the pan in and can see where the overlaps are and where a little surgical fitting might be required.
One thing that I should have mentioned earlier is HOW to get the seams separated. In an ideal world, once you drill the welds, the parts should just split apart, right? Right? Of course not!
The factory welds are not nearly as uniform, tidy or predictable as what they might be for today's cars, which are actually welded with computerized robotic arms. You might find some that are barely tacked while others that have what may be as many as three separate "spots" all on top of one another.
We found that by using old wood chisels and a hammer, we could just get the separation started. Then, using an air chisel, we were able to pry everything apart. One thing that this will do is reveal any welds that you may have missed. When you find a missed weld, just drill it out and continue chiseling.
There may be as many as 150 welds to remove throughout this process. We went through quite a few bits and really made use of the bench grinder to refresh the point probably once every 5 to 10 holes. I also found that it takes a lot of pressure to get the bit to start cutting into the welded area, so you're going to want to brace yourself and use your free arm to pull your body forward quite a bit. It's a workout!
And removing the floor with a torch beforehand was a good call. It allowed us to see what we were doing and to gain access to the joint all the way around. I'd definitely recommend going it this way!
If there are any questions, please feel free to ask!
Hope it helps!!!
OK - this is the fourth and final post in the floor removal! This is as much progress as we've made. I'm planning the steps for installation now and will be doing that next as time permits.
So, this last post will cover a few trouble spots and final tips:
1. At the front limit of the rocker panel, the kick panel extends down over the side of the rocker. The side of the floor also overlaps with this area. It's about 4" x 6" where multiple layers all come together. Here, there are between 9 and 12 welds that sandwich all of these pieces together. Take care in splitting these. You need to free the floor of the kick panel and rocker, but not necessarily the rocker from the kick panel. This area took some work and it looked like the factory welder on the passenger side was methodical while his partner on the driver's side must have been like "just weld it everywhere!"
2. Also at this corner, the floor is sandwiched by the edge of the fire wall. So far I've just cut this area free, but I might have to do a little surgical removal once we start putting the pan in and can see where the overlaps are and where a little surgical fitting might be required.
One thing that I should have mentioned earlier is HOW to get the seams separated. In an ideal world, once you drill the welds, the parts should just split apart, right? Right? Of course not!
The factory welds are not nearly as uniform, tidy or predictable as what they might be for today's cars, which are actually welded with computerized robotic arms. You might find some that are barely tacked while others that have what may be as many as three separate "spots" all on top of one another.
We found that by using old wood chisels and a hammer, we could just get the separation started. Then, using an air chisel, we were able to pry everything apart. One thing that this will do is reveal any welds that you may have missed. When you find a missed weld, just drill it out and continue chiseling.
There may be as many as 150 welds to remove throughout this process. We went through quite a few bits and really made use of the bench grinder to refresh the point probably once every 5 to 10 holes. I also found that it takes a lot of pressure to get the bit to start cutting into the welded area, so you're going to want to brace yourself and use your free arm to pull your body forward quite a bit. It's a workout!
And removing the floor with a torch beforehand was a good call. It allowed us to see what we were doing and to gain access to the joint all the way around. I'd definitely recommend going it this way!
If there are any questions, please feel free to ask!
Hope it helps!!!
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