Replace rusty hawk floorpans need your experienced help

[santa]

Wanted to at least offer.
I will be lecturing in Seattle in April, but I hope you will be through with the floor project and well on your way through the next endeavor by then!
My wife has been hugely tolerant of my Hawk, but I think pulling an extra day for car stuff on a lecturing trip would test even her. . . .

Best of luck and I look forward to following your project on the forum

[silverhawk1958]

Thanks for interest hawk58man. My hawk has been sitting for quite a while as life got busy with work and family. I just moved it yesterday from fayetteville where it has patiently been waiting to my house in asheville where I can start working on it once again. I hope to keep posts on the board here with progress and will continue to watch your progress as well.

-Matt

[valleyguy]

I also used Classic Enterprises floor pans and foot wells; I only had to replace the front portions of the pan; My old rockers were still very good
so I didn't remove them; I just set the new pans over my old rockers; I did have some trimming to do for both sides, so I spent
a lot of time trial fitting.
Joe D.

[hawk58man]

Let us know how your doing on your 58' Thanks Mike..

[hawk58man]

Joe D., You are a lucky man..only having to use the front pans and the rockers were in good shape. It took me 4 full 8 hr.days to get my passenger side in and fit,measure,fit cut measure and so on..I'm running on top of my old rockers too. Since you are using Classic panels,did you have a problem prefiting them over your existing panels to get a good tight fit to mark to cut.I had problem with the top large support where it bends to the rt. all I could do was get it there to 3/4 of an inch and no closer. I will try it again though. Sweetolbob and the guys got me paranoid about door gap. Even though I remember when I pulled the doors off on Christmas break the gap was OK,but after talking here on the forum and getting there expierence and feedback and support I re installed both of my doors after spending 1/2 a day machining out the two stripped lower LF door hinge screws(it needed to be done any way,retapped the nut plates and checked my door gaps, They were right on on both sides. Phew, so now I can proceed with the knowledge that I have good gaps to start with. thanks for the picture on your floorboard job,it really looks like a profession job.Nice going,good job Joe D. All of the Best Mike

[valleyguy]

Mike, the CE panels did not fit over the old ones exactly and also were a little higher, I guess because of a different bend. It did take some
bending/cutting to get it close to the correct contours. Lots of work. I never did get them as low as the original pan but they're close enough.

Good luck,

Joe D.

[hawk58man]

Thank you Joe D. for the reply on the CE panels being off some, so now I know that there not perfect.Maybe it was me just trying to get them perfect I would like though to get them as close as I can since I'm replacing from the toe kick to the back of the seats at the trunk line. On both sides with both foot pans. Thanks again for everyones pictures,they really help.I am going to use avation ''Cleeko's'' to hold my panels while I work on them..I will take some photos of them for you.I think in laymens terms they cal them ""Blind Clamps".You drill a hole thru both pieces of panel,these are spring loaded and are different diameters,and compress the spring which releases tension on the three pieces that make up the cleeko and insert it into the hole thru both panels and then release it.It locks the panels so you can work on it.When done,remove them one at a time and ''plug weld the hole""Then move on to the next and repeat.. Take it easy.. Mike

[ole 64]

Matt, I forgot that you lived in Asheville area. Should have remembered that as Joe had told me that before. We need to talk sometime as I am in Asheville most every weekend and one week out of the month. Jamie M. in Hope Mills is just now starting to work on some of my projects.

Wayne Elks
828-808-1610

[r1lark]

Wayne,try using another thread..

[hawk58man]

I'm going to start cutting today..Have measured more than 5 times ,have used all that you guys have shared with me, Thanks.. will let you know how it's going.. Mike

[hawk58man]

Thanks Duane for the advise..

[hawk58man]

Hey Jeff, and sweetolbob, I postponed my cutting out of the floor panels so I could ask you and the others in the forum some more specific questions. I'm not fixing the frame, just my floor.Where specifically should I support my door post at?? Like with a bottle jack directly under the door support or should I support it like you have here in the above picture with 2x4's and 4x4's completely under the rocker panel.On the drivers side of mine, I need to change out the rocker panel..do you support it differently if you are cutting the rocker out?? Thanks Mike

[Farrier1951]

Wow! That looks really clean. I need to do the same thing on left, right, and trunk but the idea frankly scares the hell out of me. My right side rocker is also shot and so is the hog trough, intimidating.

[hawk58man]

Farrier 1951 sorry I haven"t been able to post some of my prep and in work photo's like I planed to do. Its my camera,and my son will help with thoses so you can see where I am at. For reference,for you,I purchased both front floor pans to save money off of ebay,but after trying to fit them,they left a lot to be desired. The classic enterprises sheet metal is almost a direct application.Some trimming and fiting,but you get what you pay for. Classic enterprises carries your rocker panels to. Its always intimadating when you haven't done it before,like me. But as you can see there are those on the forum that have and in time,we will all complete our floor panel replacements. Don't worry,it scares the hell otta me too !! Mike

[hawk58man]

58 Hawk floor pan replacement



Passenger side floor using aligning floor body bolt holes,screwdrivers for main mounting bolt holes alignment the right rocker is good.Itrimmed 2'' off the edge of replacement panel.It will take you quite some time and many trys to et it to fit properly. Take a "little off "at a time and try the fitment again.D on't get ino a rush. It always is good to have more metal there to work with .on't be afraid to temp cut and bend back edges for a better fit later on. Even if you go to far and cut off to much metal,you can always 'add metal where you need it..later in case you goof up..



Left and right footpans with cleeko's trying to fit

Just a test to see how it works, more pics to follow