Replace rusty hawk floorpans need your experienced help

[hawk58man]

Just , a few more photos to help you get some more ideas, still proceeding slowly..

[hawk58man]

more pics

[hawk58man]

Thanks Joe D. for the good words.. Mike..

[valleyguy]

Very nice, first class work.

Joe D.

[hawk58man]

Thank you Bob I'm still movin along on this slowly. I have more photos and close ups so we can really see whatis happening. The classic enterprises replacement panels,which I ordered the longer one's so I could run it back farther .I felt that that would make a stronger floor on both sides. I also had a horshoe crack around the distributor inset, So I also had apiecel from the firewall that cracked out and was missing when I got my Hawk.You could litreraly see thruthe firewall at the wiring harness.I fabbed that piece and welded it in to the firewall.indent. I realined that cracked out panel that ran about 28 inces total After I was done fabbing and welding that, I happen to find out that Classic Enterprises makes that firewall replacement panel.I would have bought it and welded it in. But that I had already done.Who ever owned my Hawk ahead off my"Rode it Hard and put t away wet often. If youalso noted in the driveshaft hump by the back of the trans you can see some running 2'' to 3'' inch cracks where it cracked /flexed due to the sheetmetal cracked out behind the distrubutor. If you encounter cracks like the find the ends and drill a hole at the beginning and end of the crack ""stop drill " the cracks to keep them from running.(Increasing in size) and finish by welding them up..

[sweetolbob]

hawk58man

That is a nice looking piece of work. It looks a lot better than my home made floor pans and the bracing suggests the doors will fit as they did before the mods.

Please keep posting, these are the posts that need to stay in the archives. Not only great work but a good discussion on the ins and outs of the process.

Well done

Bob

[hawk58man]

Right floor pan installed with #5 machine screws (using new Classic foot well, -the old has been old has been removed drilling out the center spot welds with a 1/8 inch drill,then over drilled with an Eastwood or harbor frieght spot weld removal bit.The trick is not drill through all the sheet metal. and get he drill up on speed before you put it into he metal. Its tool steel and needs to up on speed,or you will be wasting it.Itwill loose its sharpness and need to be changed,door opening is wider on the outside than on the inside,

[woodysrods]

Sorry I wrote you this long post before proceed ing to page two of your thread.
LOOKS LIKE YOU DID EVERYTHING AS I WOULD HAVE.
VERY NIVE JOB!!!
Keep up the good work.
Brian
Didn't see your new foot wells.
Sandi's are going tomorrow.

[woodysrods]

Good Luck with yours Mike.
I have just finished mine today.
Mine wre not that bad and I did not opt to buy the classic replacement pans. I did getsome other stuff from them, and am very impressed.
Look at the pictures in the post from Jeff. Good bracing is the key if you are going to be removing a big chunk of the floor.
Other things that come into play are how you have the body while you are doing the install. On or off the frame??? I did mine on a roticery, but too all the weight off when I cut out the old metal so it wouldn't sag.
DO ONE SIDE AT A TIME! If your floor is rusted some part of your floor braces will be too. Replace or repair them first.
Paint the areas of the new floors and the braces where they come into contact with each other. drill some hole in your new panels where they come incontact with the floor braces and plug weld them (1/4" holes),
I hope you goththe pans complete with the seat mount braces already attached. Willl save a tone of work.
Do the easy side first (best side) you will learn lots and the other side will be easier.
Make sure you solid weld everything, tacking all around and then going round and round until all the gaps are filled. Use an air hose and keep things as cool as you can. Use a mig with gas.
Take lots of pictures.
And by the sounds of the suggestions on one of my current threads, Plan to remove and fill your "Foot Wells" you can make these patch panels, but be sure to put some kind of rib or bead rolls in them.
Good Luck & Good Roads
Brian

[hawk58man]

Left and right pans and wells fit in door frame bracing installed



better shot of internal bracing with angle iron post brace under door post

[hawk58man]

Drivers side floor pan installed for fit



Drivers side pan and foot pan fit

[hawk58man]

Right floor pan with right foot well trail fit..srewdrivers used to keep floorpan aligned with removed floor bolt holes..Cleekos help hold it inplace,right along with #5 machine screws.This sides rocker was OK.so I trimmmed off the vertical piece of sheet metal so I can just screw it into existing and weld it along the seam from one side off the door opening to the other.Spread three #5 screws and hold down and then tack it along its length, and will finish it up when everything else is welded. Spot welds use a 1/4 '' drill bit to drill hole on top and cleeko them down, or screw them down on either side of area to be welded.
When mig welding,it takes 3 to 5 seconds for the spot weld. A helpful tip for Mig welding "spot welds,is take your outter copper tip off the Mig,Get a 1/4 inch round file and file the tip staight across until you have two pretty good half cirles.You can also do the same 90 degrees off those to make 2 more semi circles.What this does is it gives your welding gas somplace to go when you cover that spot weld area and the gas needs somwhere to go.Just try it you'll see that it works good.. Make sureyou move around to different area's to keep the heat evenly dispensed . If you goof up on a spot weld don't try to fix it right away,weld something else,and come back to that after its cooled down. Good Luck Mike..

Right side tow kick panel screwed for fit

[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

[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

[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.