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`56 Plymouth trunk floor metal needed #2436865
01/18/18 02:57 PM
01/18/18 02:57 PM
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 1,668
Caldwell, Idaho
67R/T4speeder Offline OP
top fuel
67R/T4speeder  Offline OP
top fuel

Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 1,668
Caldwell, Idaho
On Plazakota 1956 Plaza the trunk floor has some extra holes in it, rust!! especially where brackets for fuel tank are, spare tire well looks decent.

Any ideas on where I can buy panels or ideas/pics on making it if I have to go that route. Classic to Current says no they do not have that, they do have some metal I will need later.

KIMG1244.jpeg
Re: `56 Plymouth trunk floor metal needed [Re: 67R/T4speeder] #2437076
01/18/18 08:42 PM
01/18/18 08:42 PM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 10,483
Freeport IL USA
poorboy Offline
I Live Here
poorboy  Offline
I Live Here

Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 10,483
Freeport IL USA
I know I'm going to come off as a bit crude, but it is a trunk floor. I would use 18 gauge sheet steel, if possible, reuse all of whatever additional supports you will need, and make a new truck floor pan. You will also want to recruit a large cardboard appliance box to use as a pattern.

Measure the size of material you need (I would make the new pan from side to side and from the tail panel to to at least the axle hump, be sure you get all the thin metal. Expect to do the replacement as a right side and a left side, I would overlap both centers by at least a 1/2".

Before you remove what is there, lay pieces of a large cardboard box (think appliance size), for each side and trim the cardboard around the wheel wells and other things you won't need to replace. You also need to mark out the location of any access holes that will need to be in the new floor pan. The closer the cardboard is to laying flat, the better the new pan fit will be. Allow some material (at least 1") around the edges to be able to attach the "new floor pan" to the existing wheel wells, tail panel, and axle hump. Give thought to how you will be attaching the new pans to the existing structure and accommodate so you will actually be able to attach the pieces in place when the time comes. Its easier and cheaper to adjust a cardboard pattern then it is to adjust steel.

Be sure your 1/2 of floor pan can be inserted into the car! Once you have both side patterns, you can lay out where the gas tank supports and any other support pieces may be located under the trunk floor onto the cardboard pattern. When your done, you should be able to place both sides of the cardboard pattern on top of the existing floor and it should match up very very closely with the existing floor.

Once you are happy with the cardboard patterns, you can transfer one side or the other onto the 18 gauge sheet metal. I suggest you transfer 1 half panel at a time, sometimes the actual transfer from cardboard to steel needs to be adjusted, those adjustments are easier if you still haven't cut the other 1/2 of the floor pan. Lay out the one of the 1/2 panels and cut the metal to match. 18 gauge steel sheet doesn't cut with hand tin snips very easily, be prepared with other cutting devices. Allow extra material to accommodate for whatever cutting process you will be using. Once the cuts are made, you need to bend the edges the fit against the things you will be attaching to. Use vice grips, a metal break, a vice or other methods for making the bends, try to avoid beating it with a hammer. When ready, the new metal should lay in better then the cardboard, adjust as needed (again, try not to beat it up with a hammer). After the 1st panel fits in, cut the 2nd panel with whatever adjustments might be needed, and bend the edges as needed. When complete, it should lay in with the 1st panel, overlap in the center, and fit nicely. Once the pan fit is correct, most under pan structural pieces can be plug welded into place. Be sure their location is correct.

Time to remove the old floor. The 1st thing you do is go under the car and remove the things that are attached to the trunk floor. This would include the gas tank, fuel lines, any wiring, any exhaust hangers, and anything else that might hold the pan in place. You will also want to remove any undercoating in the area you will be cutting or welding in. The undercoating makes great fire and smoke when it burns, and it tends to be self feeding. Old factory seam sealer is another thing you want to dig out and remove as much of as you can that may be near a cutting or welding zone. Both the undercoating and the seam sealer will ruin a weld and will burn.
There are 2 thoughts on cutting old floor pans out. 1 thought is to remove the entire whole pan, and the other is on removing 1/2 the pan, partly install that 1/2 of the new pan, then removing the other 1/2 of the old pan. If the center of the old pan is solid enough to support the new other 1/2, I prefer to keep it there until I have the 1st 1/2 located and tack welded into place, then I will remove it. Whichever process you use, be sure the new pans are properly located and supported in the center so it remains flat.

Mopar body panels are almost always spot welded together. If I am repairing a panel and I'm welding at a factory seam, I prefer to drill 1/4" holes in the new panel and plug weld the new panel to the old factory seam with the plug welds spaced about 1 1/4" apart. The requires the original metal at the seam to be in good condition, and it needs to be clean. I use 1/4" holes because they are large enough to assure a good plug weld. If I am welding a panel in a location where the metal was originally a single piece, I prefer to do a solid weld, but that is done with a series of tack welds moved along the seam until they form a solid weld. Any under body structures (like gas tank support pieces) that need to be added are also plug welded into place. I will clean the surface that attaches to the floor and will drill 1/4" holes in the new floor pan, clamp the structure pieces to the pan, and plug weld them in place from the top. Many of the structure pieces can be welded to the pan before the pans are installed if you are sure their location is correct.

Once all the welding is complete, I will use Seam Sealer to seal all the edges and on top of all the welds. Paint as required when the seam sealing is complete. Gene

Re: `56 Plymouth trunk floor metal needed [Re: 67R/T4speeder] #2437605
01/19/18 07:07 PM
01/19/18 07:07 PM
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 236
British Columbia, Canada
Old Ray Offline
enthusiast
Old Ray  Offline
enthusiast

Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 236
British Columbia, Canada
Originally Posted By 67R/T4speeder
On Plazakota, Any ideas on where I can buy panels or ideas/pics on making it if I have to go that route.


I thought that I recognized that name and looked at your'56-dodge-modern-front-end-swap-advice.html postings again, great stuff, very helpful. Just cut my frame on Sunday.

Back to the topic at hand, thinking outside the box a bit, how important is the spare tire wheel well? With some snooping around you might find a newer car trunk that might or might not have the spare tire wheel well that you could cut out of a parts car ? My '56 is a wagon so the spare goes in a hole in the rear floor. confused confused

Re: `56 Plymouth trunk floor metal needed [Re: 67R/T4speeder] #2438097
01/20/18 08:18 PM
01/20/18 08:18 PM
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 236
British Columbia, Canada
Old Ray Offline
enthusiast
Old Ray  Offline
enthusiast

Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 236
British Columbia, Canada
......here as trunk for sale; under 1955 Dodge Royal Lancer listing ?

https://www.facebook.com/groups/519679014781599/?ref=bookmarks

Re: `56 Plymouth trunk floor metal needed [Re: 67R/T4speeder] #2438362
01/21/18 01:10 PM
01/21/18 01:10 PM
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 1,668
Caldwell, Idaho
67R/T4speeder Offline OP
top fuel
67R/T4speeder  Offline OP
top fuel

Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 1,668
Caldwell, Idaho
Excellent advise Gene looks like I need to get the gloves on and get to work, thank you very much.

Thanks Old Ray , not sure if keeping the spare well or not, luckily the rust is from well over to left.

Is there another way of viewing that FB page I cannot open ?

Re: `56 Plymouth trunk floor metal needed [Re: 67R/T4speeder] #2438558
01/21/18 07:42 PM
01/21/18 07:42 PM
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 236
British Columbia, Canada
Old Ray Offline
enthusiast
Old Ray  Offline
enthusiast

Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 236
British Columbia, Canada
(I dislike face book very much, but good pictures as Gary Sand says)

.. you probably need to join the:

"1955/56 Dodge, Plymouth, Chrysler & DeSoto Owner's Group" on face book

Re: `56 Plymouth trunk floor metal needed [Re: 67R/T4speeder] #2448486
02/08/18 01:39 PM
02/08/18 01:39 PM
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 1,668
Caldwell, Idaho
67R/T4speeder Offline OP
top fuel
67R/T4speeder  Offline OP
top fuel

Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 1,668
Caldwell, Idaho
There more I cleaned up the more rust I found so nothing to weld a floor piece to. I need a whole valance behind the bumper and all, I will hunt for a donor car.

Plazakota project







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