Posted By: MadMopars
4 Speed floor pan openings, torched or stamped? - 03/13/11 04:49 AM
I was just curious as to what means the factory used to section out a floor pan to accomadate 4 speeds. I just removed a floor hump from an A body floor pan (year unknown 67-69 maybe) and it appears as though the original opening in the floor pan was stamped as it has very sharp crisp lines. My Dad had mentioned he had removed a floor hump from a 69 B body years back and the opening in the floor pan appeared to have been cut out with a torch. He said it had the original black sealer around the floor hump and had stitch welds holding it in place both which seem correct to an original 4 speed car. I am curious as to what the factory method was for the cutting the floor pans for 4 speed applications. Torched or stamped? Anyone have some light to shed on this?
Posted By: dcr
Re: 4 Speed floor pan openings, torched or stamped? - 03/13/11 05:00 AM
My 64 coronet had a torched out hole and I dont believe chrysler was alone in doing that as i had a 75 camaro that was the same way.I did clean up the edges a bit .
Posted By: Kern Dog
Re: 4 Speed floor pan openings, torched or stamped? - 03/13/11 06:08 AM
In 2007 I bought a 74 Duster from a local guy for $1500. This car was a real turd. I named it the ROACH. Wiring was a rats nest. 1/2" thick bondo over most of the LH quarter. Crappy pop up sunroof, Interior looked like a pack of badgers had a fight in there. NON running 318....but it was the FIRST V8 manual trans Duster that I ever saw for sale. I was mesmerized and I had to have it. I did everything to make the car right, then sold it and actually made a small profit. It was originally an automatic, but some scumbag converted it to a floor shifted 3 speed. When I pulled the floor hump to use in the FrankenDuster, I intended to use the floor cutaway as a pattern. Uhhhh... No, not a good idea. It looked like it was cut out with an axe. The floor hump barely covered the butchery.
Posted By: 1_WILD_RT
Re: 4 Speed floor pan openings, torched or stamped? - 03/13/11 06:38 AM
I decided to go back to the floor shifted auto... so...
Posted By: Kern Dog
Re: 4 Speed floor pan openings, torched or stamped? - 03/13/11 08:10 AM
Wow. You could have just patched the hole, but the lengths that you are going there are impressive. Thats the mark of a man with integrity.
Posted By: 1_WILD_RT
Re: 4 Speed floor pan openings, torched or stamped? - 03/13/11 04:44 PM
I had the donor metal, it really isn't that hard to do it the way I did.. So why try to cheat... My Falcon wagon I might do a patch, a real deal Coronet R/T vert.. I'll do it right..
Posted By: rattler
Re: 4 Speed floor pan openings, torched or stamped? - 03/13/11 05:20 PM
I bought a 71 Barracuda vert several years back, the cars was an original console auto ,but some guy had changed it over to a 4-speed. When i pulled the console to figure out why you coudn't change gears, i found that he had used an "A" body trany and used the pivot bolt in the shifter to hold it to the side of the tunnel. Randy
Posted By: 70440+6bbl
Re: 4 Speed floor pan openings, torched or stamped? - 03/14/11 02:37 AM
The early '60's cars were torched out. I'll dig out some '63 T85 car pics. Later were stamped.
Posted By: 70440+6bbl
Re: 4 Speed floor pan openings, torched or stamped? - 03/14/11 08:02 PM
1963 hump cut-out... Very crudely done and I'm sure no two pans were the same
Posted By: 70440+6bbl
Re: 4 Speed floor pan openings, torched or stamped? - 03/14/11 08:03 PM
From the top with the tunnel in place, it looks a-ok
I see I'm not the only one thats seen this guys handiwork.... My 68 Coronet R/T vert was born a floor shifted auto... When the original owner blew the transmission apart with a 5000 rpm neutral drop he decided to upgrade to a 4spd... I'm not sure if he used a hatchet or a hand grenade but what ever it was it wasn't pretty.. 
