FYI FORD - MustangSteve's Ford Mustang Forum
The Internet's Most Knowledgeable Classic Mustang Information
IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT CLASSIC FORD MUSTANGS, YOU HAVE COME TO THE RIGHT PLACE!
MustangSteve has over 30 years of Mustang experience, having owned 30 of them and restored several others. With the help of other Mustangers, this site is dedicated to helping anyone wanting to restore or modify their Mustang.... THERE ARE NO DUMB QUESTIONS!!!!!
Visit MustangSteve's web site to view some of my work and find details for:
FYIFORD Contributors' PICTURES - Power Brake Retrofit Kits for 65-66 Stangs - Classic Mustang FAQ's by MustangSteve - How to wire in a Duraspark Ignition - Mustang Ride Height Pictures and Descriptions - Steel Bushings to fit Granada Spindles to Mustang Tie Rods - Visit my EBAY store MustangSteve Performance - How to Install Granada Disc Brakes MustangSteve's Disc Brake Swap Page - FYIFORD Acronyms for guide to all the acronyms used on this page - FYIFORD Important information and upcoming events

You are not logged in. Would you like to login or register?

  • Index
  •  » FYI Ford, Classic Mustang Tech Discussion
  •  » At crossroads on how to proceed on replacing Vert full floorpan

    • 1 of 1

       

    12/27/2020 9:53 AM  #1

    Mochaman
    Senior 24-7 FYI Addict

    Offline

    From: Royse City, Texas
    Registered: 4/02/2013
    Posts: 1,492

    At crossroads on how to proceed on replacing Vert full floorpan

    1966 Vert full floor pan replacement is finally getting back into gear. 

    I am finishing up cutting out the old floor pan. Should finish this week while I am off work. I ordered a new set of Wheel wells that are designed for Verts because the ones I bought a while back were designed for FB or coupe. The idea of taking a big hammer to these weren't going to sit well with my OCD. 

    Here is the crossroads. Should I mount the wheel wells to the floorpan before I jack it up into place first or leave the old ones in place for helping with fitment?  How hard are changing wheel wells in a car with the rear fenders on? I have never done this level of sheet metal work.

    I will try to take pictures of everything and post. Pictures haven't been my friend on this forum for a while. 

     

    12/27/2020 12:19 PM  #2

    TimC
    I FYI 24-7

    Offline

    From: Wheaton, Illinois
    Registered: 4/01/2013
    Posts: 876

    Re: At crossroads on how to proceed on replacing Vert full floorpan

    Ed,  back in 2005, I started trying to repair a rusty midwest 66 coupe.  A good friend with tools and skills assisted me in removing the rear inner and outer wheel houses.  The wheels came off my friends life, and I took the car to a Mustang shop to continue/complete the work.  I learned that repop wheelhouses are garbage, and a horrible fit, and the shop regularly patched the originals to get a better fit for the wheelhouses and quarters.  My end result was horrible fitting quarters where trunk and door gaps were bad and the car looks twisted and bent.  In 2014, I gave up on the car and bought the 65 FB.

    My then 19 year old son took up the torch in 2014, determined to finish the car.  He replaced the right quarter and outer wheelhouse, and got it a LOT better, but still not great.  During COVID, Jr. cut off both quarters, removed both outer wheelhouses, and re-did the right hand inner wheelhouse again, to get it correct.  This time we got the location of the wheel arches right, and we are almost ready for paint.

    Lesson learned:  Remove as little of the original wheelhouses as possible.  I would be skeptical about how close the dimensions of the repop wheelhouses are to the originals.  I would leave the old wheelhouses on the shell, get the floor where it fits/belongs, and cut up the new wheelhouses into patch panels to fill in the gaps between the original wheelhouses and the new floor.  Had I taken that approach, I would have had a million miles on that 66 by now.  It will be roadworthy this coming summer, like it should have been 15 years ago.

    Others with more skill than I may take a different approach.  I'm not an engineer, I'm an accountant....

    Tim

    Last edited by TimC (12/27/2020 12:20 PM)

     

    12/27/2020 12:54 PM  #3

    josh-kebob
    Senior 24-7 FYI Addict

    Offline

    From: Madison, AL
    Registered: 4/06/2013
    Posts: 2,902

    Re: At crossroads on how to proceed on replacing Vert full floorpan

    Ed, Tim's advice is spot on. The new wheel houses are no where close to the originals in terms of the arch of the house opening. When I installed nos quarters on the coupe, I layed a repop outer wheel house against the nos quarter arch....
    It was off by 1.5 inches....too wide an arch....i cut it up and patched the originals....

     

    12/27/2020 4:25 PM  #4

    6sally6
    Hyper FYIFORD ADDICT

    Offline

    From: Surfside Beach,SC
    Registered: 4/02/2013
    Posts: 6,855

    Re: At crossroads on how to proceed on replacing Vert full floorpan

    Cut and patch what'cha got. After market krap is just that......karp.
    If it still has the basic shape....keep it and patch the bad spots.
    Think about it.......when finished its gonna be covered with truck bed liner/under coating/sound dampning plus its gonna be full of tire and wheel......below normal eye sight!!
    Patch & move on.
    6sal6

    Get busy Liv'in or get busy Die'n....Host of the 2020 Bash at the Beach/The only Bash that got cancelled  )8
     

    12/27/2020 6:43 PM  #5

    Mochaman
    Senior 24-7 FYI Addict

    Offline

    From: Royse City, Texas
    Registered: 4/02/2013
    Posts: 1,492

    Re: At crossroads on how to proceed on replacing Vert full floorpan

    The wheel arches/wells are already over patched and very badly at that. I was going to leave them alone, but layers of tin metal, beer cans and what looks to be lead sheeting isn't going to cut it. Pop rivets and bubble gum welds are holding it together. So I will replace them. 

       •Thread Starter
     

    12/27/2020 7:34 PM  #6

    MS
    Forum Originator

    Offline

    From: Canyon Lake, Texas
    Registered: 1/24/2013
    Posts: 12,263

    Re: At crossroads on how to proceed on replacing Vert full floorpan

    Get the floor where it belongs, then fit the wheel wells.  You may have to reform them  to fit, but at least the car will be square if you use the jig I made.

    Money you enjoy wasting is NOT wasted money... unless your wife finds out.
     

    12/27/2020 10:55 PM  #7

    Mochaman
    Senior 24-7 FYI Addict

    Offline

    From: Royse City, Texas
    Registered: 4/02/2013
    Posts: 1,492

    Re: At crossroads on how to proceed on replacing Vert full floorpan

    Steve the jig you made is the key to this whole process. .
     

       •Thread Starter
     

     

    1 of 1

  • Index
  •  » FYI Ford, Classic Mustang Tech Discussion
  •  »  At crossroads on how to proceed on replacing Vert full floorpan

    • Board footera


    REMEMBER!!! When posting a question about your Mustang or other Ford on this forum, BE SURE to tell us what it is, what year, engine, etc so we have enough information to go on.