And so it begins - Bugsy II - Floorpan Replacement

[Jim_Gruber]

I had a spare 1/2 hour last night and grabbed Wire Wheel, Drill, and Spot Weld Cutter and got a start. All went well until I lost the Drill point on the Spot Weld Cutter. Oh well O'Reilly's will have a new one for me after lunch today when I swing by. Here's what 2o minutes plus 10 minutes of cleanup with the Shop Vac got me. This is a dirty job and Mama will not be happy if I track all the dirt and debris from garage to basement stairs.

Man is there a lot of rust and other detritus trapped in there when you start to pull apart. Now only several hundred move Spot Welds to remove. Wire Wheel peels of dirt from the underside allowing you to spot the welds from underneath. If you are starting this type of project you need a Spot Weld Cutter. Cuts around the Spot Weld freeing up the panel. Angle Grinder makes short work of flattening out the rest of the weld once the panel is free. You can see in the left of the picture, spot welds I uncovered that are yet to be drilled. Careful detective work is required to find all of the welds and to cut this floor panel free.

 

[Jim_Gruber]

On another thought. Battery Tray was Pop riveted in place by PO. The Battery Tray is an important structural member tying both sides of the Unibody together. Does have a few holes that could be filled or I could order a new Battery Tray and weld in place. My plan is to drill out Pop Rivets one by one and use that hole and weld in situ. May need to use spot weld cutter to open up and then drill out the rivet and weld. Thoughts which is easier, drill in place or replace with new. New Tray about $100.