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Brace or Not To Brace?

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GerryL

Jedi Hopeful
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I am at the point of replacing floors, sills, and rocker pannels. I plan on doing these repairs on the frame.

I have seen where some people have mounted braces using the door hinge captive bolts. Does this not interfere with test mounting of the doors during sill and rocker fitting.

What would be the proper approach to replace these items if braces were not used.
 
Aloha Gerry,

The parts you are going to replace are the pieces that connect the front of the of the car body to the rear. The front and rear body pieces are connected to the frame with only a few bolts. The fitting in of the floor pan and inner sill may result in some jostling of these body assemblies. I think the bracing would be a good precaution to keep things in place while working on the floor pan and inner sill and also insure the door should fit properly when done. That assumes the doors fit well when you start. Once those have been replaced the floor pan and inner sill, the front and rear body are rejoined so removing the brace would allow for outer sill (rocker panel) and door fitting. I would also suggest disassemble one side of the car and complete the repair before starting on the other side.
 
I have to do the similar items as well. I plan on just tack welding a brace inside of the door frame area, not in the hinge area. I think that should keep it in place until the panels get fitted. It also allows you to still install the door to check the fit without having to remove any of your bracing. Just my two cents worth.

JP
 
I think it depends on the condition of the inner sills if the body needs to be braced or not. If you are going to replace the pans with the body still bolted to the frame in front and rear, and only do one side at a time, and the inner sills are in good shape you should be good to go. Bracing never hurts just gets in the way. Best advice only do one side at a time, and don't throw out the old pans until the car is done
 
I'm at that stage right now and have done what Tr3aguy has suggested; I tacked a brace (3/4" angle) inside to help keep the spacing. The new floor pan is welded in place. I'm removing the inner and center sill pieces and will replace those before removing the rocker panel for replacement. (All of these parts were missing the bottom from rust which makes this process order easier.) By working this order and having only one or two pieces of the body 'missing' at any given time I hope to keep the door shape and dimensions where they belong. Extra care is given to fitting before cranking up the wire welder. BTW - the body is off the chassis on a 30" high homemade rack. And yes... one side at a time.
 
Is it possible to reverse the order of the work, to work on the floor pans while the doors are still attached to the body tub? Wouldn't this insure the proper fit of the doors, as well as the floor pans being installed? I ask because I will be starting a frame off restoration of a GT6 MkIII in a few weeks.

Hym
 
That's what I've done, the doors are still on the car body and so far everything is lining up. The first step was replace the floor pan... cut out the old & weld in the new. 2nd step (which is in process) is to remove the inner and center sills and replace them. Third step will be to remove and replace the rocker panel. Then begin the process all over again on the passenger side. I'll let you know how it works... hopefully with a big smile!
Oh, since the body is off the frame and being supported by the firewall mtg points and the rear wheel (axle) arch only, I did but a support under the rocker while I'm removing & replacing the inner sill pieces. -Dave
 
Dave GT6, where did you get your floor pans and how much did they cost?

BTW, how far are you from the eastern shore of MD? PM me; I'd like to come by and see hour your project is coming along.

Hym
 
We DONT brace at the shop since it precludes fitting up the door to the aperture involved.Most times it is already compromised due to rust and time/abuse.I say jig-up the panels and set the door fit to spec, then weld. This is easily done on frame.Once all structural repairs are complete the body is more than rigid enough to be set off with out bracing.A lot of ways to skin this cat, but I see some customers that have done the brace thing to the max and its hard to remove and then repair the damages from the welds.....
MD(mad dog)
 
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