flloor and sills

[justin09]

Hi just signed up to this site as i have just brought 2 x fc wagons they need full resto just would like to know how hard is it to remove and replace the floor and sills thanx alot . The 2 wagons i brought of this guy he brought of pedro when he was in hervey bay so some1 might no the work that needs to be done . thanx  :)

[fcwrangler]

Welcome aboard, if you have a look on my post in restorations(my fc rebuild) on page 2, I have replaced the front floor rear rust sections and inner & outer sills. It is a big job, but if you take your time you will get there.
Regards Jim

[fcwrangler]

Bugger, that should be project cars
Jim

[justin09]

thanx mate just looked at your project nice work . hope to pick mine up in the next few weeks and get a start on 1 of them . i have to replace inner/ outer sills and complets floor a piller bit around fuel tank and little pieces here and there , as u expect that after how old they are .

[justin09]

just asking a question do vs commodore floors fit in the fc thanx .

[NES304]

VS floors are significantly wider and longer... you can trim.

Follow this thread.... VT floor in a ute
http://fefcholden.org.au/forum/index.php/topic,15344.0.html

[justin09]

sweet i might go the vt way then if its a bit easier to fit as this will be a major resto. from front to rear and top to bottom .

[NES304]

Not saying a VT is easier its just what was used here. If I had to pick a perfect donor car I'd use a VS III  with steel fuel tank live axle LSD diff and roller cam 5L V8(can take a 355 crank no grinding).

[Ed]

Justin,

whichever way you decide to go, just be sure to retain the structural integrity of the car before and as you cut things out.

If you chop out the entire floor, your sills will still need to be repaired, so you wont be saving much effort, but you will be creating alot of new issues to address.

I'm not saying dont do it, but be aware of the complexity of the job.

The floor pans aren't that difficult to place, however it is still quite a big job and can be difficult to make it look factory.

If your floors are gone, chances are your underfloor cross members are too...I replace these first as it provides a reference point for the rest of the job.


Next cut out the old floor carefully and lay your new floor over and carefully trim it to fit in..  then weld in.. simple right?  this would be the easiest way to repair the floors.










Hope this helps

Cheers

Ed

[JB]

Hi Justin,

Was just looking through a lot of the threads from projects cars the other day... Asking myself one question...

How many of these cars are actually getting finished?

Next question is why a lot are not getting done?

Coming up with varying answers to those questions, some being work commitments, some due unfortunately to illness, change in finances etc.

My project 365 days was a very ambitious one to get ready for a nationals is still going 4 years later.

So my question to you is what do you want from the car? And when do you want to drive it?

As you can see from my thread that the change in floor is a complex project, and I have made plenty of mistakes along the way, but it is fully engineered and has been from day 1. I have tried to show exactly what is involved in a major project step by step.
I had a budget of around 30K to start, and can safely double that by the time it will be finished, as my circumstances changed and I couldn't do all of the work that I wanted to myself.

As a lot of the other guys have stated in the past, the best way to start a project is to have a plan, starting with what you want the end result to be, engine, brakes, paint etc.
Set some sort of budget.
Ask plenty of questions, as there are a great number of fantastic people on this site will to help with advice.
Then let the fun begin!

Good luck in which way you divide to go, and keep us updated as we are interested.

Cheers
JB

[justin09]

ok thanx guys i havnt got a time planned to have it finished by im the type of guy that will stop doing my car to help someone else out . i just got offered a vs commodore complete car ill prob be able to use a few things of that car but im looking at putting a v8 into it or a supercharged 202 into it . but my 1st plan is to get the floor and sill done and that makes step 1 complete . im only young im 30 yrs old and ive been playing with commodors ,chevs and toranas , so hopefully this old girl will go to plan . :)

[brett_f]

Justin, There are a lot of smart people here willing to guide you. Before you decide on a V8 or modify in any way speak to an engineer first as laws have changed. As you havent started or had an engineer involved before the new laws came in, there are many obstacles now in your way. Also speak to at least two engineers before deciding it is too hard as they all differ. (i know). Brett

[justin09]

ok thanx brett and hope i can run a v8 as  love the sound of a nice rumble in an old car :)

[Ed]

yeah great advice Brett,

I did exactly that with my current project... one engineer said no, another said yes.

Also when you front up to meet with the engineer, put your project proposal on paper, with pictures / diagrams / drawings and examples where you can find them.   Reference the relevant section of the guideline you are building to. 

Show them the end result you are after and how you will get it there, and the issues you will need to address.

When you turn up for a discussion armed with this sort of information, engineers look a bit more kindly on your project.

Cheers

Ed

[justin09]

ok no worries will do thanx guys just gotta find a nice engineer in qld between brisbane and the gold coast .

[justin09]

hi all just wondering wot would be easier to fix sills and floor or the pillers where the front doors bolt to thanx as ive got 2x fc wagons on the way and just trying to figure out wots better to fix and replace .

[hsv-001]

Justin,it sounds  like you live down my area of Qld. I might be able to help with a few ideas and a few contacts 55477094

[fe350chev]

have u started stripping yet?