If you decided to read this post, then you probably know that I have a 1955 Ford Sunliner convertible that I bought because the price was right. (my first car was a 55 Ford Club Sedan, love the mid-fifties fords) And why was the price "right"? The photos help to tell the story. The irony is that before looking at it and before purchase, I had no idea on how good a job a body man had done on replacing the floor pans and struts - very good work, solid, thorough, and hard to tell any difference from original work.

My plan is to eventually take the body off the frame, using angle iron and old metal bed rails for support to keep the body from buckling. But before I can do that, I believe as though I need to replace the trunk floor. The PO had begun the process by drilling out the spot welds, and the floor is just about ready to come out as you can see by the photos. I have an EXCELLENT 95% rust free floor from a donor car that I have salvaged front end sheet metal from for the convertible. All measurements and specs are the same for both trunk floors and tail pans (the donor is a 55 fordor car).

To date, I would consider myself a beginner welder. I do have a mig that I have used on occasion around the garage and on sheet metal patch work, but I have never tackled something like this (isn't that half the fun? )

Questions
Here are my questions to see what recommendations some of you Y block body men would have...

1. How much trunk floor pan should I take out of the donor car? Is it better to replace the whole thing or section it out? You probably cannot tell from the photos, but the way a 55 Ford is made, you can take a whole floor out and in without having to section it.

2. When removing the donor trunk floor, should I drill out all of the old spot welds just as it sits in the body, or should I try to make a clean cut first (since I am trashing that which I do not need or what no one would want from the donor car) and then remove the spot welds after the trunk floor is removed from the car? (in essence, cutting above the spot welds so I am taking out more metal than I need to trim later?)

3. The PO also began working on the tail pan area, and had slated that part of the car for entire removal (which it needs, but again, the donor car is ready to give up the goods!). Should I do the tail pan before or after the trunk floor?

thanks for taking the time to ready my ramblin'....

    

    

    

Most of the rusting around the edges is because the body panels have been separated by the PO, exposing the metal. All this is surface rust, and is very easily removed and prepped for welding/work. You can see in the one photo where the uppermost part of the trunk floor has already been separated by an inch or more. Same goes for the passenger side of the tail panel.

Daniel Jessup

Lancaster, California

aka "The Hot Rod Reverend"
check out the 1955 Ford Fairlane build at www.hotrodreverend.com

I am not an expert, but I have found that it is better to cut out more than you need. This way you have access to the part that you need, makes cleaning up the seam much easier. Also when using a spot weld cutter I have found that a seam splitter is sometimes needed to brake them free.

I think I would replace the tail pan first before cutting out the complete trunk floor just for allignment purposes.

How are the outer wheelwells on the doner car, if they are in good condition, I might be interested in buying them.

Glen Henderson



Freedom is not Free

Letohatchee, AL

Glen, let me get in there and give you a couple of photos, I will go ahead and post on here...to be honest, I really had not thought much about them.

dan

Daniel Jessup

Lancaster, California

aka "The Hot Rod Reverend"
check out the 1955 Ford Fairlane build at www.hotrodreverend.com

Hi Dan,

When you get ready to lift the body off the frame there are a couple tricks that the T bird guys do that you should also adapt.  Asuming that you are satisfied with the way the doors close when the car is sitting on its wheels, you then will remove the doors, hinges and striker plates.  Then you build A frames that lay on their sides and bolt into both hinge mounts and the striker plate mount.  The A frames should be welded together using the car itself as the final jig so that the body can not flex.  But the A frames should not apply any preload.  Convertibles are even more flexible than T birds (I once jacked up my '54 convert with the doors open and I couldn't close them until I got it back off the jack) so you need to be sure the body is as rigid as you can make it before you start to unbolt and lift it.  

Also when you undo the body to frame bolts be sure to keep and record the exact shim count for each bolt. These shims are probably rusty and the bolts may shear off.  They are the same as T bird so they are available.  Lift the body at 4 points, 2 near the firewall and 2 over the rear wheels using 2 hoists and spreader bars. The body isn't that heavy but you want to be lifting straight up where you are attaching to the body.

Doug T

The Highlands, Louisville, Ky.

Daniel: Just a note on the MIG welder. for body sheet metal, .023 wire is easier to deal with than the bigger guages.

Paul

Daniel

This 56 has some great body work/modifications. take your time and don't be afraid to do it over if you are not happy with it the first time.  

 http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v92/wstory/Parklane%20Project/?albumview=slideshow

Gary Ryan San Antonio.TX.

Gary, I have never seen that car before. Don't know how I missed the photos, but I guess I don't get Rod and Custom. At any rate, that has to be one of the most tastefully done customs I've seen on a 55/56 Ford body - especially a wagon. That guy is an artist, not just a sheet metal man!

Wonder if it's for sale, maybe my dad would like to buy that one instead! yeah, right!

Daniel Jessup

Lancaster, California

aka "The Hot Rod Reverend"
check out the 1955 Ford Fairlane build at www.hotrodreverend.com

It's for SALE

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Ford-Parklane-Wagon-Victoria-street-cruiser-street-rod-rod-station-wagon-wagon-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem3cb487dfbaQQitemZ260726841274QQptZUSQ5fCarsQ5fTrucks

I really like the gas tank filler change

Gary Ryan San Antonio.TX.

Nice wagon... Danial, your Dad would be stylin' in the car.

"The Master Cylinder"

Enjoying life at the beach in SOCAL

Update on progress. I just about have the donor car down to the frame, ready to make a dolly out of it. Today, I cut the floor pans out (very good), threw away the rockers (very bad), and completely removed the firewall/toe board/windshield frame/door post section. Might use that for a faux body part when I display the convertible frame and Y block this summer at a car show...would be neat to have the dash installed and the firewall looking good, could even put in a windshield, have the correct new rubber and good stainless. Dunno. Seems like I've got enough work to do!

    

Look everybody, a 4 door convertible!

    

The floor pans are in excellent shape - anybody need a good set?

    

Glen, I don't know about the outer wheel wells, they look pretty thin. I will let you know when I get in there. Of course the inside looks good. The quarters are also shot on this car and really not worth fixing, although some of the upper metal is worth saving. What you working on?

Daniel Jessup

Lancaster, California

aka "The Hot Rod Reverend"
check out the 1955 Ford Fairlane build at www.hotrodreverend.com