1964-1974 [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
I'm actually taking on this exact project right now. My '69 Sonett has completely rusted out front floor pan, inner and outer rocker panels.
Here's what to do:
1) Make sure you have a MIG welder ($400-$500), a reciprocating saw, a cutoff tool, and an air compressor (for the cutoff tool).
2) Jack the car up, support it with blocks in front of the engine, behind the engine but in front of the firewall, at the rear axle, and at the rear of the car. This way when you cut the rusted panels out, the car won't twist on you.
3) Measure!! Measure the lengths of the rockers, the distance across the door opening, the floor pan length, etc.
4)Remove the body and be damn careful not to crack the front windshield as I did...I was told by Jack Ashcraft that removing the body is not really necessary, but I didn't see any way to get the rocker panels out without removing the body. Remove the doors (Get a 1 inch open combination wrench).
5)Take the gas tank out (very easy to remove when the body is off - it's like 2 screws...) to avoid blowing yourself up while welding and cutting near it.
6) Cut out the inner and outer rocker panels on one side only. Use the reciprocating saw for most of the cutting, then the cutoff tool for the finer detail. Weld the new inner rocker panel and outer rocker panel in. *Rust proof these panels so you wont have to do this again in a couple years!* Quickly check to make sure the door fits on correctly.
7) Cut out the other sides inner and outer rocker panels using the same steps as above.
8) Measure the location of the pedal bracket so you know where to mount the new one. Cut the front floor out. Weld the new floor pan and pieces in. (This is where I am now). RUST PROOF THE FLOOR PAN!!!
9) Spray rubberized undercoating on all the new metal (Hell, use a heat gun and scraper, and remove the old stuff and replace it too if you feel like it)
10) Put everything back together...
11) Have a beer.
I found some inner and outer rocker panels from a friend in NC. He might still have some more if your interested.
Jack Ashcraft is definitely a great source for these panels. He's also got pretty much all of the door seals, window seals, etc that you may find you need replaced. He's also been my source for the "how-to" from the steps above.
Getting a whole new Sonett V4 car that is rust free to swap the body in is really an unlikely thing to find affordable. You will likely pay at least $1500 for the car, then another $1000 for transport (because it WILL come from the west coast, undoubtedly).
I'm replacing almost all of the uncarriage for less than $1500. And that price includes a MIG welder, air compressor, and tools...Of course, there's something to be said for having a parts car...
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