Chris,
I've done a bit of this and I have a little different perspective.
After trying to remove the million and one spot welds that hold a front
floor pan in, I came to some conclusions:
1) Rob Martel's stuff wasn't available when I did this project and some
others. Now that it is, budget has to be THE criterion before ignoring a
new piece as a consideration. The trunk floor would be alot easier than a
floor pan, as access is pretty open, but time is money too.
2) Assuming that the donor car is history (since you're taking pieces of
consequence from it), screw the spot weld cutter! I've used three or four
different kinds and they're fine for a spot weld that is small, symmetrical
and not near (or on) the edge of the piece you're trying to save. Rootes
was quality and the spots are remarkably tenacious and often oval or done at
an angle so missing just a bit requires you to redrill. Often it's
impossible to tell after the first shot which direction you should move to
completely break it. And in the end you may have a piece with edges that
look like tattered cloth (LOOK at how many welds there are!).
3) I've seen some pretty amazing nibblers, but often they are expensive
pieces on their own or drill accessories that result in an unwieldy shape
for fast work in cutting corners, etc. IF you have air, a body saw is cheap
@ Harbor, et al, and I couldn't recommend it more highly. It might even be
available as an electric. They use hack saw blades and you can break a h.s.
blade into 3 body saw blade lengths!
A body saw is small, light, easy to use and FAST. The only glitch on
the learning curve is getting used to keeping a little pressure on the piece
so that the blade doesn't climb out of the groove. I used welding gloves
and care and never had a problem, but like any power tool, you can't be
clumsy. No different than a Sawzall, but like a paring knife compared to an
axe.
4) Cut the donor floor out -- scope out the angles that will keep the blade
away from interference with such things as the rear spring hangers in
advance. Cut as close to the right angle that turns to the flange as
possible while still keeping the cut on the vertical metal.
5) Do the same thing on the corroded floor you're replacing. Not too much
worry of interference here, but you won't be able to see the edge of the
flange. Cutting from underneath would be ideal, though dusty and a bit
awkward, as you could do a line right next to the edge of the flange on the
horizontal metal.
6) What you will have then is a strip of metal spot welded around the top
of the flange (and a big hole!) and around the rim of the 'new' floor (lying
next to the car). The next step takes care but can be done fairly rapidly.
Both the 'good' edges have more structural integrity than the relatively
thin strips overlaying them. CAREFULLY work something thin in between the
longest spans between spot welds. This will allow you to use a cutoff wheel
or some good clippers ( in the case of the car) or a hacksaw (in the case of
the floor) to cut the strips as close to the spots as possible. Then just
CAREFULLY grind the nubs left over to smooth (they're spot weld metal! --
harder than the metal around them!). AVOID stretching the 'good' metal;
just like deep dents, you won't be able to go back to original shape easily.
7) Now, after a little cleanup, you have: a clean flange and the only
replacement floor outside of Martel that will fit. If you have access to a
real spot welder, great -- easy OEM look/strength. If not, when you do your
preliminary fitting and get it clamped where you want it, draw lines along
the flanges (from the bottom). When you pull it back out, you'll be able to
see where to drill holes for the plug welds. Most books I've read recommend
about a 3/2 ratio plug to OEM spot, so you might count the spots in each row
before you start cutting.
8) Once you've plug welded, if you want it to look stock, grind them smooth
and then use a small-med drill bit and a round file to create the look of
spot weld dimples.
Good luck!!
Chris Hill
iginal Message-----
From: Chris Mottram <c_mottram@yahoo.com>
To: Tigers@autox.team.net <Tigers@autox.team.net>; alpines@autox.team.net
<alpines@autox.team.net>
Date: Wednesday, December 01, 1999 4:16 PM
Subject: Boot Floor Removal tool
>Sorry if this is a duplicate. I sent it previously
>from my other address which shoud be refused by the
>"majordomo"
>
>I want to cut the boot floor out of one Sunbeam and
>put it in another. I don’t have any tools that will
>allow me to do this. I imagine my options would be
>some sort of torch, a grinder/cut off wheel, a
>Sawzall, or a Nibbler. I would buy one of these if it
>was less than $100 and I thought I could use it for
>other things. I don’t plan on doing a whole lot of
>car chopping in the future. Or I could rent the right
>tool for the job. What is right tool for an amateur
>to do the job? I would think the torch would be the
>best tool, but it seems a little more dangerous than
>the other options.
>
>If anyone has done this before and has any advice, I
>welcome it.
>
>Thanks,
>
>Chris
>
>Thousands of Stores. Millions of Products. All in one place.
>Yahoo! Shopping: http://shopping.yahoo.com
>
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