Projects Major floor repair without removing from frame?

Okay so I’ve been getting around to this job for a while and now I have the time and (sorta) the space I think it’s time I tackle the floors on my caddy.

Here’s the problem..
the car is from Canada and has MAJOR floor rot, bad as it gets. Chassis is fine being commercial. From the doors up it’s a really solid car having been in a barn since 76.

The main reason I don’t don’t to remove it from the frame is the logistics - it’s a hearse.
Rotisseries are pricey in Australia and that’s even for an ordinary one - then, a friend of mine in the states who took his 58 hearse off the frame said that he had to extend and add extra rigidity to the rotisserie its self and even then it was a bit dicey given the cars tare weight is around 3 tonnes. And plus, I don’t have access to a hoist or any mechanical help to lift the thing off the frame & the car in a rotisserie probably won’t leave much room in the shed.

so, given my space limitations, how is the best way to repair the floors without taking the body off the frame?

I have 4x new rockers, full 59/60 new chev floor pan, 59/60 toe board new, and the outer panels all new and remade too. A full 60 rear floor compartment aswell from a carcass of a hearse too.

at the end of the day; it’s the floor and I don’t give two s!!ts about what someone thinks of how it looks so long as it’s structurally sound. Resale value is out the window since the car is never for sale.

Happy to hear any ideas and suggestions on the best way to tackle the floor apart from ‘take body off’

the car is a suicide door pillarless job so obviously the body will be significantly braced before even cutting into the floors.

let’s hear any suggestions.

cheers

 

lots of cars get new floors without being taken off the frame. problem is accessibility to certain areas for welding, grinding and paint work, try to change the pieces in the areas you have the best access. if the motor and tranny are out make sure your patch goes to the center hump where it can be accessed. weld from the top . any spot that can't be cleaned up from below probably won't be seen anyway.

 

Do sections at a time. Do 1 complete rocker panel, then do the other side first. The rocker will help support the floor and body and keep dimensions. Then again in sections, do either the front section of the floors or the rear section.

Best advice I have other than lots of support or take the body off of the frame...


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You didn't say, so I'll guess it's a 59/60 GM?
It really depends on how long it's going to take, too. If this is a week-long blast of 18 hour days, the advise may be different than the 6 month nights and weekends.
I'd suggest simply from watching Cold War Motors that first, get everything aligned as well as possible, then braced it up. Replace the rockers inner and outer, then the floors. It's going to be ugly getting things clean, fit and prepped and there will probably be other parts at the pillars and body mounts that will need fabbing, too.

 

Don’t need a rotisserie to do a floor
I’ve put em in with the body on jack stands.
Did the structure with the body on the chsssis.
I’ve got some very tall jack stands with a 56 wagon on em. I did the rockers with the car in the chassis. I’ll remove the chassis to finish up the floor. Use the tall stands with a beam across em to set the body on

 

Far less chance for things to move as long as it’s still on the frame, I’d do what you can while it’s still on the frame then if nessesary separate to do the rest. This is in my future as well

 

Cheers for the replies guys,
A friend of mine simply said ‘I don’t know - how longs a piece of string’ etc but made sense when he also suggested in sections. Keep the suggestions coming though!

 

Brace the body so that both of the doors on each side can still be opened and closed correctly with the bracing in place. It needs to be braced front to back, and side to side, down low, near the rockers.

Then replace one rocker at a time (both the inner and outer rocker), make sure the doors still open and close correctly on that side. Then replace the inner and outer rocker on the other side and check the door function on both sides.

After both of the rockers have been done, I would do one front floor pan and check that side door function.

Then do the rear pan on the same side and check the doors function on that side. Remove the bracing on that side and be sure the doors still function correctly.

Then move to the front floor pan on the other side, and check the door function on that side, then do the rear floor patch and check the door function on both sides of the body. Then remove the bracing and check the door function on both sides again.

If, at any check point the doors do not function, correct it immediately. Its easier to fix improper door function at each check point then it is to try to figure out what got screwed up after its all done.

Once the rockers and floor pans are in and the bracing is removed, and all 4 doors function correctly, you can patch anything else that needs patching.

Finish the job by seam sealing all the weld joints on the inside of the body, and paint both sides of the floor (that you can reach) for future floor protection.

 

Terrific info thanks mate!
There’s a box so to speak behind the drivers seat which goes the width of the car that the rear doors close into, I suppose if the doors close nicely with the body line I’ll just weld that back on once all the doors close nicely?

far as painting underneath - can be done. The amount of giant spiders I was face to face with back when I had to paint underside of tag trailers when stuck under the axles will make this job quite stress free! Haha

 

If at all possible, you will want to leave that box behind the drivers seat as intact as possible. It likely was additional floor support that was added to the original car when it was converted into a Hearst by what ever company did the conversion. There are a lot of extra things added when it was converted to improve the undercarriage strength. Each company that converted production vehicles into a Hearst or an ambulance, or built their own undercarriages did things a bit differently. A Hearst, an ambulance, or a limousine are special creations due to the longer wheel base usually added to the original vehicle.

If you can take pictures (may require several pictures) of how the box is attached to your existing rockers and frame, and pictures of your existing rockers, I can advise you on how I think the best way to keep the undercarriage structurally sound would be, if I was doing it. I spent 30 years of my life repairing rotted out auto body structure.