Entry 6: More Floor Pan Work

Went ahead and cut out the portion of the front drivers side floor pan which had rotted through. Looks like the heater core leaked and water ran over the transmission tunnel and into the floor pans. Had some rust up the toeboard, so I'll put a piece together to seal that up. The factory firewall pad is super flammable jute padding with rubber over it, plan on cutting it out and putting some damplifier and firewall mat on it and calling it a day. The factory stuff is no good.

Update: Haven't done much since the 29th because I caught a nasty flu bug going around, hopefully I'll feel better and be able to finish these pans up.

Had a chance to cut out the patch panel, apply bloxide to the areas which will be welded. and POR15 the areas under the drivers toeboard which were rusty but did not need to be cut out. No one will see it so I slathered on the POR15. Next thing to work on is the toeboard.


9/12: Had a chance to cut out a toeboard patch panel, used a cardboard template to rough it out.

And here is the installed patch panels, safe to say that the cabin is sealed from road and engine noise. Took the better part of 6 hours to fabricate the toeboard, prime and seam weld the front drivers floor pan. Welds are not the best in the world but they are solid and seam welds leave no room for water to collect and rust out. Once I get the passenger side worked up I will seam seal everything and put down sound deadener. Thinking about using the quick roof as the mass back and then Damplifier for the vertical runs and the roof.

Passenger side is next, not as much to patch but there are a few sections to address.

Entry 5: Welding

Got a chance to weld in the rear portion of the drivers side floor pan. Ended up finding more rust up the rear apron so I cut it out and fabricated a piece to support the rear seat pan.

Update: Here is a\of the welded rear portion of the drivers side pan with POR15 applied to eliminate any surface rust.

Entry 4: Rear Floorpan

Went ahead and got everything cut out today from the back of the rusted pan, next up is to cut the new one to fit and prep the area for welding.

The middle of the floor area is actually solid, my two problem areas are the toeboard by the pedals/inner frame rail area and towards the back where I am working now.

 

I'll split the the full length pan, which will be easier to work with and maintain the structural integrity of the chassis. No sense in creating work for myself, there's enough to go around.

Entry 3: "Great Stuff" Removal

Went ahead and dug into the floorpans last night, had to grind down all the welds to remove the heavy 16 gauge piece which was welded in.

The Prior owner had welded in a heavy 16 gauge sheet of steel over the swiss cheese floorboards to put the seats on and filled the the space with foam insulation.

What mess underneath.

The "Great Stuff" insulation trapped water and made it worse, but it is irrelevant because I am cutting it all out. Good news is the rockers and transmission tunnel are solid.

Tomorrow I 'll cut everything and get it ready for welding. Looks worse than it is, it all gets cut out anyways.

Entry 2: Inventory

I went through the items piled in the hatch and discovered the entire interior was there except for a dash pad and the rear fold down seats. The seats in the car are a Rally Style seat and are not Mustang seats but I'll fabricate seat mounts to use them. Needs a carpet, black seat belts and new door panels, but looks good. I think I will end up building a rear seat delete because the car really looks sharp with just two front seats and fold down seats are difficult to find. Also has an extra 91 dash board and other parts with it.

Entry 1: Purchase

I purchased an 86 GT from someone I knew in Port St. John. The car is mechanically sound, with an 92 roller motor, new windshield, manual rack, 3.55 posi, brand new clutch, and black ponies. Also got some other parts in the transaction like a transmission and extra set of rims and E7 cylinder heads.

Saw the ad on Craiglist and headed down after work with my dad in the truck, loaded it up and headed back. Clean title, now it needs to be put back together. Good news is the title is clear and in hand.

One of the main issues with the car is the drivers side requires a new floor pan. Someone welded in some thick metal and sealed it with window foam so it needs to come out. Because the interior is completely gutted, its the first thing to address. No sense in putting it together just to pull it apart again. Car came with a replacement floor pan so I might as well weld it in. Also has a sizeable exhaust leak at the manifold.

What needs to be done now:

Rebuild brakes and re-pack front bearings

Drop and clean out fuel tank, new fuel filter

Check for Vacuum leaks

Exhaust Leak

Cooling System- Add Electric Fan, New Hoses, Thermostat, flush system.

Later:

Shocks and Struts

Refresh Axle Fluids and Bearings

More to follow, here are a few pictures from the original ad.