Floor pan replacement questions..HELP PLEASE!
 

On my 56 I decided since I plan on keeping the truck forever I would replace the floor pans due to rust. I got left front, right front and rear section with both rocker panels from Mid Fifty.
They look like quality pieces. My question is what ORDER should I proceed? Rockers first then floor? Front first or rear? Cut out whole floor and do all at once? Im a little over whelmed..I've done patch panels before and torque boxes on older Mustangs but never a complete floor.
If ANYONE has done this please tell me in what order you did it and where you think I should start.
I don't know wheather to cut out one section at a time or just cut the floor out leaving a lip all the way around and then cut out the spot welds..
I would really appreciate your input guys..As always THANKS for your time to reply.
Don

I didn't replace the rear floor, just the front (right and left) and both rockers.

I welded bracing between the door pillars to hold the cab solid. They were installed so they wouldn't interfere with hanging the doors.

I replaced the rockers first, just spot welding them in place. I hung the doors to make sure the cab was still squared up properly, then finished the welding. With the new rockers and bracing in place I replaced the floor pans. Again, they were just spot welded until I could be sure the doors would line up properly. I replaced the front cab corners last, when most everything else was finish welded.

I used a tool that crimps a flange into the edge and created lap joints.

Personally, I would do the rockers (and corners if need be) first, then the rear floor, then the front. The rear floor section is the biggest and will have the most effect on keeping the cab square.

This is, of course, just my opinion. Your mileage could vary.

I do the patches one piece at a time, so I would do the rockers first and then the floor pans one at a time. Weld a brace in the door opening to keep it from moving, then cut out and replace the rocker. Repeat on other side. Take reference pictures as needed before removing the old rocker. Once the rockers are in you can cut out the floor sections and replace one at a time. The more you leave in place during the work the more reference points you have, its amazing how much you forget or forgot to check when you cut the whole thing out at once and have to start over.

I'm probably going to have to do the same to my 48 someday and was researching the same deal. I recall a thread where they put bracing in to keep the cab square before cutting out the floor and wotnot. I'm sure someone who has done this will come along soon.
:-wink

Think about how you'd build a house. You start with a solid foundation before installing flooring. Building a car or truck is no different. Make sure your rockers and surrounding sheetmetal and structure is solid so you have something to build the floor pans on. You may or may not need to add additional temporary bracing, depending on how rusty and weak your current structure is. Take careful measurements and make sure your doors fit like they should before you weld everything totally solid.

Bracing would be the most important step with the level of replacement you're going to do. Brace it as much as you can.

http://www.fatfenderedtrucks.com/misc/cabbracing.jpg

Rocker panels first!

Drill spotwelds out for the cross braces and then go inside and cut down the edge of them from front of cab to rear and leave as much of the floor intact as possible until the rockers are in.

BRACE everything if your gaps are good. MEASURE all of your openings, inner edges, and outer edges of door jambs. Measure across pillars and see how square it is before you start. WRITE IT ALL DOWN!

Thank you ALL! I am still learning as I go and the knowledge and experience here is unbelievable...
Thank you!!

I like this, the only thing I would have added is one more diagonal bar across the cab from the rear end of the mid door bar on one side to the front of the low bar on the other side.

Just my 2c but bracing is a must, measure and check door gaps constantly, try to stay to the original spot weld holes but use small Robertson self taping screws to tag the panels at first until the gaps are good and structure comes back,then just pull the screws and plug weld the holes. Seems time consuming but saves having to work backwards

Nice work!