76 Maverick Stallion.....

One of the things I have done when I need practice which is quit often is get some "Scrap" sheet or even go to home depot and pic up some small pcs of sheetmetal and practice on them. When I get it down to where I am comfortable then I will weld.

Hope it helps,
Bobo

 

Now what condition are the front frame rails? You might want to take a chipping hammer and tap around to see if the point of the hammer goes through any part of the frame rails

 

Ive done this alot over the years with the universals there thin wall the direct fits are 11 gauge and hold up much better.

 

Got the second wheelwell fixed....cut out the rusty stuff ,welded in 2 layers of new metal.......
I want to say after looking at the builds on this site the craftsmanship and cool factor of the members on here is top drawer.........
At least I got to practice welding on a place that wont be seen.......

 

Are you coating the backside of the patches with anything?

 

They are covered in anti-rust paint....then the outsides get covered in that......

 

Well.we are at the point of the project in which things become fun......I will retain the donor back tail light facia.........less welding.....this makes or breaks it.......................

 

This step will be a BIG BIG forward move on your project. I can't wait to see how it turns out. Good luck

 

Yes it is......without the luck of being able to find the floor and all of the great encouragement from you guys, I wouldnt be this far this fast........this is the project.....the car would have been scraped without it.....sadly .......now there will be one more maverick stallion saved.....Thanks........Dave....

 

Do you have a frame chart? To makes sure it's all lined up before you weld it...

 

So this hole in the wheelwell is the same position on the donor floor and my 76.............

I am going to use this hole to locate the new floor in the 76 chassis....if both holes are lined up on each side it should be square...I did some very careful measurements and this should work.... the pic of the hole on the 76 looks off but it was my picture position...

 

So the goal of tonight was to get the seatbelt brackets out......all 3 bolts were rusted in....I was able to get 2 out of 6 out...the rest had to be cut....

What I found after they came out made me sad........
this is the pass. side....

the drivers side...........more rot............sad.......this will have to be attended to after the floor is in....have to get the car sitting on good metal.......I am surprised its stayed on the stands this long.....

 

Tonight the floor goes in for a test fit.....

 

Been looking forward to see how you make out with that

 

well...let the fun begin..........I did a ton of measuring and trimming in order for the floor to just slide between the 76's rocker rails.....there was just a 1/16"+ to play with...

straps got used to help hold the trunk area in....


the floor slid in with very little additional trim work...


the trunk......



at the back tail light panel......everything is clamped in place...I have bolts in the factory locating holes on the wheelwells..from what I can see and measure we are good to go for some welding and blending from the 70 floor to the 76 floor.......Tonight was fun....Now the car can be Built....