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finish welded most of the repair patches today. Have to get started on the drivers floor next.

The worst damage is in the floor braces. Two are completely gone.

I don't suppose someone's got a donor car that I can rob some floor braces from?

Hopefully, Saturday I'll get most of the drivers side ripped out. I'll try and snap some more pics of the cancer.

Got just a half hour to work on the car today. Started removing drivers floor pan.

Hopefully tomorrow it will get lots more attention.

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Got some work done today.

Started by cutting out more of the floor right above the brace that the seat frame bolts to. I wasn't surprised that it was almost rusted in half. I got it removed and repaired but it will have to wait to be reinstalled until I can make a new floor brace to mount it to.

As you can see, one of the braces was completely rusted through. It will be my mission this week to come up with a replacement. Then I'll be able to start laying down some new sheet metal on the floors.

I'm getting excited about finishing the floor. When it's done I should be able to hang the car upside down. More on that later.

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Keegan -

I've been watching your recent posts with great interest as I've seen the beginnings of similar rust in one of my Patricians. Also, a '55 I once owned was about as bad as what you have.

Not sore about the brace in the first image (IIRC, it runs fore-to-aft).

Yet, the rust in the braces that run across the floor, from rocker to rocker, is not uncommon. I have seen straight lengths of hat sections in autobody supply stores that look awfully similar. Nothing complicated, but might save a lot of time in trying to form it from scratch. You would just have to cut that oval hole, akin to a relief notch, to make the rolling 90-degree change at the ends to meet the inner rocker panel.

However, I'm not sure how or if you'd be able form the straight section to follow the deep-drawn box shape of the floor under the rear seat as I haven't looked into that far on any of my cars.

Keep up the good work and keep us posted on your progress!

Keegan,

Thanks for the pic's, certainly answered my questions from yesterday, in the Chatroom.

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BH - I'll have to investigate the availability of those pre-formed braces. There's a couple restoration shops in the area that I can ask. Thanks for the idea.

You are correct that the seat brace runs fore and aft, supported by three rocker-to-rocker braces.

I'm thinking that I can use some 1/2 inch square tubing and sheet metal to form the damaged section of the floor brace. I'll post my work later in the week as it comes together.

139 days left until my self-imposed deadline to have the car drivable again.

Keegan -

The pre-fabbed hat section should be available, in 2-3 widths (IIRC), from just about any auto parts store that sells paint and supplies to local body shops.

As for that seat brace, I don't know the gauge of metal, but it looks much simpler - like something that could be fabbed with a bead roller. Eastwood offers some that can be clamped in a shop vise:

http://www.eastwood.com/metal-fabrication/bead-roller.html

Surely one of the resto shops in your area will have such a tool or can direct you to another shop that does. With the right tool and experience, and what's left of your original and some critical measurements, I bet they could knock one out in minutes - much quicker than you scratch-building a substitute.

BWT, if you're gonna be doing similar work to the right-hand floor, don't make the mistake of assuming that RH mirrors LH. As muh as we'd like to think they do, it ain't necessarily so.

Any metal-supply outlet should have those hat channels also. I know the place I go carries them.

Well, since you've been working on your Clipper Deluxe over the past week, you must have a well-heated shop or plenty of bottled antifreeze. I'd like to see the car sometime if you don't mind. I've never seen a Packard V8 body stripped down to the essential like that. Just shoot me a PM if you're OK with a nosey neighbor stopping in.

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All are welcome!!

That goes for weary travelers heading through the twin cities as well.

And yes, a heated work space is quite a luxury here in the frozen north. I cheat a little however, and use a part of my business for personal use. Being the boss does have it's occasional advantages.