First up - make and install top of the torque box for the driver side:
The floor panel has this triangular indendation in it...so I had to make the same in the piece that fits underneath.
I used my flanger to make an edge that would allow the top panel to sit flush once installed over this one.
While I was doing all this work I wondered just how important this panel was! Of course being part of the torque box it adds a lot of stiffness to the drivers side - for the steering mechanism as well as the rotational torque of the engine. I also wondered how many guys would leave this out if doing the same job - LOL!
The shape of it turned out OK after some more break work and some hammer and anvil work.
Then the top (frewall) panel....
After grinding the initial weld pass I went around it once more with the mig before a final grinding.
Then, on to the passenger side.
First I cleaned up and primed the frame pieces:
Firewall section installed first:
I used all three methods of attachment here: plug welds, butt welds and a lap weld on top:
Then the floor pan section installed over top - as per originals.
Initial weld pass after grinding -
Another 6 non-stop hours. Still need to do some hammer and dolly work, add a skiff of ALL-Metal over the welds and seam-seal the undersides. Then it's on to the rear window and quarter panels.
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