The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Floor pan R&R and front cab mount repair

Ok᠁ body work is not my forte᠁in other words I don’t know squat about it. So I have what may be a couple stupid question to many of you. Can the floor pan on a ‘53 Chevy cab be removed and replaced without completely removing the cab?
And can the front cab mounts be repaired/welded without completely removing the cab?

Replacing moderate-sized sections of the floor pan can probably be done with the cab on the frame, but swapping the entire thing needs to be done with the cab removed and on a jig or a rotisserie. A cab mount should probably be swapped with the cab removed and reinforced in some way to assure the mount is installed in such a way to prevent distortion of the cab when the new one is bolted to the frame mount bracket.
Jerry

What Jerry said. Especially with the front mounts, with the cab off and on a rotisserie, you have better access to do the job properly.

Mid-1960's Ford pickups had the front cab mounts located right behind the front wheels, directly in the spray from rain, snow, salt, etc. They were notorious for rotting out, which would cause the front of the cab to sag and put the steering shaft in a bind. The first thing to fail was usually the "rag joint" at the coupling between the shaft and the steering box. J.C. Whitney sold a replacement cab mount that resembled a big square steel box which protected the rubber mounts from splash. We would jack up the cab until it looked "eyeball level", bolt the cab mounts down, and bolt or weld the repair section into place.

The "shade tree" method was to jack up the front of the cab and support it with a length of 2 X 4 about 2 feet long between the top of the frame rails and the cab, held into place with wood screws through the cab floor!
Jerry

Here’s what you’d be looking at if you’re going to replace the whole floor in one shot. It’s a pile of work. This is the floor removed from my 70 C10. The cab is thoroughly braced to stop any movement. If you’re going to do the whole thing in one shot, I’d pull the cab personally.

Thank you all for the great info and advise. You have convinced me to remove the cab from the frame. Now to find a welder᠁.

Is that the 2 legged kind of welder or a machine that welds?
The first one is going to cost you lots of $$$$. The second fewer $$ but possibly more headaches.

If the floor from the seat riser to the back of the cab is not shot, you can buy the front floor board halves patch panels and and cab supports, and make your repairs one side at a time without any bracing on the frame. I have done it before on a true basket case.
Since you seem to not own a welder or know someone who will do the welding for you, you may well be over your head on this project.
I know that I was in over my head on my basket case, but with undaunted perseverance and the wonderful folks on this site to steer me along, I was able to pull it off.

PaPa Joe, post a few pictures of what your dealing with. I have seen your truck and it looked reasonably solid, you may be able to just repair one area at a time. I wish you lived closer, I have friend that loves to weld and loves old trucks.

52Carl, It’s the front floor panels. Unfortunately I don’t have a lift, and never really closely inspected the cab floor panels. The guy I bought the truck from welded a couple of plain thin sheet panels over the floor panels. Then sprayed thick layer, of what looks like, bed liner over them. And also inside the cab. It covered over a lot of holes and rust. The trans and battery covers are good, as is the floor from the seat frame back. The left front cab mount is just dangling from the cab floor.

TUTS 59, I will try to get some pictures posted. I’m not in a super hurry right now. I have spent my budget this year so I won’t have money to spend until after taxes.