The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Panels 'N Burbs 1954 REMOVING FLOOR IN A PANEL

THIS IS A 1954 CHEVY 1 TON PANEL , HOW DO YOU REMOVE THE FLOOR AS IT IS IN ONE PIECE , THIS IS A 1 TON PANEL HAS GOOD METAL EDGING

If you have the type of floor w/one single piece of plywood(which I do believe you should have) the answer is "You don't". It has to be cut in two pieces to remove it. It is put in as one piece as they assembled the body at the factory...Joe

THANKYOU FOR YOUR INPUT i WILL SAND IT UP AND RESTAIN IT .Roger

There is a way to remove it. Remove the body from the frame first...

If the floor in a panel is the same dimension as the plywood floor in a suburban, you will not be able to get it out through the top or through the bottom, unless you cut it. If someone has personally gotten a plywood floor out of a panel through the bottom, please respond - this was impossible with a 1954 suburban floor with the body off the frame. The suburban body curves inward under the floor (at least, on a suburban), making it impossible to maneuver the floor out the bottom - unless you first do as described in the next paragraph.

The only other way to get the floor out (besides cutting the floor, as described by ZooKeeper), is to remove one of the metal edging strips that is spot welded to the inside wall, above the sides of the floor. This is a major undertaking (for most people) because you would have to cut out about 28 spot wields.

Refinish the floor in place (as you have already concluded). On a suburban, there is a linoleum mat which is not so easily refinished as is a panel floor.

You beat me to it Tim, you said exactly what I was going to say about how to remove it other then cutting it in half...Joe

I took a panel floor out by first removing the body...

But this particular truck was so rusty the body came away in pieces, so maybe it would not work the same way on one in better shape.

pongo: the guys are right about the floor. Its not worth the hassle to cut the edge and try do it from the inside. It would be less headache to raise the body.

You mentioned refinishing what you have. Thats a good idea and especially if the bottom is in good shape. I plan on filling a couple places in my floor and putting a 1/4" overlay on top of the original to make sure its nice and smooth. Maybe put a little liquid nail around the edges....just a thought.

I went back and reviewed my pictures of taking a '53 GMC 1/2-ton panel apart. And I did remove the body with the bed floor remaining on the chassis.

But looking at my pictures, I may have cut the body in ways you wouldn't want to on a truck you wanted to put back together...

I would imagine that in the history here i had a pics of my floor that came out in two pieces. My floor was deteriorated and was dry rotted in places. One day soon in the near future I will be replacing it with new plywood. I promise pics before the end of this century

I'm slowly working on a 51 Chevrolet Canopy Express that spent most of its' life working for a window cleaning company. I've got rust on the interior quarter panels and the angles the floor bolts to were, for all practical purposes, gone. The one piece plywood floor was rotten. I found two panel quarter panels that I can use and started to work. I discovered that you can't take the floor out the bottom because where it intersects the wheel wells, the cutouts are smaller than the wheel wells under this point. Because I have the donor quarter panels, I cut the existing angle off of the left side and managed to get the floor loose. It's still in good enough shape to be a pattern.

What I discovered next is going to be a major problem for anyone working on a panel or suburban. With the floor loose, you cannot bring it through the rear door opening. The uncut width of the floor is wider than any way you can fit it through the rear door. I was able to bring it out through the side canopy opening on my truck, but panels and suburbans don't have that opening. From my experience the only way to get it out of a panel or suburban would be through the bottom with the body off of the chassis or by splitting it.

Hope this gives some insight into the problem. Whatever you do, don't screw up the angles on the side, cause you can't find them and you'll have take one, at least, out to get the floor loose.

It took me two years to figure out what to do. If I'd started out too quickly, I'd have screwed it up badly.

The rear floor in an AD suburban will NOT come out in one piece. It doesn't matter if the body is off the frame or not. The floor is larger than the opening below or above it. Even if you get it loose by removing one or both side angles, like Steve Ley says it still too big to come out the rear doors. I suspect panels are the same. Mine came out courtesy of Mr. Sawzall.

Weeds

I'm going to have the same problem. So when you cut it out, what's the best way to install the new wood? (hopefully without taking the body off if possible).

Iron Clad

IronClad: listen to Weeds. He's done one heck of a job of putting his back together.
My panel floor did not have to come out but if it did I was going to drill out all the side bolts and since I had the body off I figured it would tilt enough to come down. Isn't that right Mr.Weeds?? Just barely enough.

When the plant made them didn't they put the body down on the plywood and then bolt it to the side rail/angles???

Well, I haven't started to tear into this project in ernest yet, about another month. I'm not sure what the condition of the wood is, but if it's anything like the rusted out rocker panels and fenders I may have to redo the wood. If it comes down to it I will take the body off.

I was hopeing to do a rolling resto for now and maybe in the future do a body off. (The Sub. has been undercoated though, I'm hopeful.)

Either way I will take all the advice I can get.

Thanks,

Iron Clad

Isn't it strange......in my siutation the salt ruined the metal but it preserved the plywood. I guess I'm just not lucky enough to have had it both ways!! Keep us posted IronClad

Will do, Achipmunk.

Iron Clad

Alvin, You just might get it tilted and angled enough to get it out the bottom, however I wouldn't bet the farm on it. Iron Clad, take a look at my tech tip on replacing the rear wood floor. It should answer most of your questions. Weeds

Thanks Weeds I will do just that.

Iron Clad

Iron Clad, keep us posted on what you did on your rear wood floor.

Weeds

That was an excellent article Weeds. Your panel is looking great!!

I will keep you posted.

Iron Clad