inner rocker panel

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Jun 30, 2013
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Location
Goldsboro, NC
My Car
72 Convertible
Well I final decided to take the 72 convertible off the road and started working on it since I have a long weekend. Pulled the interior out and the floor pans are gone. The inner rocker arms look good but with some surface rust the best I can tell so far. I was a little surprised to see that the floor pans seem to go up behind the inner rocker panel, so the question is do I have to remove the inner rocker panel to install the floor pans? The floor pans are rusted thru up to and under the rocker panels. This is my first mustang so it is all new to me.

thanks in advance.

 
Well I final decided to take the 72 convertible off the road and started working on it since I have a long weekend. Pulled the interior out and the floor pans are gone. The inner rocker arms look good but with some surface rust the best I can tell so far. I was a little surprised to see that the floor pans seem to go up behind the inner rocker panel, so the question is do I have to remove the inner rocker panel to install the floor pans? The floor pans are rusted thru up to and under the rocker panels. This is my first mustang so it is all new to me.

thanks in advance.
I have not done a convertible. so I am unsure of the differences. On the Fastback the floor pan has a turn up flange that was spot welded to the inside of the rocker panel. The inner rockers were galvanized on the 71 Mustang which is why the rockers stay in tact while the floors rot away. I think your floor pan should weld in the same. but the convertible has a few "extras" for topless support.

 
I will answer my own question for future convertible restoration newbies. The answer is no on the inner rocker arms. As long as they are not rusted out they can stay but the seats lower reinforcement pans will have to drilled out under the rocker panels where these and the floor pans are spot welded. The biggest thing that was confusing to me was the new replacement floor pans have the outer lip bent up, but on convertibles that lip is not needed and will have to be removed. This is only my assessment so if any pros on here see that I have something wrong please correct.

 
I learned the hard way that convertible rocker panels can look good but be completely rotten inside. Reason is they're galvanized (zinc-coated) outside.

Mine rotted from the inside out and once the hole was open, it was like turning over a cornflakes box. Flakes of rusted metal came pouring out and the inside wall that separates the outer and inner rocker panels was completely gone on its bottom half all the length between the front and rear torque boxes.

The floors were clean and did not need replacing, not even patching and the outer skins of both inner and outer rocker panels looked pristine which us why they did not get replaced either.

Then, a year and a half after the resto was completed and with new paint everywhere the tragedy showed.

So be very careful and maybe use an endoscope camera or similar because replacing rocker panels on a freshly painted car is not something you wanna do.

 
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72FOYTANG

I would say to do the job right, it would be recommended to remove the floor side LH and RH inner member reinforcement piece. They way they assembled the mustang was the floor pan was spot welded in first and then the inner member was installed. It looks like a big pain in the butt. I would image there are boat loads of spot welds. At least they are now reproduced.

NPD: http://www.npdlink.com/store/index.php?search_str=&search_in=all&p=catalog&mode=catalog&parent=2918&year=1972&CatalogSetSortBy=name&CatalogSetView=Thumb1

Body 76 Mustang

2yy8i6h.jpg


Reinforcement -Floor Side Inner Member Part Numbers

2qurpys.jpg


Source: Ford Master Parts Catolog -FMC May 1975

Here is diagram of the pieces for the convertible. The FMC code is (F) body code 76.

I hope this will help you in determining the best path that will fit your mustang.

mustang7173

 
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