Sheet Metal Replacement - Order of Repair
 

I'm looking at a substantial rust repair cycle and need some advice as to where to start. 1940 Ford Tudor - rusted floor, rusted rockers and rusted through A and B pillars.

So, where to start? My logic says start with rockers and build from there. Question is, how much to remove at a time and which panels to replace in what order without changing the shape/dimensions of the body, and maintain the attachment points in the correct places.

Do I need to support/brace the inner space before I start? Should I buy the complete lower cowl part as it includes the lower A pillar attachment point. Same question for the lower rear quarter as it includes a wrap around for the door pillar.

Any help or advice is most welcome.
(I have also posted on the HAMB, so apologise for any repetition.)

Re: Sheet Metal Replacement - Order of Repair
 

Major floor work requires bracing. You can screw it in or tack weld either way you want. Structure usually has to be tackled first and then a floor pan can be put down unless it is integral to the rockers but usually even then you can rough it in without totally welding anything up to make certain it fits the frame and the doors can be installed correctly. Hopefully you still have enough structure there to hold the body till you get it braced up. Sometimes you can tackle one side at a time on rockers & pilars so that the body stays together better.

I would get all the parts you can that are worth getting. Either good used parts or the best reproductions you can find. There seems to be stuff out there for the 1940 models since they were so popular. You will just have to do your research and ask folks if the stuff you are contemplating is worth it. I'm not an experienced 1940 guy but there are a few highly experienced folks on here that are.

Re: Sheet Metal Replacement - Order of Repair
 

I have seen complete floors replaced most of these were done with a lot of bracing, x braces, cross braces, even have seen one that he tacked the doors in place. do this before removing from the frame even better yet do it on the frame with new body mounts

Re: Sheet Metal Replacement - Order of Repair
 

Check with Dennis Carpenter since they sell a repop 40 coupe, some stuff may be the same with coupe and sedan.

Re: Sheet Metal Replacement - Order of Repair
 

Tacking or using screw plates to hold the doors in place is a good way to set the body up for bracing if the floor has already given up the goat. After the body is cross braced, the doors can be removed. I like to use screws with metal plates or tabs to hold things since they can be removed and reinstalled more easily for frequent checks to make sure things stay aligned. The little screw holes can be welded up later without too much trouble.

You do what you have to in a pinch. Rusty cars are a pain to rebuild but you can get them a lot cheaper for sure. Most folks don't want to mess with the metal that much. You might check out the metal meet forum. There are guys on there that fabricate entire bodies from scratch but there are also those that repair the rusties and they take a lot of photos so you can see how they handle things. Some good ones on the HAMB too. Some of the rebuilds on there started with little more than a few rusty sections to work with.