Hi everyone. I have replaced the floor in my 62 Valiant and I need some guidance.

In `62 they routed the foremost cable through the floor. Do any of you know the placement and dimensions of this hole? My floor was completely gone and I was unable to measure the original opening.

I can guess if I have to, but if somebody has a floor exposed, those measurements would be most appreciated. Probably the routing and floor hole are the same `60-62, but I am not sure on that.

I need a gasket as well but I think I will have to make something of my own design there.

Here're a couple pictures of a '62, with & without a ruler in'em.
As you can see, they stamped a depression into the pan, and added a cover over it.

_________________
Sex, drags, and rock & roll.
Dick, 225% crazy.
Hobby (cars, that is) Photos link

Many thanks. Excellent detail on the photos. I am glad I asked before I cut because that is much closer to the rocker and on more of an angle than I expected it to be.

The seal looks like metal. That explains why mine was gone. I might have a problem there. Maybe I can fabricate something similar.

Is that your car in the pics?

No sweat.

Yeah, that's my Toad's floor. Bought a decent one from a yard a couple years ago, but havent had enough time to swap it in yet. Hoping to get to that this summer. Doesn't help scheduling that she's my daily.

_________________
Sex, drags, and rock & roll.
Dick, 225% crazy.
Hobby (cars, that is) Photos link

Nice that you have one with a floor at all. Mine had no floor, just the frame and the center hump and one side in the back that was better than the others but still needed to be replaced.



Believe it or not, the rest of the car is very solid, but the floor on this one was a nightmare.



Nothing a little weekend welding couldn't fix. All 4 corners are solid now. It is as good as new.

Your floor doesn't look bad at all by those standards and it made a great guide. Thanks again.

Yeah, mine also apparently first rusted through over by the hump (away from the "frame" members), and drained the standing water there. Makes it nice, only having to do the sheet metal.

I see you made your own inserts, nice job. I've been living with some sheet aluminum over-lays I threw in "temporarily" when I bought'er.

_________________
Sex, drags, and rock & roll.
Dick, 225% crazy.
Hobby (cars, that is) Photos link

Thanks. It's solid and I am happy with it. The devil is in the details now. Brake lines are in. Parking Brakes are happening now. Electric is going back in the engine compartment. It looks more like a car every day.

The four floor pans are repro panels that I got from Auto Body Specialties. The pans fit really well and match the original stamping pattern perfectly. I lined them up by using the sad remains of the stock floor as my guide.

The pans are much better quality than those I see on eBay and at Carlisle. The only drawback is that they do not sell complete sides. After installing the pans, you are left with a roughly 6 inch wide gap between the front and rear pans that you must deal with as you see fit. I begged them to consider stamping this part of the floor as well.

I also had to fill about 2 inches on the rear pans.

I am not complaining They are stamped for 64-66 Barracudas so they are not a perfect fit for the Forward Look Valiants, but definitely worth the price paid to have a brand new, fresh floor.

Since I am not too worried about factory perfection, I bridged the gaps with some sheet steel that I had around here that is actually a little heavier than stock. I also added seat belt brackets to the floor behind the back seat. Rear seat belts must have been a dealer installed goodie in `62. There were dimples stamped in the metal where they would have been drilled. All I had to do was drill and weld in some seat belt anchors.

I had to have the floor replaced in my 60 toadwagon: everything from the firewall back to the rear passenger seat. I was NOT happy about it! A solid 61 sedan donor floor that surfaced locally solved the problem. I guess I was fortunate. But it sucked.

Thanks for all of the good info. Those pictures really helped. The hole is drilled and the cable is through. I do not have a cover like the one in the picture. I wonder how necessary it is?

In fact the parking brakes are all ready to go except for one thing. The passenger side rear cable is all mangled on the axle end and needs to be replaced. Does anyone know where I can find one? I'm not too picky. New, NOS, or good used would work for me.

It seems it might have been a one year only setup. I checked a `60 and it is different. I have a 65 that is different from all of them. Seems like they changed the parking brake setup every year.