1969 Chevy Camaro - Auto Body Repair - Tech

The original floor sheetmetal was history, but a host of spot welds remained. Each one was ground flat before the new metal was installed.

Once our subject was totally floorless, Hopkins went over the inner rocker panels with a hammer and dolly, ensuring these surfaces were straight.

The Camaro's skeletal chassis shell was checked for alignment before the new metal was installed. Here, the crew is checking to make sure the rocker panels line up side-to-side; they were also checked with a level for front-to-back alignment.

Speaking of new metal, Goodmark's one-piece stamped-steel replacement floor for Camaros comes complete with the factory center brace found on all cars, as well as the rear brace found on convertibles-a structural bonus for coupes, so to speak. The biggest benefit, however, is the fact this single-piece design replicates the factory construction-and matches its strength.

Setting the floor in place within the Camaro body shell was a three-man job. Once in place, Hopkins had to do some minor pushing and pulling to get the fit just right, but in short order we were ready to make this fix permanent.

With the floorpan securely clamped to the rocker panels, Hopkins spot-welded the new piece into place. Spot welding is cost-effective, maintains a factory appearance, and is plenty strong for this application.

The tabs found on either end of the floor braces, on the other hand, are MIG-welded to the inner rocker panel.

These extra-long clamps were used to secure the front section of the new floorpan to the bottom edge of the firewall for welding. Hopkins uses a single-sided spot welder in this area. The rear of the floorpan is attached in a similar manner.

The final step is to weld in a new set of seat platforms. They do more than just support a set of buckets; according to Hopkins, they tie the floorpan braces and rocker panels together on each side of the car. This entire exercise has been about structural integrity, and these pieces help provide it.