It was tricky because on the left side of the frame rail the firewall extension is actually welded to the torque box (thanks to my weld manual). Then the cutting began using a combination of the air saw and air chisel. The result is this section coming out in 4 + pieces...
The circles marked with a weld marker indicate holes that need to be reproduced in the new panels. All this will be saved until the transfer of holes has taken place. Here's what the frame rail and torque box looked like after the floor removal...
Saturday, I cleaned up the surface of the torque box and cut out some rust that was further up the firewall around the steering column hole. What makes it interesting is that there is a second flange on the other side of the firewall around the steering column and brake master cylinder hole to add extra support...
The next step was to fabricate the metal around the steering column access hole. It has a flange that acts as reinforcement. I started by making a poster board template...
Then I used what I cut off the top of the extension panel to make the piece from the cardboard...
This took about 40-50 minutes to make using my body hammers and a vice to form the flange lip. I used my air grinder to grind the flange lip down to the same depth as the factory lip that was still in place. I added the hole for the access to the weld nut for the steering column mount and a second hole for the spot weld. I then clamped it in place to see how well it fit...
Not too bad. So I went ahead and welded it in...
Here's a view from the engine compartment...
Getting the extension panel to fit was way more work than it looks as there is a contour in the firewall that needs to be reproduced. I didn't expect it would take a couple of hours to fit the firewall extension in place. One of the big problems was the area below the steering column needed to be literally beaten and formed into a shape that approximated the factory piece, of which there was not much left. Again, I depended upon internet photos and the shop manual for direction. After fitting and trimming...more fitting and trimming...using the vice, body hammers and dollies, "c" clamps, and other assorted tools, I got the extension panel to fit...
It's pretty easy to see the area that was heavily worked to fit the existing firewall. There are nice 1/16 inch gaps for good weld penetration. However, it is 4 PM and HOT outside. So I'm stopping here for right now.
I need to drill out all the holes for the rosette welds to attach the extension to the torque box. After welding it in, I need to make a small patch panel to fill in the space between the steering wheel access hole and the firewall.
However, it will probably be next weekend as I promised I'd take my wife to the last Harry Potter movie tomorrow, company is coming on Monday, and I'm flying to DC for a couple of days to spend with my nephew and his wife while my wife attends a conference. But that's OK because progress is being made. And that's what it's all about.
