This is the top view of the trunk floor. B-Bodies are known to have leaky trunks, and this one was no exception. What usually happens is the trunk gets just enough water in it to collect in the ribs under the trunk mat, and there it stays, eventually causing rust holes. The center of this trunk was really bad, and there were a few holes in the sides of the floor as well, so a whole new trunk floor was ordered from The Paddock.
Installing body and patch panels can be an intimidating process for the novice, even with the high-quality reproduction panels available today. As a result, most enthusiasts leave the job to experienced shops who do this kind of work all the time.
We followed along with Time Machines in Hudson, Florida, as they installed a complete trunk floor in a ’70 Superbird. What we discovered is that this is a job that almost anyone with a welder can do, regardless of experience. Since trunk floors are common rust areas, this is a great confidence builder for the novice to attack before moving on to something bigger. While Time Machines is performing a concours resto on this ’Bird, the process is the same for anyone doing a driver in their garage.
We ordered a complete B-Body trunk floor from The Paddock in Largo, Florida, and followed along as Phil Somers and the guys from Time Machines removed the old floor and installed the new.
Aside from a welder, the only tools required are tin snips to trim the new panel to fit, a spot weld cutter and drill, a grinder, and a saber saw to remove the old floor cleanly, though Time Machines employed a plasma cutter. This is also a good time to mention a trick we learned that may aid you when buying your next project car: If you’re checking out a car with no carpet or trunk mat, and it’s sitting in a poorly-lit garage, throw a trouble light under the car and look at the floor—you may be surprised at the amount of small holes that show up, but otherwise weren’t visible before.
Finally, though this seems obvious, make sure that the gas tank and filler neck are removed from the car before you do anything. This is a job that can easily be tackled over the course of a weekend by a beginner, and completed with professional results.
