Project Route 66 Banana

I finally took time to get a little done on the 66 today. When I get this thing done I want to drive it out to see Donivan and Vanish. It wasn't as bad under the partical board as I was expecting. Whoever did the previous repairs did a pretty good job.


Started at the back and worked my way forward


Don't know why the rubber mat was under the partical board? It only came about 3 foot behind the doghouse.


First early I've had with a black box I'm almost afraid to look under there.


It's a shame what some people will do to a door just to mount a speaker.



They did a good job on the tunnel.


All the carpet, partical board and junk front seats are gone. Really happy with what I found underneath.


This is the worst place I've found so far. Just behind the right rear wheel well. Don't know why it wasn't replaced when the rest of the repair was done.

Did they put the battery's inside the Sportvan's because of the side step? If it had the step it was all removed. The floor has been worked on in that area. The trans hanger is bolted all the way through the floor.

More pic's comming as I progress.

That looks great wideload. Glad to see there was no nasty surprises.

WL..Im impressed with the R66B like 'G' & wacko also.Bud,you could have found all kind of unknown suprizes lurkin under the carpet.Carpet holds moisture,lizards,worms,mold,rust,spiders ect.All kinds of nasty objects.Might even find a quarter or two.Haaaa!!!

i only found wooden nickles when i restored a 68 camp wagon A108

Good to see & hear you didn't find a big(Rust) mess under all the layers. Some of the Sportvans used a mat to level out floor in back???

AWSOME PICS! I WOULD LOVE TO SEE SOME OF THAT FRONT RADIATOR TUNNEL. I'M GONNA HAVE TO PUT ONE IN MINE FOR EXTRA RADIATOR AIR FLOW. IT STAYS AROUND 100 DEGREES AROUND HERE IN THE SUMMER AND I'M GOING TO OVERSIZE MY COOLING SYSTEM SO I CAN HAVE MORE CRUISING TIME. --GABE--

Gabe as soon as I drop the belly pan I'll get you some pic's from underneath and some measurements.

Pretty clean slate to start with.

I always preach about using a good rust converter/ preventer on the metal, then paint, before any other coverings. Then it's good to go forever.
In KY. I suggest Advance Auto and get the "Purple Power De-Ruster" in the quarts for about $6 per. GREAT STUFF! Spray or paint it on............no rinse needed.

I tested it the first time I used it on this old Outback I have.........terminal rust-out around wheels. I sprayed the stuff on in mid-winter & outside. It actually dissolved any heavy rust over night and turned all light rust black.

This was 2 years ago. I never painted the area...nothing. And this thing sits outside, uncovered. To this day the rust has never returned. NO LIE!

Look forward to more pics as you go.

Nice start, I hope the Handi is that nice when it comes apart.

Notice the rubber mat fits the grooves in the floor perfectly. The mats were used in the area where you stepped. On Fords there was a mat across the door area and a mat in front of each rear seat were your feet were. I collect em and use em in other places too to help muffle sound.

Getting started on moving the battery from inside the van to underneath. I removed the floor panel from the 68 donor van.


Once Donivan infected it with the Cal. termites(sawzall) I figured it was time to get started removing sheetmetal that I need for the 66.







Hopefully this piece will be replacing the exsisting patch where someone removed the sportvan step assembly.

The frame on the 66 already has the places for the bolts where the battery holder bolts underneath the floor. I hope when I start removing the old patch I don't have to deal with as many spotwelds as the donor piece has on it.

Removed to old radio today.



Then I got brave and removed that plate that was pop-riveted to the dash. I can understand installing a radio and having to enlarge the hole in the dash for a fit but this looks like they were going to put a small TV in there.

Someone must have tried to put one of those big face radios in the old girl and then changed their minds. At least they did a nice job on the patch panel.

So Wideload any new progress on your 66, or you just playing with model's (just kidding)

Not much progress since I finished stripping out the old radio system. As you can see in the pic's I need a piece of dash to repair the large hole that's left from the old radio and aluminum patch that I removed. Someone cut all the way into the rolled section at the bottom of the dash. I'm planning on putting one of the new style radios in that takes the rectangular cut out so the holes where the knobs where will be cut out when I do that. Just need a piece of dash with the roll at the bottom to weld back in.

I will be cutting up the Chevy, (going a different direction) so I could cut that section of the dash out. It had a newer DIN sized radio in it.

That sounds good kowboy. I'm on vacation right now and won't be back home until next weekend. I'll get a measurement then and let you know how wide it needs to be. The flat part where the radio actually goes isn't a problem, I only need the rolled section at the bottom.

Thanks, wideload

I need a section of the lower part of a first gen dash ( the rolled part) 8 to 9 inches long. To repair the hole someone left me in the pic above.

Thanks, wideload

It's been to long, this thread was buried 4 pages deep . Been on here enough in the past few weeks I finally got inspired enough to do a little more on the 66(since I put it in the garage for the winter). Previous owner had put a patch on the floor in the area that the side step mechanism was previously located.



I've been putting off doing this because the patch was braised in instead of welded. Didn't know what I was going to get into as far as clean up to get it ready to weld in the new stuff.



The old patch came out fairly easy with a grinder and hammer and chisel.



The battery box from my parts van bolted right up with no mods necessary. I'm in process now of trimming the new floor piece to fit.