VCCA Home Forums Technical - Postwar 1955-1957 1956 Bel air rust advice

Hi, I am looking at purchasing a 1956 Bel air 4 door.

It is pretty clean underneath but the majority of the floor braces appear to be rusted through.

Is that a structural concern?

How much am I looking at to have those replaced and welded in?

Is it a difficult job for a do it yourselfer who knows how to weld?

Or should I walk away?

Thanks.

On that model the body supports help to rienforce the frame. They are available but will be expensive to replace.
I would RUN AWAY FROM THE CAR.

Is there a difference between the floor braces and body supports?

I think these are floor braces. They are small curved pieces that weld from the side of the car onto the floor pans. Are those structural and do they reinforce the frame?

Thanks.

Before you do anything more, if it is possible, take a small hammer and tap along the frame sides, especially in the area around the "kick-up" over the rear axle. If you feel/hear a solid "clunk" that would indicate the frame is solid. If it feels spongy when you tap it, or sounds like hitting plastic, or you punch a hole in the frame, I would do as Chev Nut suggests and RUN AWAY! My thinking is that if the body mounts are badly rotted, the frame is probably rotting from the inside out as well, so the car is not worth spending a lot of money to rebuild.

In short if the body supports are rusted Out there ae other parts thatAe thin or patched Etc.