How big of a job is it going to be to replace my lower floor pans (both sides) as well as the support channel that runs across the floor under your feet and under the tranny tunnel? The previous owner hacked the tunnel to sh*t and replaced the lower floor pans with flat sheets of metal so they kind of "oil can".

They work as-is, I'm just wondering if I should fix the one glaring POS part of my tub and put new pans in.

This is the support channel: http://broncograveyard.com/bronco/i-140 ... pan-1.html

And this is the pan set that'd replace what I need to replace perfectly: http://broncograveyard.com/bronco/i-140 ... -pans.html

As long as you are cutting everything out, I wouldn't imagine it to be too much of a pain. Awhile back the club did a floor pan replacement on another member's truck, and the one side took about a morning due to the removal and cleaning. As your Bronco sounds pretty hacked already in that area, removal and clean up shouldn't be too much trouble.

If you are looking for a real restoration, go ahead and replace the floor pans. I did it years ago, with limited tools & skills and it went well.

I went the cheap route and bought the plain/flat floor pans, but I welded 2 pieces of angle iron to the bottom of each floor pan (probably 3/4"x3/4"x8") where the factory put the stiffening ridges. I also dimpled the hole for the body mount bolt with a piece of all thread, a couple nuts & washers, 2 sockets, and a torch. Its not factory, but it doesn't oil can. You could probably add the angle iron, just have to drop the Aux tank.

Here is a thread (not mine) that explains about what I did. This was my first attempt at bodywork, and the results were more than acceptable, based on my expectations.

http://www.broncofix.com/viewtopic.php?t=261574

The floor pans are not too bad, but the channel is. You need to remove the tranny to get at the spot welds to do it right. All it takes it time.... and a good spot weld cutter

I recently did the driver's floor pan and the driver's side floor support. The main trick is getting the support lined up to the door post and lower rocker correctly. If both of those are reasonably well aligned and intact it should be a pretty easy project. Welding in some bracing will make a big difference. If you can cut, drill and weld, you should be able to do this. A spot weld cutter will make your life a bunch easier. Mine was $5.99 at Harbor Freight and worked great. You'll also need a set of these:

http://broncograveyard.com/bronco/i-140 ... pair-.html

I welded the support to the pan outside the truck and then installed it as a unit, which worked pretty well and really reduced the amount of grinding I had to do. It'll also keep you from having to pull the tranny.