Hello, I have retired and started the restoration of my 1955 Safari. The Safari needs floors, braces and rocker panels and was wondering if anyone could tell me what model(s) 1955/1956 Pontiacs I should use for a floor donor. I am told we can use '55 Chevy floors but the floors, the rocker panels and braces need changing. I was thinking of cutting the entire floor, the rocker panels and braces out from another donor car and changing the floor as an entire assembly. Any help and or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.
Your Safari is basically a Nomad. Doors, tail and lift gate, glass, floor pans and braces, and headliner all fit with one exception. The difference is the 567 Safari had the underseat heater which the Nomad did not. That was a Pontiac/Olds/Buick/and maybe Caddy(?) approach. You could cut that part out of your existing floor pan and install it on the replacement floor pan. I chose instead to mount an aftermarket heater under the dash, eliminating the floor heater and firewall defroster. My Safari was in tough shape so restoring it was not practical back in 1980 when time and budget were considerations. You can purchase brand new floor pans and anything else Nomad (thus Safari) from many of the 567 parts suppliers and it's nice working with new material versus cutting something out of a parts car that then takes a ton of work to prep and repair. You might consider using this as your build thread and post pictures and questions as you go along. You will get a lot of valuable assistance from many on here who have done what you are now starting. It's great fun and being retired a good way to keep busy. Enjoy the build. Saf57
I concur with what Safari57 just posted. 55 Safaris' are SWEET longroofs! Good luck with your build! How about some "before" pictures when you get a chance?
