Fizzy Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 ive just found some pretty killer rust i think at the rear end of my sill. im pretty sure if i was more curious i could put my finger through it, and i think, going by feel, the seams underneath the sill has come apart and i can pry them away from each other. this is all bad news because i cant weld, i dont have much money, and i dont have another car, and its winter. and any work i do will be outside on the drive. i will also be redoing the underseal, which was sort of planned for while the body was being sprayed.so for now i'll be leaving the rust. i planned to strip the paint back in march/april to repaint it, now it looks like i'll be doing a lot more to it while its got no paint. as im leaving it, i dont know what else round that area is going to be knackered, to be honest i dont really want to know until next spring.anyways, my main question, can you buy bits of panels ? i.e i dont want to spend 70 quid or whatever it is on a rear wing because i need the bottom 6 inches of the b post, and i wont have time/money to be replacing metal that doesnt need replacing. i will obviously replace the whole sill regardless of its condition at the front, but i ask the question because ive also got small cracks and bits of rust along the bottom of the bonnet, not bad enough to warrant a whole new wing.im going to be keeping an eye open for any cars or panels getting scrapped that may yield useable bits to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JensH Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 B-post repair panels (front rear wings, "dog-leg") available from usual suspects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fizzy Posted November 10, 2011 Author Share Posted November 10, 2011 looking from inside the car, the floorpans are rot free. is any of the floorpan not visible, or should i take this as a sign they wont need replacing ? without floorpans im looking at about 300 quids worth of panels im guessing, lower b post and 3 sill parts for each side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willows40 Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 JasonFrom what i remember on the drivers side of your car there is a plate welded(very badly) nearly the complete length of floorpan/sill. The only reason i remember is that i commented on it as surprised it passed mot like it,cheers andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard B Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 willows40 wrote:From what i remember on the drivers side of your car there is a plate welded(very badly) nearly the complete length of floorpan/sill. There is a thin strip of floor that goes under the inner sill and then folds down to be welded to the middle sill & outer sill. This usually rusts first.If the rest of you floor is ok, (front footwell & step over front outrigger) and your budget is tight. Then I would say don't replace the floor but maybe replace the repair section Andy is referring to.The full floors currently sold are not cheap, but are a very good quality panel.ps try to get hold of a door gap adjuster whilst doing this job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrapman Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 Richard_B wrote:The full floors currently sold are not cheap, but are a very good quality panel..The ones I saw a few days ago didn't seem to be that good a quality, the fit was a bit hit and miss.Mmmmmm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fizzy Posted November 10, 2011 Author Share Posted November 10, 2011 yes as Andy said, the current sills are a bodge. heres a picture of each side, you can see where the plate ends on top of each sill. the rust you see on top of the sill is just rusty water from where the door rubs on the b post ;Dhere are other pictures of the damage. the forward part of both sills all seem solid, so i would hope that whatever is behind is relatively solid. its definitely the rear end of the sills that are knackered.this is the drivers side, i can feel about 4-5 inches of seam that comes apart by a few mm. the main patch in the middle of the photo can be pressed in a bit, and a screwdriver would probably go through.other side, where my fingers are i can get into the cavity behind the outer sill :ofinally, this is the fit of my doors along the bottom edge. if i make a half decent job of replacing the sills, can this be made better ?the 'thin strip of floor' you mention, if this has, probably as you say, rusted out, can this be replaced without replacing the whole seatpan ? the whole floorpan is good, apart from round one of the seat bolts, so i'll do whatever i can to keep it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard B Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 Check that the bottom of your door is staright.The small curved panel by the back of the A post is crucial to setting the doors position.http://www.sitebox.ltd.uk/product/clarke_1700270/cps75-mini-sheet-metal-cutter/?paid=googleproductsGet one of these for making repair sections and a cheap set of panel beating tools. It's amazing what repair sections can be made with a bit of work.Wickes do a quite good 5" angle grinder with a 2 year warrenty.ps You need a decent bench vise for the metal cutter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fizzy Posted November 10, 2011 Author Share Posted November 10, 2011 talkingof making panels, i just stumbled upon freebirds thread in the techinical section about plug welding sills - some useful stuff in that thread for me. the strengthener part, looks to my untrained eye like a flat metal sheet with holes in it and a cut out at one end. am i missing something, or would this be easy to replicate in a workshop ? or even a garage ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard B Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 yes but, for that price I'd its not worth the hassle.http://www.canleyclassics.com/?xhtml=xhtml/diagram/spitfireiiifloorpaneldetails.html&xhtmlcatalogue=xhtml/catalogue/spitfireiii.html&category=bodyandfittings&xsl=diagram.xsl£8.92There's flanges top and bottom that are at an angle and the flange at the rear is offset to match the inner wing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard B Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 yamaha_fizzy wrote:yes as Andy said, the current sills are a bodge. heres a picture of each side, you can see where the plate ends on top of each sill. the rust you see on top of the sill is just rusty water from where the door rubs on the b post ;D That looks like a normal sill to me. welded at the rear to the B post and the front to the sill filler. :-/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JensH Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 Easy to replicate, but cheap to buy �6... 7...http://www.rimmerbros.co.uk/ImagePopUp.aspx?i=806634Edit: Richard was quicker :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fizzy Posted November 10, 2011 Author Share Posted November 10, 2011 didnt realise it looks normal, its possible Andy was referring to something else, under the carpet on the inside side of the sill. between where you can see its welded, the metal is higher than the B/A post sides of the weld, i.e not flush with the tub. literally looks like a plate has been glued on top of the sill.for some reason i had it in my head that the strengthener was 25 quid ;D i'll just buy them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fizzy Posted November 10, 2011 Author Share Posted November 10, 2011 just had a conversation with my welder (the old man) :me: "got some bad news about my car"dad: "overdrive broke?"me: "no, worse than that. the spit wont pass another mot, the sills need replacing (explaining the rot). ive already priced the panels up, its going to cost ab....."dad: "you wont have to buy anything, ill make the panels. i made about a million sills for my cortinas and granadas back in the day."me: "mint."(woot)so if thats the case, its less of a concern if the floors are scrap (i doubt it), but even those dad sounded pretty confident on sorting out. what a bonus :P. he drew the line at making outer panels, though said the outer sill would be doable, he just wont be making wings etc. maybe instead of panels i should put some money towards a nice single malt for him..............hes also acquired some paint from work that was ordered wrong, from what he says it sounds like it could be my new colour. except then he called it magnolia :-/ :-/ :-/ however if its creamy off white like he says (i guess a bit like the old english white ? ) then i think we have a winner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willows40 Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 colinThe floor you saw was a half panel completely different to complete floor,Jasonwhat doesn`t show in your photo`s is that the sills are fitted on top or look like they are on top of old sills so instead of sitting underneath at the bottom of the `a` post it comes down the curve section then a step up to the sill.The part i was on about was underneath the crossmember which will need sorting out, If you need to borrow a door brace/gap adjuster have one here you can borrow for a couple weeks.cheers andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freebird Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 Hi FizzyResult - just make sure he drinks the single malt after tackling the car and not immediately before. :K)I have got a spare passenger side sill going cheap if you need it - just cost of postage. It's a pattern one but looks identical when offered up to the Heritage one I put on yesterday. The only downside it it's a bit distorted where I drove over it ??) ??)Glen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrapman Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 yamaha_fizzy wrote:hes also acquired some paint from work that was ordered wrong, from what he says it sounds like it could be my new colour. except then he called it magnolia A beige Spitfire. Mint! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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