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Replacing the sills :-(
Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2009 3:37 pm
by mhuk

Sadly my E30 4 door has sill rot. Looking under the car where the floor joins the sill (it's corner) I can get the screw driver up inside the sill.
Open the door and it's rusty sill once again. I doubt I'll get away with patching it up.
Has anyone had there sill/s replaced recently and tell me the costs and where it was done please?
Real shame because the car is otherwise very nice.
Regards
Martin
Re: Replacing the sills :-(
Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2009 4:18 pm
by mhuk
Re: Replacing the sills :-(
Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2009 9:34 pm
by jon_d_h
Looks good mate. wouldnt mind seein how this turns out. What is that tool you are using in the last photo?
Re: Replacing the sills :-(
Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2009 9:47 pm
by stonesie
That would be a 'Air Saw' it takes special blades or shortened standard hacksaw blades and needs to run from a compressor usually but i think you can get battery powered version's.
http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/produ ... rewdrivers
Re: Replacing the sills :-(
Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2009 9:54 pm
by jon_d_h
Never used one of them before. Bet it gets a neater cut than an angle grinder. Might have to look for a battery one.
Cheers
Re: Replacing the sills :-(
Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2009 11:02 pm
by parkin10
are you going to let in the new metal butt to butt or weld it over the top?
makes me think how good mine is
more pics
Re: Replacing the sills :-(
Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 4:22 pm
by mhuk
Thanks guys for the comments. I never said I could weld so see my efforts.... Not very good and I had to stop because it was raining and a wet welder might be nasty to my health!
But it's holding nice and strong!

Will need grinding back then filling
Yes was butt to but and some was using a joggler to put a step in the steel. I'm proud as I not done welding before but I do know it looks s*it
Re: Replacing the sills :-(
Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 6:11 pm
by jon_d_h
Thats not bad welding for such thin metal. Once you have got it grinded down flat and sanded is smooth it will look good. I wish I had could have the gutts to cut a big hole in a panel of my car

Re: Replacing the sills :-(
Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 6:24 pm
by mhuk
Thanks Jon, TBH I thought the easy bit was cutting the car up. I reckon the car will fail on other bits too but let's see what other stuff I can fix before march 20th!
Re: Replacing the sills :-(
Posted: Fri Feb 20, 2009 10:44 pm
by parkin10
just be carefull not to grind the metal too thin next to the weld
seen loads of trainees make that mistake just grind the weld only
Re: Replacing the sills :-(
Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2009 12:10 am
by HairyScreech
use a flap disc to take it back rather than a normal grinding disk.
Re: Replacing the sills :-(
Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2009 9:50 pm
by parkin10
HairyScreech wrote:use a flap disc to take it back rather than a normal grinding disk.
i would disagree with you there
if i were to use a stone disk i would be better able to control where the disk touched the metal
where as a flap disk would be harder to control but would leave a much nicer finish on the metal
i have seen some panel beaters use the flapy type disk to get a good finish on there jobs but end up grinding the metal thin next to the weld and then tin worm has eaten though too quickly
having said that beardymats joins he did on his sport looked to be ground with a flapy disk and are 100% !
Re: Replacing the sills :-(
Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2009 7:16 pm
by mhuk
Re: Replacing the sills :-(
Posted: Thu Feb 26, 2009 10:38 pm
by parkin10
welding is a little ---but with pactice you will get neater still nice little job
i like to see people have a go i persume your not in the motor trade?
nice little compressor
done me loads of little paint jobs with some thing similar i got from the netto payed for it self loads of times over that said yours is better 3hp twin cylinders mmm
are those bbs rims in the back ground i see?
Re: Replacing the sills :-(
Posted: Fri Feb 27, 2009 6:32 pm
by mhuk
Parkin10, Cheers I think i'm getting better slowly

I work in airline IT. The 3hp is replacing my 1.5 compressor. The 3hp was 205£ in tax and postage brand new. They are 15" BBS rims

Re: Replacing the sills :-(
Posted: Fri Feb 27, 2009 6:59 pm
by Daf318is
Ahh this reminds me of the days of my metro

if I still had pictures of it I'd post them - they would make yours look like a factory fresh car!!

Re: Replacing the sills :-(
Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2009 10:24 am
by mhuk
My spitfire fell apart in my hands when I got it. I never welded it of course but had a really good triumph place do it for me. Cars!!! What a pits
I blasted my 14" alloy to see how it came up. Looks nice now.

Re: Replacing the sills :-(
Posted: Mon Mar 02, 2009 9:34 pm
by parkin10
Daf318is wrote:Ahh this reminds me of the days of my metro

if I still had pictures of it I'd post them - they would make yours look like a factory fresh car!!

metros!!
done loads of body, paint and welding on them floors,sills,wings hoo wings front wings more wings
bluming rorrid
metro wings did i mention ive changed a few?
if you want to uprate your metro suspention let out the green oil from the suspention sphere and pump it back up with citroen LMH fluld makes the ride firm
or just do some thing else !
in the day an XR2 always kicked an MG metros arse
Re: Replacing the sills :-(
Posted: Mon Mar 02, 2009 9:38 pm
by parkin10
lets have a look at the spitfire
picks please
once did some work on a TR6!