Sills - a popular topic!

[puffernutter]

I'm slowly putting together a web page, but frighteningly I have had this car for 6 years now! Mechanically I've done all the work, trouble is, the body work was hiding a number of horrors....

Until the web page is ready, here's a few of my recent work. I've never removed a sill before, so with the Rimmers video and your help, I think I'm getting there! I finally got that last piece of outer sill out from the rear tonight - that was a struggle!

A view at the front of the sill, tin worm has been busy

front of sill.jpg

and the rear, where they haven't! (fortunately)

rear_of_sill2.jpgrear_of_sill.jpg

This is what originally alerted me to the fact that maybe all was not well - it looked Ok until I found out it the patch was held on with mastic!

bottom_a_post.jpg

and this is the state of the front outrigger - this will be replaced in total. For the gearbox outrigger I will patch the end.

outrigger.jpg

I have more pictures, you'll get to see them as the teardown/build progresses!

Following an earlier post, I now have the whole of the old sill removed. I need tidy up the inner sill, there's some panels to weld in and I want to do the floor and front outrigger before I do the outer sill. But hopefully soon I can start putting bits of metal in rather than removing it all the time!

Cheers

Peter
Trowbridge

[Tel2660]

Great pictures Peter, this is the same stage that i am at the moment ,i put up a post about getting some photo's of the front of the inner sill as mine been eaten by the dreaded tin worm, good luck with your project, Terry

[puffernutter]

Terry,

Thanks for the post. I'd come across yours and in fact have printed out some of the pictures, as whilst mine isn't as bad, I just need to see how it all fits together!

A couple of questions, how do you (and others if they wish to chime in) people bend their steel for the Stags and what size is used. I've been told to use both 1mm and 1.6mm steel sheet.

I have quite a difficult compound curve to create at the bottom of my A-Post. Let alone the front of my inner sill.

Cheers

Peter

[73stagman]

Hi Peter. I used 1.2mm and 1.5mm mostly. Bending the steel? It would be nice if you had a sheet metal shop next door! but for those of us who dont.
For longer straight folds I use 2 long lengths of thick steel and pinched the piece to be folded between them in the vice (Which effectively extends the vice jaws by the length of the thick steel) and then use "F" type of "G" clamps at the extreme ends of the piece of steel to be folded. Then use a hammer!

For more complicated bits I just use a variety of body dollies and body work hammers and lots of blows with the said hammers. I wasnt very good at the start and used to make a lot of unnecessary patches which did not fit but after a while you learn what is possible and what isnt. The trick is to make up your patches in forms that you can make readilly and then weld these smaller bits up together to make your more complicated patch.

If you tack weld the piece in at the start you can close up some pretty big gaps by using the hammer whilst the steel is still hot from your tack welds. You can come back and fill in the weld later.

I pretty much always make a thick paper template first. Its much easier to bend and cut and is a lot cheaper than making up wrong steel bits! You can use the template to make notes about which way the folds go etc. Its easy enough to make a patch for the left hand when you are working on the right hand (and vice versa!)and it nearly is always the one that you make a perfect fold on. Then you line the bin with it!

Good luck with your project. It is encouraging to see others doing the work that I have already done and I love seeing the photos and you will feel an amazing sense of achievement when it is completed!

[Tel2660]

Hello Peter, as Neil i use the same thickness sheet steel, I bought a sheet metal folder from machine mart i only have used it in the last couple of days, i works really well as long as you have a solid vice to hold it in it cost £52. As like you i to have to make a repair to my 'A' post so i have been looking to see how other people have done it.
cant wait to see more pic's good luck Terry

[Firept]

Gents. Quite a good article in this months Practical Classics on metal bashing
When I was at Goodwood revival this year there was a guy using an English wheel in the Cobra garage making up some wing parts, that was good to watch I've only played with one once and that was along time ago.
Peter, like you I know the mechanicals are all sorted now (should not have said that!!) but the next job for me will be the body.
keep up the good work and pictures.

Paul.