Sill welding

Relliott6879

Relliott6879

Club Admin
Jul 5, 2009
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Fleetwood
I thought it was about time I got my arse in gear and uploaded the pics of the sterling job that Dave (Localloon) did of welding up the crusty hole in my sill a couple of weeks ago. To my shame, I was unaware of this until Mr MOT Man pointed it out to me. Amazingly, it still passed, as it was not in a load bearing area, but he did suggest that I have it seen to sooner rather than later, and before the tinworm infested any more of the sill.

So, here we go. First up, the obligatory 'patient on the operating table' pic. Yes, I know she's filthy, but I had just driven to Glossop from Oxford on a pretty filthy day!




The hole(s) in question. There's nothing much here to give an idea of scale, but the largest hole was about the size of a child's clenched fist.






Dave set about the area with a flap wheel, to give a clear picture of what we were dealing with.




And the result.

 
Next up, cutting out the rot. Even when you know it's necessary, and you have absolute faith in the person doing it, it's always pretty nerve-wracking to see a hole being sliced into your pride and joy!




The resultant hole. As you can see, a fair chunk had to be cut away to get to clean metal.





The rust on the inner sill was only light surface corrosion, this was rubbed back and treated with rust-proofing primer.
 
Dave then set about forming a repair panel from a piece of galvanised steel he just happened to have to hand. Apparently, this plate was actually a flue surround for a chimney on one of those indoor wood burners!




Then came the part that really impressed me. Using nothing more than a straight edge on a towbar frame in his back yard, a good old fashioned dose of brute strength and an eye for accuracy, Dave fashioned creases in the plate which exactly (and I do mean exactly) matched the contours of the underside of the car. This is an incredible skill which Dave made look very easy but is the mark of a true craftsman with years of experience.

 
Like a pillock, I didn't take a final 'job done' pic (I will do tomorrow if I remember), but the end result was better than I dared hope. When I first became aware of the hole in the sill, I feared the worst for the car. Dave took it all in his stride though and did this whole repair in a couple of hours (including a couple of brew, bacon and loo stops!). If you run your hand over the repair, it is totally flush and, once painted body colour, will be completely invisible.

Speaking of paint, I was content to leave the repair covered with the black underseal for the time being. The car will be going into dry storage in a couple of weeks and having some paint thrown at it during it's stay. The key aim of this procedure was to have the car in one solid piece before I put it in storage, something which Dave achieved fantastically.

Yet another example of this awesome club of ours being there for each other and getting each other out of holes (literally!). As with Andy sorting the Fiesta lights the other day, a large dose of alcoholic refreshment will be coming back from Germany in a few weeks and landing under Dave's Christmas tree!
 
All credit to Dave, I've always seen welding as a sort of black art, either you can or you can't, and it's one of those jobs i just can't do.
We're lucky to have guys in this club who we can all seem to rely on at times of need. (y)
 
Rich, did the waxoyl survive the journey home mate?

Im thinking of asking santa for a little extra hair coverage this xmas :p
 
Nice work. I have absolutely zero confidence when it comes to messing about with cars and thought of welding absolutely terrifies me but Dave makes it look so easy, thought I'm bl**dy know it isn't.

The finish on the job looks amazing!!
 
Anyone who lies on their back on wet ground to help another club member is a hero in my eyes! Damn tidy work too, fantastic job!
 
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