Quote:
Originally Posted by YHT
Have you thought of a bit of self help? A MIG welder set at low current should help avoid burning through thin steel. If you make a template out of paper to cover the corroded section and draw around on a piece of steel sheet (obtainable from Wickes). Cut out with tin snips and fold in a vice to roughly the shape (as close as you can get it). The seams of the original shell will have lots of metal as several thickness were welded together. You will need to clean off all the paint and rust to get back to minimally corroded steel on the car and add the new fabricated bit to it. Its a bit of a fiddle but lots of practice on the bench first. Overhead welding is difficult but as long as you keep the current down it shouldn't be too bad. The original was spot welded so continuous full penetration weld isn't needed; tidy up with a small grinder after welding and re-do what seems to have welded on only one edge. If it includes the jacking point make sure you put a hole in to new piece of metal before you weld it on; can be trimmed with a Dremel to fit after welding. MAKE SURE YOU DONT HAVE ANYTHING FLAMMABLE AROUND WHEN WELDING! A bucket of water close by is a wise precaution. After welding is complete give the whole thing a dose of primer. A squirt of under-seal in the jacking point hole(s) will also keep rust at bay for a few years as long as its dry when you apply it.
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Yes i thought about it, but i was scarred by the memory of messing up the floor pan of my 1974 Hillman Imp back in the 80’s, and decided against it.
My MOT guy made the point that yes you can spot weld on a complete sill, because that is a complete panel with the strength it should have and the same as leaving the factory, but where a hole is concerned it needs to be seam welded simply to restore the strength to the panel. Spot welding around a hole would still leave the panel weakened. Made sense to me anyway.