Long term sill patching - oxymoron?
Discussion
I asked this on bodywork and detailing but didn't get any replies. Maybe its a stupid question so please be gentle if so...
One of my old fun cars might have a small hole but car isn't worth enough to spend the money I would usually spend on having the hole in the sill repaired properly by cutting out and properly replacing the metal.
However, I do want to keep it for a while so I want a good patch. I realise this might be an oxymoron but the hole is very small, only in one place, and the rest of the car is very solid. I realise that the hole may grow once investigated though I'm fairly sure this is a small one.
My local garage will be doing the work but I want a repair that will last, not one that's just good enough to get it another year's MOT and then need more patching until one day I throw the car away.
My previous experience is only the extreme - patch up banger (when I was young) to keep it going or properly repair classic (now I'm old). So I'm looking for a middle way.
What is the best way to make sure that this is a long term repair and prevent the rust from spreading? I'm worried, for example that they'll just seal a load of moisture in.
thanks
One of my old fun cars might have a small hole but car isn't worth enough to spend the money I would usually spend on having the hole in the sill repaired properly by cutting out and properly replacing the metal.
However, I do want to keep it for a while so I want a good patch. I realise this might be an oxymoron but the hole is very small, only in one place, and the rest of the car is very solid. I realise that the hole may grow once investigated though I'm fairly sure this is a small one.
My local garage will be doing the work but I want a repair that will last, not one that's just good enough to get it another year's MOT and then need more patching until one day I throw the car away.
My previous experience is only the extreme - patch up banger (when I was young) to keep it going or properly repair classic (now I'm old). So I'm looking for a middle way.
What is the best way to make sure that this is a long term repair and prevent the rust from spreading? I'm worried, for example that they'll just seal a load of moisture in.
thanks
If it IS just a small hole in the outer then provided the garage have a half decent welder, the panel isn't a series of crazy compound curves and you're clear that you want a proper job, not an MoT bodge, accepting that it's more work so more money they should be able to let the patch in, not just slap it over the top without much trouble.
If course if they are cutting in to the sill and they may see horrors behind they they wouldn't have with an over-the-top patch. Yes it's better to know than not, but more money to fix, rather than just living in blissful ignorance for a few more MoTs
If course if they are cutting in to the sill and they may see horrors behind they they wouldn't have with an over-the-top patch. Yes it's better to know than not, but more money to fix, rather than just living in blissful ignorance for a few more MoTs
Norfolkandchance said:
What is the best way to make sure that this is a long term repair and prevent the rust from spreading?
Cut the rusty bit out far enough that none of the rusty metal is still there, then put a plate neatly over the hole and weld around it. I've made the mistake before of welding sills on without cutting the rust back far enough, then fast-forward a few years (25 in my case) and the bodywork in the back has continued to rust, leaving a nice new sill with a line of weld connected to nothing.The problem is that the sill might be rusting out from the inside, so once they get the wire brush on it, it may all get a bit holey.
Tell them to cut all the rusted steel out,peer into the hole, and if there is any rust on the inner sill remove all the loose crap and treat with a rust converter, then paint with a good zinc rich paint like Galvafroid. Then get a peice of galvanised steel (not zintec) 1.2 - 1.5 mm thick, cut to the correct size to patch the hole (ideally 12mm bigger all the way round) then grind the galv coating from the edges of the plate before lap or fillet welding all around the edge of the plate onto the sill.
After that, paint the outer sill with an etch primer followed by zinc rich paint then either topcoat or stonechip and topcoat. Spray a wax compound into the sill section with a 360 deg nozzle, and the repair will probably outlast the car.
Trouble is, if you tell them to do this then they most probably wont do a proper job unless you watch over them, which is why I never let anyone near my cars, I just do it myself.
After that, paint the outer sill with an etch primer followed by zinc rich paint then either topcoat or stonechip and topcoat. Spray a wax compound into the sill section with a 360 deg nozzle, and the repair will probably outlast the car.
Trouble is, if you tell them to do this then they most probably wont do a proper job unless you watch over them, which is why I never let anyone near my cars, I just do it myself.
Ah the used engine oil trick.
I must have sprayed hundreds of gallons of that into hidden sections and the bottoms of old rusting British crap in the 1970/80's.
To be fair it worked well (and meant i kept driving sheds around for years longer than normal sensible people) but the garage floor was covered in it as way I.
Not sure atomised used oil was great for you either..
I'm sure the 20p Halfords spray mask (A sheet of bog roll with elastic) was good enough.
Poor old MOT chap leaking shocks yeah right, the whole underside was dripping with the stuff.
I must have sprayed hundreds of gallons of that into hidden sections and the bottoms of old rusting British crap in the 1970/80's.
To be fair it worked well (and meant i kept driving sheds around for years longer than normal sensible people) but the garage floor was covered in it as way I.
Not sure atomised used oil was great for you either..
I'm sure the 20p Halfords spray mask (A sheet of bog roll with elastic) was good enough.
Poor old MOT chap leaking shocks yeah right, the whole underside was dripping with the stuff.
Gassing Station | Classic Cars and Yesterday's Heroes | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff