Sill removal and fuel pressure regulator
Discussion
I replaced the Malpassi Fuel Pressure regulator with the standard unadjustable part at the weekend with no noticeable difference except that I've been able to reduce the idle speed to 1000 (cold) and 700rpm (warmed up). If anyone wants this Malpassi regulator then get in touch.
I then dropped the hood down and drove to Broadway in Worcestershire. Burbled round the car park there and took the wife round the shops. Hood down, sunny day and that V8 sound
. If there is better value for money out there then I haven't seen it!
(The car I mean
)
I want to wire brush and treat the outriggers and sill tubes.I've searched this forum for info on removing the sills and there seems to be a variety of methods used by TVR to keep the sills in place. I have some rivets in the door opening near the rubber seal and a few under the car securing the sill to the body. I've found a fairly substantial nut and bolt behind some trim at the bottom of where the seat belt is secured. This does not seem far enough down for the sill fixing
.
My question is are the screw fixings inside the car that secure the sill to the body horizontal or vertical? My car's a 1985 350i
and before I start removing anything I'd like to know where to find these screws (if indeed they exist)
I then dropped the hood down and drove to Broadway in Worcestershire. Burbled round the car park there and took the wife round the shops. Hood down, sunny day and that V8 sound
. If there is better value for money out there then I haven't seen it! (The car I mean
) I want to wire brush and treat the outriggers and sill tubes.I've searched this forum for info on removing the sills and there seems to be a variety of methods used by TVR to keep the sills in place. I have some rivets in the door opening near the rubber seal and a few under the car securing the sill to the body. I've found a fairly substantial nut and bolt behind some trim at the bottom of where the seat belt is secured. This does not seem far enough down for the sill fixing
. My question is are the screw fixings inside the car that secure the sill to the body horizontal or vertical? My car's a 1985 350i
and before I start removing anything I'd like to know where to find these screws (if indeed they exist)
From memory when I did my outriggers about three years ago...
The sill is secured by a rusty glassed in stud at the front and rear. Front one is located in front of the "A" post, just round the corner. Rear one is near to the seat-belt anchor point. Cant exactly remember where. I seem to remember it was something like a 10mm nut holding it in place but it was rusted solid and I had to carefully cut the stud by slotting a hacksaw blade into the crack where sill meets body. Replaced all with rust-less fixings so I know I can get it off again! There are also several pop rivets which secure the inner edge of the sill to the body-shell floor.
Once the sills are off access is fantastic to the outriggers a definate advantage of the 350s!
Enjoy
The sill is secured by a rusty glassed in stud at the front and rear. Front one is located in front of the "A" post, just round the corner. Rear one is near to the seat-belt anchor point. Cant exactly remember where. I seem to remember it was something like a 10mm nut holding it in place but it was rusted solid and I had to carefully cut the stud by slotting a hacksaw blade into the crack where sill meets body. Replaced all with rust-less fixings so I know I can get it off again! There are also several pop rivets which secure the inner edge of the sill to the body-shell floor.
Once the sills are off access is fantastic to the outriggers a definate advantage of the 350s!
Enjoy
The 2 studs are vertical -
One at the rear behind the inertiareal (the is the difficult one to get a spanner onto)
One at the front in the recess halfway up the footwell side walls.
Rivots as you describe under / near door seal and under car.
The above is based on my own - they are all slightly different.
David
One at the rear behind the inertiareal (the is the difficult one to get a spanner onto)
One at the front in the recess halfway up the footwell side walls.
Rivots as you describe under / near door seal and under car.
The above is based on my own - they are all slightly different.
David
I can find a substantial horizontal nut and bolt at the bottom of the seat belt ancorage facing outwards. I'm guessing this fits into one of the plates welded to the sill tube?
The reason I'm asking whether the screws are vertical or horizontal is that there is a gap between the body and the sill just in front of the rear wheel. I can push a peice of paper into this gap without it hitting a screw so if there isn't a horizontal fixing maybe it's just held in with rivets. There's only one way to find out I guess!
The reason I'm asking whether the screws are vertical or horizontal is that there is a gap between the body and the sill just in front of the rear wheel. I can push a peice of paper into this gap without it hitting a screw so if there isn't a horizontal fixing maybe it's just held in with rivets. There's only one way to find out I guess!
My Tasmin (chassis 36) used a line of pop rivets just under the door seal; some more rivets into the floor underneath the car; and some self-tappers driven downward through the shell into the sill, in front of and behind the door aperture (hidden by carpets). There were also two large blobs of mastic, one each end, which required a stiff blade to slice through. One of the self-tappers went through the mastic 
Later cars used M6 studs, captive in the sill.
Any large nuts and bolts are holding the shell to the chassis and don't need removing to get the sills off.
Later cars used M6 studs, captive in the sill.
Any large nuts and bolts are holding the shell to the chassis and don't need removing to get the sills off.
I agree, leave all the big internal nuts and bolts alone, you should be able to free it off by unscrewing, drilling or grinding off the various rivets and self-tappers from the outside.
When you get your long tube exposed (ooh err missus) you might consider drilling it and filling it with oil....
When you get your long tube exposed (ooh err missus) you might consider drilling it and filling it with oil....
Thanks for the info chaps!
I've slipped a knife between the sill and body behind the front wheel and found what feels like two vertical fixings. I've pulled the carpet back but cant find the fixings in the car but Im not too worried at this stage. I'll cut them through with a hacksaw blade. There's no vertical fixing between the sill and body in front of the rear wheel but plenty of self tappers and pop rivets near the door seal and under the car where they are expected to be. I'm going to order some hinge bushes for the doors and do them once I've got the sill out of the way. I'm going to remove the sill over the next week so I'll keep you posted
I've slipped a knife between the sill and body behind the front wheel and found what feels like two vertical fixings. I've pulled the carpet back but cant find the fixings in the car
but Im not too worried at this stage. I'll cut them through with a hacksaw blade. There's no vertical fixing between the sill and body in front of the rear wheel but plenty of self tappers and pop rivets near the door seal and under the car where they are expected to be. I'm going to order some hinge bushes for the doors and do them once I've got the sill out of the way. I'm going to remove the sill over the next week so I'll keep you postedMy sills are held on by two vertical bolts at the front, one at the back and several pop rivets along the top edge. The two nuts at the front can be accessed by pulling away the carpet, and are fairly high up the footwell. When I attempted to undo the front nuts, the rivets holding the bolts to the sill gave way and the only way I could get them off was to put a hacksaw blade between the body and sill and cut through the bolts. The same thing happened on the back one, but I couldn't get a blade between, so I ended up drilling out the bolt head from underneath the car. When I put the sill back on, I glassed in two new bolts at the front, and used Steve Heaths recommendation for the back one. This involves having a strip of metal attached to the bolt to stop it turning, and putting the nut on from underneath the car.
Well - the sill is off!
The sill tube is beyond saving
It is holed in many places and is so bad in one place that the tube is almost in 2 pieces!
I will now be looking for a tube stockist and some plate. I'm going to get the welding done professionally but hopefully I'll keep the costs down by doing all the donkey work myself.
I'm not too concerned. I could have spent twice as much on a Stag or a TR6 and still find plenty of rot. The great thing about our Wadges is that the bits that rust are cheap and easy to fix:.
There were no bolts holding the sill on - just mastic and pop-rivets.
The sill tube is beyond saving
It is holed in many places and is so bad in one place that the tube is almost in 2 pieces! I will now be looking for a tube stockist and some plate. I'm going to get the welding done professionally but hopefully I'll keep the costs down by doing all the donkey work myself.
I'm not too concerned. I could have spent twice as much on a Stag or a TR6 and still find plenty of rot. The great thing about our Wadges is that the bits that rust are cheap and easy to fix
:. There were no bolts holding the sill on - just mastic and pop-rivets.
As you said, it is not too difficult, but important that it is done right. Some more information on replacing this particular part of the wedge chassis: www.tvrwedgepages.co.uk
Last year I took my sills off as well, and expected 'problems'. These were limited in my case to only the need to replace the plates at the back: like in the seatbelt is only held in glassfibre.... Better then new now and well protected against rust.
It is not necessary to take the body of the chassis, as you probably have found out, but it can be handy to undo some bolts holding the body to the chassis to make more room for the welding. After undoing a few bolts the body can be lifted a bit. At the same time you can place the padding between the body and chassis if necessary.
Good luck.
Rob
Last year I took my sills off as well, and expected 'problems'. These were limited in my case to only the need to replace the plates at the back: like in the seatbelt is only held in glassfibre.... Better then new now and well protected against rust.
It is not necessary to take the body of the chassis, as you probably have found out, but it can be handy to undo some bolts holding the body to the chassis to make more room for the welding. After undoing a few bolts the body can be lifted a bit. At the same time you can place the padding between the body and chassis if necessary.
Good luck.
Rob
Just thought I'd update you with my sill tube repair
I bought 6 metres of 38mm tubing and four plates guillotined to size for £25. Got this from Global Tubing of Worcester.This will be more than enough for both sides. I drilled the holes in the plates and opened them up to size (3/4inch dia)with a round file.
Got a mobile welder to cut the sill tube off and weld the new tube and plates in place.I've painted them with two coats of hammerite grey and will brush some oil over the tube and plate before rivetting the sill back on. I was charged £80 by my welder man.
I haven't taken the nearside sill off yet but I'm expecting to replace the tube and plate this side as well. I reckon I will have got both sides done for around £200 including paint,wire brushes and emery cloth etc.
The outriggers have been brushed back to bare metal and have also been hammerited. Only trouble is the rest of the chassis now looks a bit grubby although in fact it's in pretty good nick
I've got before and after pictures so if anyone is interested let me know. I was amazed at how bad my sill tube was compared with the rest of the chassis and was very apprehensive about tackling this. However if you can do the donkey work yourself and leave the skilled bits to the experts you can do this job at reasonable cost
I bought 6 metres of 38mm tubing and four plates guillotined to size for £25. Got this from Global Tubing of Worcester.This will be more than enough for both sides. I drilled the holes in the plates and opened them up to size (3/4inch dia)with a round file.
Got a mobile welder to cut the sill tube off and weld the new tube and plates in place.I've painted them with two coats of hammerite grey and will brush some oil over the tube and plate before rivetting the sill back on. I was charged £80 by my welder man.
I haven't taken the nearside sill off yet but I'm expecting to replace the tube and plate this side as well. I reckon I will have got both sides done for around £200 including paint,wire brushes and emery cloth etc.
The outriggers have been brushed back to bare metal and have also been hammerited. Only trouble is the rest of the chassis now looks a bit grubby although in fact it's in pretty good nick
I've got before and after pictures so if anyone is interested let me know. I was amazed at how bad my sill tube was compared with the rest of the chassis and was very apprehensive about tackling this. However if you can do the donkey work yourself and leave the skilled bits to the experts you can do this job at reasonable cost
Well done - that's the way to go. I did mine which led to a total body and interior restoration including a new hood and windscreen. Did the whole lot myself except the seats which I got a trimmer to do.
The outriggers should last forever if you stay on top of any rust seeping in after they go back on.
The outriggers should last forever if you stay on top of any rust seeping in after they go back on.
Good job done!
I was thinking of drilling a hole in the rear end of the sill tube so I could insert a pipe to spray the inside with waxoyl. This is an unstressed part so the hole wont be a source for cracks and it can be closed with a blanking plug or grommet to prevent ingress. It's one of those "One of these days I'm going to..." jobs!
I was thinking of drilling a hole in the rear end of the sill tube so I could insert a pipe to spray the inside with waxoyl. This is an unstressed part so the hole wont be a source for cracks and it can be closed with a blanking plug or grommet to prevent ingress. It's one of those "One of these days I'm going to..." jobs!
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