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MG MGA - Inner Sills done. Back on the Road

Hi folks. I am happy to report that my MGA is back on the road after a marathon one month blitz to replace the inner sills! My MG rattled, creaked, and shook going over bumps before the inner sill replacement. I was quite surprised to find that most of the rattles, clunks, creaks and shakes are now gone! For anyone wanting to replace their inner sills, my advice is as follows: Dont work outdoors like I did, (find a shop to work in), take lots of measurements and digital photos before starting the sill replacement, Brace the door openings, so they remain in constant position when the old inner sills are hacked out. (I didnt brace my door openings, which would have offered considerable peace of mind! ) get good fitting inner sill parts and rocker panels. (perhaps from Eclectic Motor works), purchase a high quality spot weld cutter, (quite expensive, about $70.00 Canadian) and prepare to spend several days doing nasty, dirty metal removal work. (ALWAYS WEAR SAFETY GLASSES) Finding and removing all the factory spot welds can be difficult! Be prepared to replace pillar bottoms, and to fabricate patch panels where needed. The sill replacement job can and probably should be done without removing the body from the frame. A decent (though not necessarily expensive) MIG welder is pretty much a necessity. The one I used was a gassless model that used flux coated wire.) Extreme patience, and solid, absolute and unswerving dedication to the task is truly required. (This job tests one's tenacity) The worst part of the job is removing the old rusted parts that are spot welded in place. Once the old rusted metal is removed, the job progresses fairly quickly, although alignment checks need to be made on a frequent basis. Personally, I didn't really find alignment problems to be an issue on my car. (even working on a non level driveway) I checked measurements and door/fender gaps along the way, but actually had no alignment problems to speak of. I found that the flanges on the pillar bottoms were a good reference for aligning and attaching the inner sills. Im sure the job would have been much more alignment sensitive if any pillars had be cut out and replaced. My friend Terry helped me do the sill replacement. He had done his own MGA previously, and knew all the trouble spots in advance. His insight speeded the job considerably. My MG now looks terrible, since I repaired minor (and not so minor) rust damage on the shell and fenders, as the sill replacement was in progress. Primer splotches are everywhere. So now I need to do a complete body and paint job next year. MGA's really are a continual "work in progress" Cheers! Glenn
Glenn

Well, allright Glenn! Hope you have a spot of good weather to tool around in the car before the snow hits up there! Don't worry about how it looks, its how you feel having it back on the road that counts.
- Ken
Ken Doris

Hi Ken. I had the MG out today, despite the cold, rainy weather. Top down as usual! Only got a little wet, though did get lots of strange looks! lol. Despite the MG's less than pristine condition, several people still yelled "nice car" as I motored past them! When I am in the driver's seat, I can't see the primer patches, and easily forget that my toy looks so beat up. Next year, I will work hard, and do a complete body and paint job. New floorboards and a new transmission tunnel will be fabricated this winter, and installed next year. A complete brake/clutch hydraulics overhaul will also be done next year. This should return my MGA 1500 roadster to almost as good as new condition! Cheers! GLenn
Glenn

Well done Glenn!
BOL,
Doug
D Sjostrom

Well done Glen. Good to see you got an outing before the big freeze separates you from the car for 5 months - I guess we now have the poems to come!

Noted your comment about primer. I did a body refinishing night school several years ago and I remember the instructor telling us to get a top coat onto primer as soon as possible as primer (and any filler underneath) attracts moister. Leave it too long before putting the top coat on and the damage is done. Give it about 6 months and the little bubbles start coming through!

Steve
Steve Gyles

An old "hot rodder's" trick for waterproof primer is to mix in a little regular paint of the same or similar color. The finish has slightly more gloss, but still retains the matte finish of primer. Sanding is a little harder, but leaves a great finish for the final coat. Just make sure you use compatable materials for the primer and finish coats as you would in any case.
Bill Young

Hi folks: Thanks for the kind comments about completing my inner sills. Regarding the primer paint I used: It is not ordinary primer paint, but rather Dupont brand primer/sealer. I am told it does not absorb moisture from the air, like regular primer does. I guess I will find out next spring, after a long winter's storage! Cheers! Glenn
Glenn

Good Job,

That was a yucky weekend to be out, I think we are almost done for the year.

Did you take pictures as you went?

Roy.
R. Maher

Glenn,

Sills are my winter project. Tell me about the spot welder bit you used. The one I have is from Eastwood and cost about $20. No sense making this job any harder than it has to be, ecspecially if I can buy a new tool to make it easier.

Thanks,
Randy Myers
59 roadster, coupe
Randy

Hi Roy. You bet your bippy that I took pictures along the way. Digital cameras are wonderful. Is there any way of uploading photos to this BBS? ;-) Hi Randy. The spot weld cutter I used is basically a shaft with a replaceable High speed steel cutter at one end. The cutter cuts around the circumference of the spot weld, and is guided by a retractable pin, which is centered in the shaft. So basically, one center punches the spot weld, chucks the spot weld cutter in an electric drill, places the center guide pin in the center punch mark, and then starts the drill, and bears down until the cutter teeth start to cut. With a bit of practice, one can cut a single layer of sheet metal, or several if need be. The tool package says the cutter "will cut hundreds of holes". I likely cut 60-80 spot welds, and the cutter was still cutting well. Hope this helps. Cheers, Glenn
Glenn

Good job Glenn! I'll be doing the same thing on a newly acquired MGA. What did you use to cut out the old sills?
TBP Thom Patrick

Glen,
You are an animal!
Most people would have taken 6 months to complete that job. Of course, they probably don't have an expert sheet metal fabricator as a friend.....
I used a PPG epoxy primer/sealer on my car and am currently driving it. Plan to leave it that way till spring. I've been assured by the paint guys that it will be fine. Does not absorb moisture. Surprisingly, many people have told me they think it looks great....almost a Dove Grey..with black trim and new chrome.
The spot weld cutter I used came from the paint store. Basically a small hole saw with a double ended cutter. The cutter screws onto an arbor and the arbor chucks into a drill. The arbor has a guide pin. Drill a 1/8th dia hole for the guide pin and start cutting.

Well done.
Gerry

G T Foster

Hi Thom. I used a grinder with thin hard disc, and a specialty spot weld cutter to remove the old rusted sheet metal. Cheers! Glenn
Glenn

Hi GT. To quote the elephant man, a famous but deformed "celebrity" " I am NOT an animal, I am a man! lol. Glenn
Glenn

This thread was discussed between 23/10/2005 and 25/10/2005

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