chrishawley Posted February 13, 2022 Report Share Posted February 13, 2022 Might I invite a moment of reassessment? Can't be 100% sure from the photos but I get an impression that you may have been supplied with a right-side sill end closing panel for the left hand side on which you are currently working. Photo below is of a left one; distinctive in that the lip is forward and the fold is convex to the rear of the vehicle. Not 100% sure, but definitely check before proceeding. If it's a transposition then joining in the scuttle will be challenging to say the least. It's really hard to describe in words how the sill end closer joins up - but worth a look at the parts book which indicates how the scuttle panel (809740) has joddled edges to accept the sill closing panel. That joddled, or swaged edge, readily becomes absent due to corrosion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pettifordo Posted February 13, 2022 Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2022 9 minutes ago, chrishawley said: right-side sill end closing panel for the left hand side on which you are currently working Ah - that explains why it was hard to fit !! I did make it fit and spot welded it to the A-Post repair panel. The bulk head panel was also (or still is) in a bad way and rusted round the old closing panel so my next job will be to patch that up - so it was never going to look 100%. At least you can’t see that part once the bonnet is shut 🤣🤣🤣 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pettifordo Posted February 19, 2022 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2022 Today efforts - sill strengthener fitted inc fabricating patch at the rear of the sill. I also finished the last patch on the rear wheel arches - perhaps I should have replaced them as they are now like a patch work quilt 🤣🤣🤣 Anyway, welding definitely improving and 6mm holes for the plug welds seem to work nicely and my grinding disk made short work of getting them flush so I can weld on the inner sill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josef Posted February 19, 2022 Report Share Posted February 19, 2022 How are you planning on welding the bottom of the inner sill to the floor? I guess you can probably drill the floor and plug weld from underneath? It’s normally plug or stitch welded from the inside, though the flange is pretty small - I would be interested to know how it was welded in the factory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrishawley Posted February 19, 2022 Report Share Posted February 19, 2022 Josef, just to pick up on that: I've never been too sure about the authentic method of attaching the lower lip of the inner sill to the floor pan. Would I be right to surmise from what you say that the order of factory assembly must have been, 1) floor in situ first, 2) then inner sill welded to the floor lip, 3) then stiffener 4) then outer sill. Can't see what other way one would 'get inside' to join the floor the inner sill and doesn't seem likely that Triumph/BL would have used plug welds from underneath. Hmmm? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pettifordo Posted February 19, 2022 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2022 1 hour ago, Josef said: I guess you can probably drill the floor and plug weld from underneath? Yes that was my plan But I’m not sure if I should fit the inner sill and then the floor or fit the floor and then the sill on top ? What would you recommend ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josef Posted February 19, 2022 Report Share Posted February 19, 2022 From what I know Chris yes that would be correct. But I have only stripped and rebuilt a heavily bodged Spitfire and looked at a lot of videos / photos of other people working on their cars, so I’ve never seen the factory inner sill to floor welds myself. You definitely described the ‘normal’ resto order of assembly. Pettifordo, I think what I’d try in your position is get both the inner sill and floor fitted up together. Clamp / self tap / your temporary fixing of choice everything firmly together and then weld the whole lot. That way you can be sure they both fit up against one another properly. Make sure your floor is straight along the edge the joins the sill too before welding, I had to put in support to make sure this was the case, though the way you’re working is pretty different (I don’t have a rotisserie) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pettifordo Posted February 20, 2022 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2022 15 hours ago, Josef said: Clamp / self tap / your temporary fixing of choice everything firmly together and then weld the whole lot. Yes that sounds like the way to go. From what I can see I will end up with a gap between the floor and the inner sill if I mount the inner sill where the old one was - should I lower the sill or push the floor up to meet it ? I’m thinking mount the sill lower…..would you agree ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josef Posted February 20, 2022 Report Share Posted February 20, 2022 Ah, well, the diagram Chris has posted of the dimensions of the cross section through the sill would probably be the best thing to reference here. However, providing the inner sill is not drastically the wrong shape (hopefully you have some reference from what you removed?) it should go back in exactly the same position as the factory one. The bottom of the inner sill should be in line with the bottom of the heelboard and parallel to the floor when the car is on the ground (which should correspond to parallel to the top flange of the outer sill for you provided that’s well fitted). If you achieve that condition, then the floor should be fitted against the heelboard, sill and lower edge of the front bulkhead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pettifordo Posted February 20, 2022 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2022 46 minutes ago, Josef said: floor should be fitted against the heelboard, sill and lower edge of the front bulkhead. On my car the bottom of the heel board looks to be too low for the floor to fit as described above without the panel being bent up to meet the meet the inner sill. but thanks for the tip of the diagram as I hadn’t noticed the measurements before, so I can at least start with the 3/4” measurement from the bottom of the outer sill and try to get things to line up from there…….next weekends job or perhaps the weekend after if the patching on the front bulkhead takes a long time. And then on to the other side 👍👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josef Posted February 20, 2022 Report Share Posted February 20, 2022 Hmmm, is your heelboard definitely the original size and shape then? I would give you the measurements of mine if the car wasn’t still off waiting to be painted! Hopefully someone else will be able to chip in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pettifordo Posted February 20, 2022 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2022 1 hour ago, Josef said: Hmmm, is your heelboard definitely the original size and shape then? I’m not sure - anyway I can see a way that I can make it all fit 👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pettifordo Posted March 3, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2022 Continuing to make progress and the welding is getting easier - doing this end panel and the bulk head was a tricky patchwork to create and I have yet to grind down but the result is very strong and will ok I think. Thanks to everyone for the welding tips - by the last weld on the other side it might look pretty good. The second image is me welding up a cut I accidentally made in the outer sill cutting off the inner sill and strengthening panel….will try not to do that on the other side 🤣🤣🤣 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pettifordo Posted March 12, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2022 Good 3 hours sent with half the new floor welded in place - inner join and rear. Feels like I’m making progress now. I’m not going to weld the front seam until the tub is back on the chassis so I can still “adjust” it to fit - perhaps not idea but having the car on the roll over jig makes the welding much easier. For the join to the inner sill strengthener should I plug weld or seam weld inside or both ? I’m currently planning plug welds. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanT Posted March 12, 2022 Report Share Posted March 12, 2022 Nice progress Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josef Posted March 12, 2022 Report Share Posted March 12, 2022 3 hours ago, Pettifordo said: For the join to the inner sill strengthener should I plug weld or seam weld inside or both ? All panel flange to panel flange joins would originally have been spot welds, so plug welding the replacement is the way to go. You’re working inside out compared to most people, seam welding the floor to the sill strengthener is usually impossible! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pettifordo Posted March 13, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2022 Thanks @Josef - without the Rollover Jig it would be very difficult and involve getting burned !! Hopefully I will have a go at it later today…..then on to the inner sill 👍👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pettifordo Posted March 13, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2022 So passenger floor in and inner sill on 👍 Now on to the other side Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanT Posted March 13, 2022 Report Share Posted March 13, 2022 Good progress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pettifordo Posted April 1, 2022 Author Report Share Posted April 1, 2022 Progress has been slowed due to running out of welding gas, mother’s day and the garden 😩 Today I completed the welding on one side and I fitted the steering column I got from the Spitfire Graveyard - so my car now has a key - shame I won’t need to use if for 2 years - but a symbolic moment 🤣🤣 Sunday I will start to cut out the drivers side floor - hopefully doing a better job than the passenger side - hoping I have learned to weld better - however I may just have got lucky on this side and it will be worse 🤣🤣🤣🤣 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanT Posted April 1, 2022 Report Share Posted April 1, 2022 Keep at it! I finished mine today after 5 years…also reliving my youth. It’s fab to drive one again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pettifordo Posted April 2, 2022 Author Report Share Posted April 2, 2022 22 hours ago, AlanT said: It’s fab to drive one again. Thanks @AlanT - I think I’m probably 2 years away from that - but one step at a time 💪 I’m glad you are enjoying yours. did you get the car sprayed when it was back on the chassis with the bonnet attached ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanT Posted April 2, 2022 Report Share Posted April 2, 2022 Yes, stripped it back to bare metal then sent it to the body shop. Still expensive but far better job than I could do Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pettifordo Posted April 2, 2022 Author Report Share Posted April 2, 2022 2 hours ago, AlanT said: stripped Did you just sand it back or use some paint stripper - if the latter which one ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanT Posted April 2, 2022 Report Share Posted April 2, 2022 I used basic B & Q stripper (needs leaving on a few hours) then ‘strip and clean’ discs (go in Angle grinder). Wire brush in drill for tricky bits. Had many layers of paint on my car so took two goes. There are faster strippers but I prefer the less toxic stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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