SPendrey Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 Actually two questions here... 1 - Having taken the plastic trim off the outer sill to fit some rock sliders I found a golf-ball size hole near the rear wheel arch. Not bad considering this is the first hole in them in 16 years of use! Anyway, I plan to either cut away and 'fill' the gap with a new plate, or preferably I'd cut away the rot then plate over using plug welds. The #1 reason being I'm carp at welding! The question is... is doing the plate over and plug welding acceptable? Considering it'll be hidden by the rock sliders I'm not worried about appearance, but I am worried about a strict MOT man! 2 - Having filled the sill with holes (and bolted through them), I imagine I'm only going to accelerate the opportunity for rust. So, is there some kind of filler (like expanding foam) that can be used to prevent water & mud ingress? Cheers, Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disco_al Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 see below Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disco_al Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 clean the whole sill off with a wire brush. ideally you should cut the rot out and put a new plate in, although you can just plate over (the rust will keep eating away behind though) buy some rust killer, jenolite or equivalent, and plaster the ouside of the sill with it, then put a plate over the top of the hole. if you can , then put some jenolite in a spray bottle, with a pipe on the end, insert it into one of the holes and spray the inside with the stuff too. leave it to dry, then spray some waxoyl or cavity wax into the sill to keep the rust at bay for a bit longer. this should also help protect the holes you've drilled in the sill as well. you could (in theory) run a continuos thick bead of sealant around each of the bolt holes to keep water out, although it will still find a way in. expanding foam is a bad idea, as it holds the moisture in, and is also a major fire risk if you ever have to plate the sill in the future. i cut and replaced with new metal on mine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Landy-Novice Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 if you cant weld, just cut out the rot, and take it to a mate or a FRIENDLY garage. or just weld it, there's no regulations on weld quality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Range Rover Blues Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 I think there are, for one it has to be seam welded unless you are replacing a complete panel at the manufacturer's joint. It has to be at least as strong as the original metal too. From experience that hole will end up big enough for a mug of tea, perhaps half of the door width, the back plate of the sill and the inner wheelarch, these 2 are sperate panels that trap rust and this is often where it starts. I'm really not a fan of rock sliders that bolt through the sill either, sorry as you have already bought theym but stress and corrosion are strange bedfellows and will conspire against you, plus the sills were never designed to carry all the vehicle's weight like you might find on a monocoque. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Landy-Novice Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 I think there are, for one it has to be seam welded unless you are replacing a complete panel at the manufacturer's joint. yes i will agree with that! It has to be at least as strong as the original metal too. maybe, but the mot man isn't going to care! as long as the patch has been seam welded, HAPPY DAYS!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CwazyWabbit Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 It has to be at least as strong as the original metal too. maybe, but the mot man isn't going to care! as long as the patch has been seam welded, HAPPY DAYS!! MOT bloke might not care but if you have a bad accident and they decide to go over the car with a fine toothed comb you may care then .... in fairness that is more likely with bodged chassis repairs but you get my drift. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Landy-Novice Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 then you blame the mot man!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Henson Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 Not if the standard of welding isn't an MOT requirement. Your responsibility to ensure the vehicle is in a suitable condition to be on a public road and to the standards required to survive an impact. MOT is for the general condition of the vehicle on the day of the test only anyway. Les. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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