Repairing rusty sills

[iwaters]

I've long been planning to get a project car to do up. Originally I was going to get one that needed minor bodywork but mostly mechanical stuff that needed fixing (as I can do that stuff but not the painting). However, I have seen a potential canditate that is great in all respects except the sills are rusted quite badly.

What exactly would be invloved in repairing these to MOT standard? Lets assume the are so rusty they need replacing. Is it a case of gridning/cutting the old ones out and welding the new ones in? If so could it be done with a MIG welder by someone with very little welding experince (assuming I went on a course and did some practising first)? Or is it a job for the pros?

 

[Burnerman]

Sills need to be seam or spot welded along their entire length these days - tack welds or pop rivets wont do!
You need to find out how structural the sills are on your particular vehicle before cutting the old ones away - maybe a mag such as Practical Classics could help here.
You will need loads of MIG practice before getting stuck in...sills are pretty thin! They are simple enough to do though.
John

 

[^neo^]

first of all, what car?

 

[iwaters]

Its a Porsche 944. According to the buyers guide on TIPEC they are very expensive to get done properly. Not sure if this is because of the cost of the replacement parts or the complexity of it.

 

[Hitachimad]

Have a look here...

http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/mig.htm

Plenty of similar projects, and welding tutorials if your not already up on that.

Forum for any more difficult questions