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more silll talk, plenty of Q's

Craigybaby

Craigybaby

New member
Evening all.
Spent two hours removing sill trims on both sides. Probably about a mugs worth of crud and dirt fell off or I removed with a small wire brush. Apart from some light surface rust I think the center structural parts are OK and the wings are a little crusty with a couple of very small holes so I'm going to see what a body shop makes of them. Is it likely they'll just use a bit of filler?
When my car was resprayed a few years ago and undersealed at the same time it looks like they didn't bother removing the sill trims so they were fairly well glued on with the underseal but now I've taken the trim off the underside is exposed so what would people recommend to treat them with?
Lastly, for people who have had sill work, did you bother putting the trims back on? Im not sure if they're more trouble than they're worth? What purpose do they serve?
Regards craig
 
I've just replaced both my sills and i plan to put the sill trims back on a) because I think they look nice and b) i'm trying to keep my car original where possible.

Go along the sill from front to back tapping it firmly with your knuckle and if it is getting thin anywhere, you will hear the difference. If you are feeling brave a firm push with your thumbs will reveal any weakness.
 
I can see where you're coming from on the originality point of view. If I don't put them back on I'll definitely keep them for the future in case I change my mind.
What color is your car? Mines black so from a visual point of view are hardly noticeable when on so I think leaving them off won't change the look much
Cheers
 
I certainly didn't put the plastic dirt-catchers back on. Weigh up some minor visual benefit, over the risk of future corrosion, and it's a no-brainer. I can't honestly say my S2 would lap the 'Ring any slower without them [8|]

As to the repair, the guy who did mine advised me to save the money, not cut out good metal and fit the proper repair sections, but patch the small areas that were rotten. Not a perfect solution, but massively cheaper and with regular treatment hopefully the complete restoration is put back a good few years.

If there is serious rot, just bite the bullet and buy the complete OEM repair sections. They are far better than some of the patches on sale.....
 
It would seem the sills rust from the Inside out. Sign off rust out side generally a wake up call to get them sorted before it spreads to far inside. Get a camera inside the sills and get idea off the internal condition, what seems like a small area from out side can become quite large during a proper repire. Spam up with filler is why so many get scrapped as it just masks the issue while it worsen
 
All good points. I posted pics of down the pillar hole a few months ago and the consensus was they are ok. I don't have any sign of bubbling on the main structural section and I just about managed to get my head undeneath and all seems ok there too just needs sealing. it's just the front wings that are worst. The main reason for getting them off is because I've had a can of dynax s50 sitting on my desk for a year and felt I should get around to using it but knew I had to take the trims off first. Think I've found the drain holes, are they right at the front of the middle section just before the wing starts? They were full of dry crap but poked it all out so think I'm ready for the dynax. My drive has a slope so if I point the car downwards don't think I'll even need to jack it up to gèt the dynax in.
Fingers x
 
There are two sets of drain holes in each outer sill.

The first set is more of a slot than a hole and is formed from the pressing of a tall C shape into the flange of the outer sill panel. When welded onto the intermediate sill panel it forms a slot shaped like a tall elongated D. There are 6 of these. My guess is that the purpose of these slots is more ventilation rather than draining.

The second set are 0 shaped holes which are punched into the bottom channel of the sill panel. They look they are intended for drainage because they are at the lowest point of the panel. There are 4 of these.

Confusingly, the black plastic trims have six 0 shaped holes the same size and shape as the ones punched into the bottom channel of the sill panel and one would assume that these are designed so that drainage is not compromised with the plastic trims fitted. BUT, only 2 out of the 6 trim holes actually align with the 4 punched holes in the sill panel!

So, my conclusion is that the left hand didn't know what the right hand was doing that day in the Porsche engineering office and they made a bit of a cock up. My plan is to dremel some extra 0 shaped holes into the plastic trims. Ones which actually align with the ones in the sills!

Hope that helps.
 
Back to the original Q about the trims, I took the same view as McNulters (after all, he is always right); the trims are almost entirely hidden from view when the car is in normal use, but trap mud and salty horribleness right next to some important bits of tin, and hence left them off. However I still have them in my basement and hence can be replaced when necessary (or passed on to the new owner if/when I sell it.)

I'd suggest that you really don't notice whether they are fitted or not unless you are looking for them, and I haven't noticed the lack of them yet!


Oli.
 

ORIGINAL: Craigybaby

Evening all.
Spent two hours removing sill trims on both sides. Probably about a mugs worth of crud and dirt fell off or I removed with a small wire brush. Apart from some light surface rust I think the center structural parts are OK and the wings are a little crusty with a couple of very small holes so I'm going to see what a body shop makes of them. Is it likely they'll just use a bit of filler?
When my car was resprayed a few years ago and undersealed at the same time it looks like they didn't bother removing the sill trims so they were fairly well glued on with the underseal but now I've taken the trim off the underside is exposed so what would people recommend to treat them with?
Lastly, for people who have had sill work, did you bother putting the trims back on? Im not sure if they're more trouble than they're worth? What purpose do they serve?
Regards craig
Click to expand...

Unfortunately you really cannot tell how bad the sills are until you get the under-seal and paint off of them. So you have a choice....... you can fill the small holes and re-paint the sills or you can strip everything off of them and see what you have.It is at that point when you can decide how much metal to replace. See Rob Dimonds post or my old " what lies beneath " post and you'll see what I am talking about.
 
yeah, think i'll leave them off. i agree its hardly noticeable with them off. plus it makes it easier for ongoing cleaning. plus, taking them off was hard enough without being able to see what i was doing, so putting them back on probably nion impossible.
the only unsightly bit is just below the front wings where the three metal bits hang down but if i spray them black they're hardly be visible...
thanks for replies so far....
 
just to clarify, i haven't got any visible holes in the sills, just the front wings right in the bottom corner.
 

ORIGINAL: Craigybaby

just to clarify, i haven't got any visible holes in the sills, just the front wings right in the bottom corner.
Click to expand...

I know you haven't and indeed you wont have. The under-seal and stone guard on the sills is very strong stuff. You would have to poke the sill very hard in order to find a hole. But I would say that if the bottom of the wing has rotted then you will find rot in your sills somewhere. I'm not trying to be a scare monger, but if your going to get the wings fixed and the sill painted along the bottom to re-attach the side trims then you should strip the bottom two to three inches of the sills back to the metal and then re-paint and stone guard them. That way you will know they are rot free and you will have photo's of the work and that will only help if you ever decide to sell.
 
Just drop it on its arse and you'll struggle to get a jack under it even without the trims fitted therefore your decision gets made for you :)
 
here's the crusty wing

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Ok I'll be devils advocate...the sill extensions help make the car what it is,,, when off, the car looks awful and as has been pointed out... the sills rust from the inside, it has nothing to do with the extensions, keep the drain holes clear, check regularly to prevent corrosion. My drivers inner sill needs doing, started going in the usual place, that being near the torsion bar point. Once the car is running again I'll take it to my sons work , get it on the ramp and deal with the corrosion before going for it's MOT. I will also take a close look at the extension holding bolts, any that need replacing I'll do so at the same time. In time the car will go in for another full respray and the underbody will be cleaned and sealed with POR15, this is for the future though as it's not going to be cheap, most of the work I'll do myself, well with my son's input. The way I look at it there is no limit to the money that these cars warrant spending on them, they are special, they are one of a kind and worth keeping. Mine will probably pass on to one of my boys, if they can bring themselves to stop playing with fast Fords and play with a slower Porsche instead.

Keep the sill extensions...:)

Pete
 
and the underside. although theres a bit of brown i think its surface rust only, as it feels pretty solid, but maybe thats wishful thinking

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[/URL][/IMG]
 
Hi Craig

looks in pretty good shape to me... as others have pointed out best way to check the sills is by removing the plastic vent and take a look inside, a snake type pen camera would come in handy here, I bought one off eBay for about £30 for this very job. None of your pictures contain any horror stories, get the car up higher and using a wire brush on an electric drill take all of the loose sealant/surface rust off. Then use a sealant of your preferred type to seal everything up again, a word of warning is using something like hammerite or waxoyl, only do it on a hot warm dry day or you risk trapping moister any killing the car off very quickly, even if modern types say it's ok. When I do mine next I'll use POR15 which my son recommended, it seems the perfect solution to dealing with any possible future rust issues and has a big following in the car restoration world.

Pete
 
thanks pete, wise words. The innards are ok, so its on with the dynax s50 soon. On the outside, is it ok just to plaster on sealant in the long channel in between the inner and outer sills as that looks the most vulnerable place.
By the way...my pics are a lot clearer on the pc compared to the iphone..
cheers
 
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