>Hi Joe,
>
>I wouldn't drive it without even the outer sills. I replaced the outer sills
>on both sides on my Spitfire and braced the door openings with 2x4 wood with
>slots cut in both sides and supported the floor from under the car.
>
>My sills were not really bad but I detected a slight change in door gap after
>both were replaced. I even left the hard top bolted in place to help.
>
>I've heard some horror stories about bodies sagging in the middle etc.
>
>Replacement of the sill is a time consuming job. Just removing the old sill
>and getting rid of those old spot welds will take you a while...Get yourself
>a good spot weld drill bit.
>I prefer the zip cutter type - hole saw with sping loaded centre.
>When you weld the seams together use a weld through zink spray on the mating
>surfaces. This will help make sure you won't have to do it again for a while.
>You'll probably need to replace those end plates at the front of each sill
>also.
>
>Hope this helps
>
>Peter Cebalo
>
>73 Spitfire Mk IV
>
>Auckland New Zealand
>
>I need to replace the sills on my spitfire, probably all 3 pieces -
>the outer, inner stiffener, and the inner sill. I have a place about
>12 miles away where I can get access to a MIG welder. What I want to
>do is cut away the outer sill so I can see if I need to replace these
>inner parts. If I do this, can I still drive the car to the welder?
>How about the inner components?
>
>I'm not sure what the outer sill contributes to the structural
>integrity, (I think I just answered my question - in its present
>state, not much...)
>
>Any pointers on sill replacement or mig welding in general would be
>appreciated by this body work novice.
>
>Joe
>72 Spitfire aka Norman
>
>
>
>
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