Sills

[andrew]

Hi, I was wondering if some of you car bods out there could help me.

I've got a MK3 Ford Fiesta that failed its MOT yesterday, the problem (which I was aware of) was that it had rusty sills. The thing is, the people at the test centre told me to weld them? Do they simply mean weld a metal plate over the rust patches or to cut the sills away and weld on new ones. I don't know if what i'm considering is even in the right ball park as I've never touched sills on a car before. Also, how difficuilt/expensive would it be to replace the front left-hand-side ball joint?

If anyone could shed some light on this i'd really apreciate it. Also if anyone can recommend a decent welder in the West London area that would also be helpful.

[mr jamez]

The cheapest way would be to patch it if there is anything to weld to, but it is always best to put on a whole new sill as they affect the structural strength quite alot, it depends how rotten it is. If it is holed the inner sills might be gone as well. If you get the whole thing replaced, make sure they cut the old one off as putting one over the top is a waste of time and a bodge. The panel will be cheap, The welding will probably be about £100, then just paint it with stonechip and car paint.

As for the lower ball joint, the cheapest way is to remove the hub then buy a balljoint kit and take it to a garage, cost me a tenner to get the new ones put in. Never worked on a fiesta, but I doubt it is complicated to do this.

[Kickstart]

Hi

You can weld new ones over the top of old ones. It is a bodge, but it depends on how long the car will last otherwise.

Within a certain distance of suspension mounts there are tighter rules on the welding (think it must be continuously welded).

Suspect the new sill section for a Fiesta will be dirt cheap.

With the ball joint it depends on the car. On some cars it is part of the suspension arm, and you replace them as a set. Not that expensive and fairly easy to do.

All the best

Keith
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[Bod]

Bottom ball joints are fairly easy, you just need a ball joint spliter or similar type of attachment.

[stinkwheel]

I know next to nothing about cars, but I think there is some sort of limit with patching sills. Something about you can patch them if they are not within a certain distance of a structural pillar?
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[andrew]

On the MOT he wrote that the hole was 30cm from the seat belt pillar, but told me to weld over it to pass the MOT. Thing is I can feel other soft parts on the sill that he didn't bother touching so i'm thinking it might be worth replacing the whole thing on both sides.

The one thing that left me scratching my head is how do I get the sills off the car? They're welded on so I assume i'll have to cut them off with an angle grinder?

If I buy the sills will a bodyshop cut the existing ones off for me for a reasonable price? I can see doing it this way being quite expensive?

[stinkwheel]

You need to find an agricultural engineer. They are experts at welding rusty metal on the cheap.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[andrew]