Well... I'm at that point in my sill replacement project (71GT) where I
stand back and say "What the hell kind of mess did I get myself into!" The
left sill is removed. The box section is intact and has only minor surface
corrosion. I thought I'd share my experiences thus far and would appreciate
other listers' contribution before I tackle the other side. My biggest
problem was finding the best way to cut through the spot welds. Regular
drill bits last about two welds and then are to dull to deal with. I
purchased a spot weld cutter from the Eastwood Co. ($25 or so). I'm mostly
unimpressed with this tool. (maybe I don't know how to use it correctly). I
then purchased a drill bit from a machine shop called a coban bit(?). Cut
through most of the welds with no problem and is still good to go. I found
it easier to cut most of the sill off with a high speed grinder exposing the
back side, drilling through the welds and then with a chisel (air or by
hand ) knock through the remains. Wire brushing away the paint from the spot
welds made it easier to identify exactly where they are located. Most of my
problems came when trying to remove the sill from around the "A" post.
Idrilled the spot welds out from the bottom but was unable to cleanly drill
a small triangular shaped wedge attaching the "A" post,sill, and box section
together (underneath the front door hinge). The results are alittle rough
but after welding this area should will dress out OK. At any rate, the door
trim will hide any imperfections here. I then dry fit the replacement sill.
Excellent fit! The sill will be attached by filling in the drilled holes
with a mig welder. A good dose of Coroless to the box section and inside of
the sill should prevent any reformation of rust. The weld seam will be
treated with a weldable primer prior to installation. Total time thus far is
probably 12+ hours. I would expect the other sill removal to be half that.
Anyone have any thoughts on this process?? Any hints or suggestions for
dealing with the area around the "A" post on the other side? Any other
thoughts before I make this sill a permanent fixture of my GT?
Larry Pitts
fuzzy@castles.com
71GT
73 Roadster
74TR6
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