Club 80-90 Forums

ah, I see now.... The rib should help to stop the panel buckling, Weldore mentioned lap jointing which sounds a better method for that repair panel but you gone and dressed it right back to the edge by the looks of it. I wouldn't fancy any weld joints behind that rib section as it might be a bit of a pig to dress back.

Couple more pics. Close to being ready for new panel now. I've cut it to length ready for tomorrow. WIKI written up but will pass it to Angeloevs for final 'tweaking'.

CovKid, before i welded mine up, exactly the same as your panel, I made sure any internal stiffener/floor / rib etc would allow any condensation/rain etc , (from sliding window or top fridge vent ), to carry on DOWN into lowest part of sill, which is excessively waxoyled and has drain holes , by angling such stiffener/floor downwards using an irish screwdriver.
You will need flashband or similar , or (better ) a vertical stiffener , to stop that panel drumming. I used both .
jaylo

Aye. I'm on to that. This is partly why I hammerited inside of inner sill so water runs out freely. Will add a series of drain holes in that small floor section which should end this rusty sill prob for good (well, till it falls apart).

I see you have actually left some of the panel below the rib, in the other piccy it looked as though you had cut right to the edge of it , I need to look more carefully.........

What, with all the pics I've put up?

Just sending you a PM

OK, here goes:


New panel tacked in place

ChickenKoop checks everything is straight (he is very fussy the ole bugger)

Gaps between tacks start to be filled up

Until there isn't a gap in site. Then we ground down welds flat along ridge..

Coat of red oxide overnight before I give it final fill and smoothing later this week Chickenkoop welded from behind on the pillars (no brackets!) so that I can use light touch with an angle grinder to create mock seam lines later on. It will only need a light skim of filler to smooth out crease line and various joins.

So there you go, a new sill panel (minus seam) and all the rot gone with the minimum of filler needed to smooth off. My eternal thanks to Rob (ChickenKoop) today for his enthusiasm and company and for insisting that lap-joining at crease line would be way to go.

looks nice and straight..i think you went the right way by using the recess to join it giving it more strength to stop the dreaded warp.are you pleased with the results?
oh and with the new sill comes a new avatar too

Yeah we both are! We had some concerns in terms of grinding off weld from crease but I discovered I had the remnants of a wheel arch panel which had the crease shape in it. I cut that piece out as a template. Plan is (now welds have been ground back) to run filler along enture crease then use that section as a former/scraper to establish perfect line. Should work great. Chickenkoop said the fact we'd fixed to crease strengthened the whole panel and I have to agree.

well you have helped me out no end..as i say im not panel man and unless you have done these jobs you dont know what to expect or what to safely cut out..so cheers fella's when mines ready i wont be scared

Its ok honest. We didn't need angle pieces as Chickenkoop was able to bridge the gap no prob and it only needs a push or pull here from a helper to get the panel where you want it. Incidentally, I don't think it looks in the least bit odd without the sill seam - actually looks right now. The only disaster we had was my welder packed up (no idea whats wrong with it - Migmate Super) so Rob had to fetch his.

E D I T: Rob, you were right. Thermal protection. Mig works once more. Best i find a fan to go in there then!

i bet your thinking about rustoleum and rollers now

Great and well done chaps!.........you look like a real happy bunny in that pic ...............

Decided that tomorrow will be best spent clearing the interior of grinder dust and fitting a replacement kitchen. Viewing Ebay one night, a woman was offering free, an old but functional, wood 1960s kitchen. Few crappy chipboard wallcupboards with it which I've already disposed of (and her sink) but the base units were wooden frames with sliding doors (a real plus in a camper in my opinion) and just need the depth taken out of them to fit nicely down the side.

These modern campers are ok but they're all chipboard and heavy as hell. Way I figure it, I can make the cooker vanish once the doors are shut. This was what I'd planned to do last week until I discovered this hell-hole of corrosion and seemed pointless fitting a kitchen only to have to rip it all out again to correct. Thanks again everyone for all the tips and my 'rollering' buddy Chickenkoop for giving up his time to sort the bus out today. As he said, when theres two of you, it gives you the drive to get the job done. Still pondering whether to fit a roof to mine but not seen one I can afford just yet. It'll happen I guess.

Once access to the WIKI is reinstated, I'll upload this thread in condensed form so anyone faced with this rotten sill problem can know where to start.

No Probs with helping out, thats what friends are for, now you want a roof, no probs, put the kettle on,