Failed the MOT today on rusted sills. Anyway, i'm going to order repair panels in the next couple of days and do the job myself. Question, is it ok, as per the MOT standards, to drill holes in the bottom and wheel arch flanges and mig weld them and to but weld the rest?

 

cheers

when I done the sills on mine I just cut away all the rot then lapped the new pannel about an inch over the oem pannel and stitch welded it together.

Did you get a nice finish, i used to do this kind of work in my teenage years, just worried that the way i'm used to doing it might not be accepatable now.

cheers for the reply

Just make a good strong job. when its skimmed over with a little filler and painted up,no one will know what yove done.

Good Point, Slick

when I done the sills on mine I just cut away all the rot then lapped the new pannel about an inch over the oem pannel and stitch welded it together.

if you can get away with removing the sill and fitting a new one rather than an over sill, then it would be a tidyer job and will last longer. As for the welding, if you drill holes along the bottom flange and plug weld them and butt weld alond the top, it will be fine with the MOT. once youve done the plug welds they grind flat and youl never see them.

 

Fraser

Fraser, that was the way i was thinking of doing it, i just here stories about welding and MOT's and get worried that i go to a lot of bother and it's not the MOT way of doing things.

Cheers

MOT testers can be funny about things I have been welding for over 5 years now, I had to weld an outer sill on my sisters fiesta, I stich welded a nice patch on it but got nocked back as he wanted it fully welded, you could have picked the whole car up off this patch.

As long as it looks neat and not like a bunch of grapes you will be fine mate

for mot standards, any "patch" repairs - ie not a complete replacement panel, must be seam welded all the way round.

 

this include oversills which are welded over the top of existing sills

DO you get rid of the rust from the hole or just weld a big plate over it?

DO you get rid of the rust from the hole or just weld a big plate over it?

 

welding over the rust is fine for MOT!

if its just one wee hole, and the rest of the sill is solid, i'd joggle a plate and weld it flush, paste it with stonechip or underseal it. but if the rest of the sill is pretty shitty looking id redo the lot. i did my bro's Nova the way i described earlier and it passed fine, for the sake of the whole £6 for a complete sill i just did it all :)

if in doubt, ask your MOT'r he'll have it written down in his book. the way i see it, if he doesnt help you then it defeats the purpose of him doing his job if he wont tell you the safest way to fix your car.