As stated in the title of the thread I was three weeks in when I started posting. I might as well
start from the beginning
So, I ordered a 7.5m length of 120x60x3.6 box section £70 or so
what I have left over might well become a bumper or two. We'll see.
6m each of 50x3 and 20x3 flat @ £10 a length
and a lot of .07 or so sheet from a fridge/freezer I couldn't be assed to
take to the tip in one piece. dumped the plastic and salvaged the sheet steel.
I asked the stockyard to make two 1550mm cuts in the box section and cut the rest in half
and about a meter square of 2 mil sheet from the local scrapyard (for a quid)
with a nice tough industrial epoxy finish that will be fine anywhere I haven't ground or burned it away.
don't overlook the scrapyard, a 4x8 sheet of 2mil would go for around £80 and unless you have a truck plus delivery.
first test fit of sill
decisions made. 1430mm on the long than a 30degree or so angle to match the wheel well
I just eyeballed it and cut both sills to match
start nailing **** together
I framed out the front wheel well with 20x3 flat
and that gave me something decent to weld the inner well patches to as well as providing some true rigidity.
i replaced the flimsy stiffener/mud guard with 20x3 flat (I also later plug welded the new floor plate to it) and tied it into both the sill and the lower inner wing
which I had already added 20x3 flat to replace the lower innerskirt bolt holes which in turn is tied to the 3mil
I plated the lower A pillar with. It all makes a very pleasing note when slammed with my lump hammer
the 50x3 provides a lot of structural integrity than wouldn't otherwise exist even if the floor were pristine
I was going to run a single length of 50x3 all the way back, but decided I was being silly and re-welded the
seat belt bracket back in place.
joining cill, floor and plug welded plate
I made the front bodymount out of a offcut of the box section. That would have been to big for the rear one, so I salvaged the mountseat and rebuilt the rest of the bracket from 3mil
poor planing and a lack of clearance from the A and B pillars forced me to weld them in place
next port of call. The C pillar. I never like the looks of that and wondered what was under it. I had low expectations.
better than expected, still needed seeing to. some people shouldn't be allowed to
use bodyfill.
the other side.
technically this is a MOT fail if they were to see it. For me it is prophecy, pulling the rear quarters is in my future,
but not this time around.
signed sealed, delivered
Being a cheap bastard I used my offcuts. I should have welded them together beforehand instead of caving the well in. poop happens.
inside of "c" pillar. not a pretty sight. one worth noting.
I get a pass on the boot floor this time around. 20x3 flat in the scuzy looking channels and a bit of prettying up and
on to the next job.
Please excuse the lack of brevity, it was a longish post requiring me to remember things which is getting harder as I get older.
Once again. Thanks for tuning in and I hope I have provided some minor entertainment or amusement.
More to come, today was productive day, and tomorrow is a big day for me. I start the other side.
It should go a lot quicker as I won't be figuring things out and it should be in much better shape.
Keep the shiny side up guys!