Waxing Doorsill

Discuss Bodywork problems here.
Forum rules
By using this site, you agree to our rules. Please see: Terms of Use
Tommy23
Minor Friendly
Posts: 10
Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2021 2:52 pm
MMOC Member: No

Waxing Doorsill

Post by Tommy23 »

Hello, I am in the process of doing a cavity seal on my Morris Convertible. However, I have no idea how I get to both side skirts (Doorsill). I can not find an opening. I have removed the carpet from the side. Here also unfortunately no holes. Does anyone have a tip for me how I get in there?

Thanks
myoldjalopy
Minor Legend
Posts: 2516
Joined: Tue Jan 29, 2013 10:32 pm
Location: Kernow
MMOC Member: Yes

Re: Waxing Doorsill

Post by myoldjalopy »

I expect you mean under the (usually silver) kickplates at the bottom of the door aperture? You will need to remove the finisher rail that runs under the door. It may be a sod 'cause the little nuts and bolts that hold it on are invariably rusted together. May be quicker to cut/chisel them off if you can. Then the kickplates are removed by the screws that are at their top - and you're in!
Tommy23
Minor Friendly
Posts: 10
Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2021 2:52 pm
MMOC Member: No

Re: Waxing Doorsill

Post by Tommy23 »

First of all thank you for the answer
Is difficult with me. Could I drill two small holes inside instead and go in that way?
myoldjalopy
Minor Legend
Posts: 2516
Joined: Tue Jan 29, 2013 10:32 pm
Location: Kernow
MMOC Member: Yes

Re: Waxing Doorsill

Post by myoldjalopy »

Yes, you could do that, but it is better to get the kick plate off so you can see inside and clear out any flakes of rust that may be lurking in there......unless you know for sure there is no rot in the sills. Obviously if the sills are very rusty there is no point shoving waxoyl in there before they have been repaired properly.
squire
Minor Friendly
Posts: 37
Joined: Sun Oct 26, 2008 5:08 pm
Location: W.Mids
MMOC Member: Yes

Re: Waxing Doorsill

Post by squire »

To be honest I'd take the will finisher off and the kick plates, then you can have a good check inside, treat any rust and actually paint waxoyl or whatever in with a paint brush and spray what you can't reach. It's not a hard job but as said you may well have grind the nuts off, you could then replace them with stainless steel ones. By the way there may be some self tapping screws on the top of the kick plates, also when I did mine I didn't bother with the full number of replacement screws.
Tommy23
Minor Friendly
Posts: 10
Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2021 2:52 pm
MMOC Member: No

Re: Waxing Doorsill

Post by Tommy23 »

Are you talking about this bar that should be taken off?[
Attachments
B86694AC-3929-4E38-BFD0-7657186931C8.jpeg
B86694AC-3929-4E38-BFD0-7657186931C8.jpeg (892.95 KiB) Viewed 1725 times
Tommy23
Minor Friendly
Posts: 10
Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2021 2:52 pm
MMOC Member: No

Re: Waxing Doorsill

Post by Tommy23 »

253CC2A5-92FF-4B15-AFAC-C765CFDBCA76.jpeg
253CC2A5-92FF-4B15-AFAC-C765CFDBCA76.jpeg (892.95 KiB) Viewed 1723 times
jagnut66
Minor Legend
Posts: 3635
Joined: Fri Apr 11, 2008 7:28 pm
Location: Mansfield, Nottinghamshire.
MMOC Member: Yes

Re: Waxing Doorsill

Post by jagnut66 »

It may be a sod 'cause the little nuts and bolts that hold it on are invariably rusted together.
A good advert for what I always put them back together with and don't have that problem afterwards -- good old Copper Grease (link below).
Best wishes,
Mike.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Granville-Co ... SwGBpeBjDy
1954 Series 2: 4 door: "Sally" -- Back on the ground with (slave) wheels and waiting to be resprayed......
1970 Triumph Herald 1200: "Hetty" -- Driven back from Llangollen in Wales (twice.....)
jagnut66
Minor Legend
Posts: 3635
Joined: Fri Apr 11, 2008 7:28 pm
Location: Mansfield, Nottinghamshire.
MMOC Member: Yes

Re: Waxing Doorsill

Post by jagnut66 »

Hi,
Below is what you should find underneath (although not in primer), so as you can see, no need to drill any holes, as there is plenty of access for waxoiling. I have now drilled some small holes in the 'A', 'B' and 'C' posts though, to get a waxoil nozzel through and help protect the insides of these.
Best wishes,
Mike.
Sally being rebuilt 11.JPG
Sally being rebuilt 11.JPG (1.25 MiB) Viewed 1690 times
1954 Series 2: 4 door: "Sally" -- Back on the ground with (slave) wheels and waiting to be resprayed......
1970 Triumph Herald 1200: "Hetty" -- Driven back from Llangollen in Wales (twice.....)
pgp001
Minor Addict
Posts: 667
Joined: Sun Aug 27, 2017 6:05 pm
Location: West Yorkshire
MMOC Member: Yes

Re: Waxing Doorsill

Post by pgp001 »

Definitely take of the covers otherwise you will not get the protection where you need it.
Mine had been done by squirting it through some holes in the sill covers and it just covered some very local areas with virtually none getting into the hollow sections inside. Luckily mine had not started to rust in those areas yet.

Image

I would also remove the gearbox cover panel so you can get into the main chassis rails properly, I also added some additional entry holes in the A & B posts and into the chassis rails where the rear seat fits.

Phil P
myoldjalopy
Minor Legend
Posts: 2516
Joined: Tue Jan 29, 2013 10:32 pm
Location: Kernow
MMOC Member: Yes

Re: Waxing Doorsill

Post by myoldjalopy »

"Are you talking about this bar that should be taken off?"
Yes, once that is off you can then remove the kickplate and you will see what is shown in Mike and Phil's pictures, above. That is the recommended route, already endorsed by others - and think yourself lucky you don't have a four-door Minor, as the finisher rail is much longer and has even more of those rusty nuts and bolts! :evil:
As I mentioned above, you could drill through from the inside but much better to open it up and see what it looks like. Your car looks pretty tidy but that doesn't guarantee the sills are rust free inside. And if they are found to be sound, that is extra peace of mind - and also enables you to get the waxoyl into areas which would otherwise get missed by just skeeting it in through some drilled holes.
Tommy23
Minor Friendly
Posts: 10
Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2021 2:52 pm
MMOC Member: No

Re: Waxing Doorsill

Post by Tommy23 »

I have removed the outer bar. Went without problems because the screws were intact. But the kickstep does not go down, because a previous owner has welded the kickstep at both ends to the frame. See photos. Now there is probably nothing left but to drill from the inside. Do you have any tips on how best to go about it. I would now assume the holes as far down as possible to set to get with the probe as deep as possible in the spars Right?
Attachments
28DF044A-B831-4A43-9819-3C6113024DB0.jpeg
28DF044A-B831-4A43-9819-3C6113024DB0.jpeg (493.4 KiB) Viewed 1661 times
myoldjalopy
Minor Legend
Posts: 2516
Joined: Tue Jan 29, 2013 10:32 pm
Location: Kernow
MMOC Member: Yes

Re: Waxing Doorsill

Post by myoldjalopy »

What in God's name did they do that for?? I know its more work - and one job often then leads to another - but I'd be tempted to cut that kick-plate out just to see what's there underneath........I don't like bodges that suggest someone has tried to hide something. I hope I'm wrong in this case. If you lie under the car, how does that area all look from below?
User avatar
geoberni
Minor Legend
Posts: 3561
Joined: Fri Aug 04, 2017 11:19 am
Location: North Leicestershire
MMOC Member: Yes

Re: Waxing Doorsill

Post by geoberni »

myoldjalopy wrote: Tue Mar 16, 2021 3:10 pm What in God's name did they do that for?? I know its more work - and one job often then leads to another - but I'd be tempted to cut that kick-plate out just to see what's there underneath........I don't like bodges that suggest someone has tried to hide something. I hope I'm wrong in this case. If you lie under the car, how does that area all look from below?
Depends when it was done. My SII is in a similar position, it was rebuilt in around 1998/99 and from past discussion around here, replacement panels were not as easy to come by as they are now, so more was done as bespoke engineering.
20200606_143450 (3).jpg
20200606_143450 (3).jpg (720.16 KiB) Viewed 1637 times
Basil has what the manual unhelpfully describes as the 'late type' jacking points on the cross member, not that they are useable. I have no idea at what point they were introduced, but was it as early as the 'revamp' SII?

But even the Cross Member looks to have been bespoke built, because as I discovered, it doesn't have torsion bar adjustment....
20190815_164336.jpg
20190815_164336.jpg (995.53 KiB) Viewed 1637 times
20190815_163934.jpg
20190815_163934.jpg (874.33 KiB) Viewed 1637 times
Basil the 1955 series II

Image
myoldjalopy
Minor Legend
Posts: 2516
Joined: Tue Jan 29, 2013 10:32 pm
Location: Kernow
MMOC Member: Yes

Re: Waxing Doorsill

Post by myoldjalopy »

I can't see why a scarcity of panels would lead anyone to weld the kick plates to the car - its madness! Are you saying Basil has had the same thing done? I don't think the jacking point was ever on the crossmember end on the SII - mine is a 1955 'revamped' model but still has the jacking points in the wheel arches for the screw type jack. I believe the change came in late 1956 with the early 1000 models, which used the triangular-frame type jack and the crossmember jacking points.....
Tommy23
Minor Friendly
Posts: 10
Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2021 2:52 pm
MMOC Member: No

Re: Waxing Doorsill

Post by Tommy23 »

Well it is what it is. There is nothing I can do about it. At the bottom the floor looks very good. Cutting it open I will not do. Desgalb remains for me only the solution from the inside drill. Does anyone have a tip for me regarding the location of the holes. According to my idea, I would put the holes ziemich down to get as deep as possible to the rear. Opinions or tips?
les
Minor Maniac
Posts: 8737
Joined: Tue Feb 12, 2002 12:00 am
Location: kent
MMOC Member: Yes

Re: Waxing Doorsill

Post by les »

The type of action depends on how far you want to go with your vehicle, the length of time you think you will keep the car, the condition of the rest of the bodywork, etc. I would be wondering why that welding was done, especially if I was buying. From the pictures your car looks ok, in which case, and again if it was me, I’d be getting the angle grinder out ! —- but as mentioned it may lead to more discoveries entailing more work, so I’ll refer back to my initial considerations. Good luck either way.

You posted just before me. I now see you will not consider removing the panel, so ignore my advice.

Mark Wilson
Minor Addict
Posts: 956
Joined: Fri Aug 26, 2011 12:42 pm
Location: West Yorkshire
MMOC Member: Yes

Re: Waxing Doorsill

Post by Mark Wilson »

"Cutting it open I will not do". Very much your choice, and there's no right or wrong in this game. However, just to add weight to the open it up argument, the picture below is what I found on my quite clean looking Traveller when I did manage to remove the corroded bolts. Remember that this is a major structural element, more so on a convertible than any other model. The extent of cutting involved may be a lot less than you think - those welds should come off quite neatly using a Dremel with a Speedclic cutting wheel, and a touch in of the paint afterwards.
Attachments
Morris 017.jpg
Morris 017.jpg (239.45 KiB) Viewed 1595 times
jagnut66
Minor Legend
Posts: 3635
Joined: Fri Apr 11, 2008 7:28 pm
Location: Mansfield, Nottinghamshire.
MMOC Member: Yes

Re: Waxing Doorsill

Post by jagnut66 »

And to throw another example of why it's 'best to open it up', my sills kick plates were also 'sealed' in position, to conceal what lay beneath.
Which is why they had to all be replaced and are now in primer, as shown above.
It is your car and therefore your decision, however it is better to know.
If there are any 'horrors' lurking behind your welded on kick plates by the time any rust or holes start to appear it will be ten times worse on the inside.
Best wishes,
Mike.
1954 Series 2: 4 door: "Sally" -- Back on the ground with (slave) wheels and waiting to be resprayed......
1970 Triumph Herald 1200: "Hetty" -- Driven back from Llangollen in Wales (twice.....)
les
Minor Maniac
Posts: 8737
Joined: Tue Feb 12, 2002 12:00 am
Location: kent
MMOC Member: Yes

Re: Waxing Doorsill

Post by les »

I’m not too sure about ‘flexing’ on convertibles and where it occurs but could it be the cover plate welding was an ill advised attempt to either strengthen the body as a precaution or to attempt a solution to an underlying weakness.
Each to their own regarding the remedy !

Post Reply