The old tin worm has struck my sills

johnnyb44 · 30th August 2020, 23:29

Hi and hope you're all well,
This weekend i got the old car in for a general engine service at my local garage. After a couple of hours i got the phone call to say it's all done. Driving off i had that nice feeling of having a good car of it being serviced and went home. As the feel good factor was there i decided to give it a clean up and general check up underneath the car,and to my horror i discovered the dreaded tin worm had taken a fancy to my sill. Reading posts here this problem mostly strikes the rear section of our cars but mine has struck, up at the front directly underneath the wing.
The hole i managed to push through is about the size of a 50p coin but will no doubt be bigger if i look hard enough.
Feeling totally dissolutioned and negative i made a snap decision to call it day with this car and move on to something a bit newer, with the thinking that once the tin worm starts its an mpossible battle to win.
Today i went on a new car hunting spree with a budget of around 2k.
After viewing a host of small cars that were anything between 5 to 10 years newer than my rover i was shocked to see how shoddy they were. On top they looked reasonably good, but underneath the rust was absolutely shocking on some of them. It really put some perspective on how well the trusty rover has held up over the years of ownership. So tonight after some hard thinking i decided to hang on to 75 and get the sill repaired.
In hindsight its been the best car I've ever had, and has served me well over the last 8 years. There's been very few problems to contend with and selling it on when its worth next to nothing is crazy, especially as its mechanically perfect and still looks amazing. It would be a crying shame to let it go for peanuts to someone who will probably run it into the ground as a cheap hack.
These cars are at a turning point now were there at there lowest resealable value, but i really do think there values will increase soon due to their increasing rarity and interest amongst a bygone manufacturer of Rover.
So i think it's time to bite the bullet and invest in my trusty 75 and give it some TLC and repay it back for the good service and enjoyment it's given me over the years
All the very best,
Johnny

BoroRover · 31st August 2020, 06:20

I reckon you have made the right decision. Where are you ever going to find a car, that is going to cost you a fair amount, that is anywhere near the quality and finesse of your trusty 75 ?
An investment that is much less costly in your 75, than it would be to buy a " run of the mill", trundler, is a much safer bet. Having owned your 75 for 8 years, you know your car. You know it hasn't been abused. Can't guarantee that on other used cars.

vitesse · 31st August 2020, 07:13

Front sill, unusual, but help is at hand in the forum of Mr Thomas Hobbs who makes repair panels for our Rovers. I've seen a picture of his front repair sections which are a mirror of his high standard rears.

Contact information: https://www.tjhobbs.com/contact.html

Regards

johnnyb44 · 31st August 2020, 07:47

Thanks for the positive feedback and link. I think after having the car for so long and not having to many problems with it, ive become a little complacent in thinking it will last forever and things like corrosion will never become an issue. It's sometimes all to easy to forget its nearly twenty years old now and must accept things like rotting sills are likely to strike.
In the last 8 years of ownership ive never bothered looking at other newer cars to closely, but yesterdays outing to see what's on the market for around the 2k market was a bit of an eye opener. The cars i was looking at where mainly small mid range affairs and couldn't help but feel how dull they were and character less Looking underneath them really showed there cheapness with horrors of rusting floor pans. It just made me realise how good our cars have faired up to the elements of the years of use.
Today I'm going to try and cut the rot on the sill and assess how bad and extensive it is. Once opened up and cleaned up i will give the internals a treatment of kurust or something similar and then book it in somewhere to get it welded up professionally. I'm holding my breath it's not to bad, but doing some of the work myself will give me a better idea of what and how bad it really is and give the garage a small head start on tackling the job

johnnyb44 · 31st August 2020, 10:15

Just been having a dig around the sill this morning. It appears to have rotten from the front jacking point and up towards the front mud flap. The 50p sized hole has now turned into a 3 inch strip along the bottom of the sill. On a more positive note its given me a fair idea as to the extent of crustyness going ons and it only seems to be the outer skin that's affected. The inner sill looks remarkably uneffected which should keep the costs low.
To the untrained eye of mine it looks like moisture has got trapping in this small section and can not escape because of the box section being blocked off by the jacking point cross section. Once this is sorted I'm tempted to drill a small hole in this new section to allow water to drain away and for easy access to spray rust prevention treatment into it from time to time.

Yorkshire GOC · 31st August 2020, 10:26

Unusual for the front of the sill around the pads to rot - normally the rear sills near the rear jacking pad to rot- but i noticed you mention mudflaps - many folk on here avoid fitting them as they are considered muck/rust traps which may explain why your front sill has tim worm.

trikey · 5th September 2020, 13:00

Well done, get it repaired correctly and you will have peace of mind, I have seen a couple of cars where the front sill has suffered.

Overall, the bodywork is very good on our cars for the age of them.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

SideValve · 5th September 2020, 18:53

Its definitely worth getting it welded. As long as the rot is fully removed it then just a matter of whether you go for a cheaper plate or a more expensive invisible repair and thats down to you.
Don't be tempted to think that buying a newer car will necessarily be cheaper. Most of my colleagues at work are VW/Audi fans and I have to say they look good and go well. But, my word, the amount they spend on servicing is eyewatering. And then of course there is the financing & depreciation. Believe me it makes a few hundred sorting the sill out look like an absolute bargain.

Incidentally for welding inspiration .... https://www.youtube.com/user/nitrosilvia

johnnyb44 · 5th September 2020, 21:14

Many thanks for the encouragement and support. It's issues like this that ends the life of our car if your not an enthusiast. I can imagine many 75/ZT will end there lives soon due to rotted sill and uncaring owners. Getting over this hurdle will hopefully preserve my car to fight another day and enjoy it magic grip it has on me

cbr1100xx · 5th September 2020, 21:52

Another vote for keeping it going.
It's not so painful if you can spread the Repairs over a period of time.

I was in the same sort of situation as you and had a look round and there was nothing around.
I could of got a newer zt but then in a couple of years would of been back to square one.

I acquired all the parts for the front end over a few months which didn't seem to attract to much attention from the wife.(although the heated electric leather seats took some explaining.

Next up is the rear end so I have started looking for parts for that.

49 mile round trip for work 6 days a week and it's a pleasure everyday.
You obviously enjoy your car so think of it as an investment rather than repairs

Stan

30th August 2020, 23:29	#1
johnnyb44 I really should get out more....... Rover 75 Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: north wales Posts: 2,705 Thanks: 1,774 Thanked 902 Times in 507 Posts	The old tin worm has struck my sills Hi and hope you're all well, This weekend i got the old car in for a general engine service at my local garage. After a couple of hours i got the phone call to say it's all done. Driving off i had that nice feeling of having a good car of it being serviced and went home. As the feel good factor was there i decided to give it a clean up and general check up underneath the car,and to my horror i discovered the dreaded tin worm had taken a fancy to my sill. Reading posts here this problem mostly strikes the rear section of our cars but mine has struck, up at the front directly underneath the wing. The hole i managed to push through is about the size of a 50p coin but will no doubt be bigger if i look hard enough. Feeling totally dissolutioned and negative i made a snap decision to call it day with this car and move on to something a bit newer, with the thinking that once the tin worm starts its an mpossible battle to win. Today i went on a new car hunting spree with a budget of around 2k. After viewing a host of small cars that were anything between 5 to 10 years newer than my rover i was shocked to see how shoddy they were. On top they looked reasonably good, but underneath the rust was absolutely shocking on some of them. It really put some perspective on how well the trusty rover has held up over the years of ownership. So tonight after some hard thinking i decided to hang on to 75 and get the sill repaired. In hindsight its been the best car I've ever had, and has served me well over the last 8 years. There's been very few problems to contend with and selling it on when its worth next to nothing is crazy, especially as its mechanically perfect and still looks amazing. It would be a crying shame to let it go for peanuts to someone who will probably run it into the ground as a cheap hack. These cars are at a turning point now were there at there lowest resealable value, but i really do think there values will increase soon due to their increasing rarity and interest amongst a bygone manufacturer of Rover. So i think it's time to bite the bullet and invest in my trusty 75 and give it some TLC and repay it back for the good service and enjoyment it's given me over the years All the very best, Johnny __________________ Replaced pcv filter, springs, plenum spy hole mod,Bonnet cable divider mod. Wax oiled.Air con recharged. Auto box oil changed , Jules plenum guard fitted .Smoked wind deflectors fitted.S/S Compensator.Club Grill Badge kindly donated by Andyg2011..

31st August 2020, 06:20	#2
BoroRover Posted a thing or two Rover 75 Join Date: Sep 2016 Location: Middlesbrough Posts: 1,518 Thanks: 1,861 Thanked 723 Times in 471 Posts	I reckon you have made the right decision. Where are you ever going to find a car, that is going to cost you a fair amount, that is anywhere near the quality and finesse of your trusty 75 ? An investment that is much less costly in your 75, than it would be to buy a " run of the mill", trundler, is a much safer bet. Having owned your 75 for 8 years, you know your car. You know it hasn't been abused. Can't guarantee that on other used cars. Last edited by BoroRover; 31st August 2020 at 12:21..

31st August 2020, 07:47	#4
johnnyb44 I really should get out more....... Rover 75 Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: north wales Posts: 2,705 Thanks: 1,774 Thanked 902 Times in 507 Posts	Thanks for the positive feedback and link. I think after having the car for so long and not having to many problems with it, ive become a little complacent in thinking it will last forever and things like corrosion will never become an issue. It's sometimes all to easy to forget its nearly twenty years old now and must accept things like rotting sills are likely to strike. In the last 8 years of ownership ive never bothered looking at other newer cars to closely, but yesterdays outing to see what's on the market for around the 2k market was a bit of an eye opener. The cars i was looking at where mainly small mid range affairs and couldn't help but feel how dull they were and character less Looking underneath them really showed there cheapness with horrors of rusting floor pans. It just made me realise how good our cars have faired up to the elements of the years of use. Today I'm going to try and cut the rot on the sill and assess how bad and extensive it is. Once opened up and cleaned up i will give the internals a treatment of kurust or something similar and then book it in somewhere to get it welded up professionally. I'm holding my breath it's not to bad, but doing some of the work myself will give me a better idea of what and how bad it really is and give the garage a small head start on tackling the job __________________ Replaced pcv filter, springs, plenum spy hole mod,Bonnet cable divider mod. Wax oiled.Air con recharged. Auto box oil changed , Jules plenum guard fitted .Smoked wind deflectors fitted.S/S Compensator.Club Grill Badge kindly donated by Andyg2011..

31st August 2020, 10:15	#5
johnnyb44 I really should get out more....... Rover 75 Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: north wales Posts: 2,705 Thanks: 1,774 Thanked 902 Times in 507 Posts	Just been having a dig around the sill this morning. It appears to have rotten from the front jacking point and up towards the front mud flap. The 50p sized hole has now turned into a 3 inch strip along the bottom of the sill. On a more positive note its given me a fair idea as to the extent of crustyness going ons and it only seems to be the outer skin that's affected. The inner sill looks remarkably uneffected which should keep the costs low. To the untrained eye of mine it looks like moisture has got trapping in this small section and can not escape because of the box section being blocked off by the jacking point cross section. Once this is sorted I'm tempted to drill a small hole in this new section to allow water to drain away and for easy access to spray rust prevention treatment into it from time to time. __________________ Replaced pcv filter, springs, plenum spy hole mod,Bonnet cable divider mod. Wax oiled.Air con recharged. Auto box oil changed , Jules plenum guard fitted .Smoked wind deflectors fitted.S/S Compensator.Club Grill Badge kindly donated by Andyg2011..

31st August 2020, 10:26	#6
Yorkshire GOC I really should get out more....... Rover 75 connoisseur se v6 auto Join Date: May 2014 Location: Hull Posts: 2,067 Thanks: 1,842 Thanked 623 Times in 469 Posts	Unusual for the front of the sill around the pads to rot - normally the rear sills near the rear jacking pad to rot- but i noticed you mention mudflaps - many folk on here avoid fitting them as they are considered muck/rust traps which may explain why your front sill has tim worm. __________________ She came off the Longbridge Line on 20-05-2003 The Silver Machine was the 13th of 160 Rover 75's to come off the production line that day and is the 100th of 527 Starlight Silver Rover 75 2.5 V6 Connoisseur SE Auto saloons listed in the build records produced world wide.

31st August 2020, 07:13	#3
vitesse I really should get out more....... Rover 75 Saloon Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Gävle Posts: 2,534 Thanks: 395 Thanked 823 Times in 652 Posts	Front sill, unusual, but help is at hand in the forum of Mr Thomas Hobbs who makes repair panels for our Rovers. I've seen a picture of his front repair sections which are a mirror of his high standard rears. Contact information: https://www.tjhobbs.com/contact.html Regards

5th September 2020, 13:00	#7
trikey Premium Trader Rover 75 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Devon Posts: 33,772 Thanks: 8,837 Thanked 14,831 Times in 8,030 Posts	Well done, get it repaired correctly and you will have peace of mind, I have seen a couple of cars where the front sill has suffered. Overall, the bodywork is very good on our cars for the age of them. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk __________________ Lest we forget..

5th September 2020, 18:53	#8
SideValve Gets stuck in Rover 75 Saloon Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Oxford Posts: 767 Thanks: 141 Thanked 204 Times in 141 Posts	Its definitely worth getting it welded. As long as the rot is fully removed it then just a matter of whether you go for a cheaper plate or a more expensive invisible repair and thats down to you. Don't be tempted to think that buying a newer car will necessarily be cheaper. Most of my colleagues at work are VW/Audi fans and I have to say they look good and go well. But, my word, the amount they spend on servicing is eyewatering. And then of course there is the financing & depreciation. Believe me it makes a few hundred sorting the sill out look like an absolute bargain. Incidentally for welding inspiration .... https://www.youtube.com/user/nitrosilvia __________________ The Story So Far: Austin A35, Morris Oxford, Triumph Herald, Mini 850, Mini 1000, Austin Allegro, MG Midget, MGB GT, Rover SD1 2600, Austin Maxi, Rover 200, Rover 825, Rover 800, Bedford TK, Range Rover 3.9 efi, Rover 400, Rover 100, MGF, Rover 25, Rover 75 1.8, Rover 75 Connoisseur SE 2.0 V6, MGF 1.8i, Rover 75 Connoisseur 2.0 V6 Auto, Morris Eight Series E, Morris Minor 1275.

5th September 2020, 21:14	#9
johnnyb44 I really should get out more....... Rover 75 Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: north wales Posts: 2,705 Thanks: 1,774 Thanked 902 Times in 507 Posts	Many thanks for the encouragement and support. It's issues like this that ends the life of our car if your not an enthusiast. I can imagine many 75/ZT will end there lives soon due to rotted sill and uncaring owners. Getting over this hurdle will hopefully preserve my car to fight another day and enjoy it magic grip it has on me __________________ Replaced pcv filter, springs, plenum spy hole mod,Bonnet cable divider mod. Wax oiled.Air con recharged. Auto box oil changed , Jules plenum guard fitted .Smoked wind deflectors fitted.S/S Compensator.Club Grill Badge kindly donated by Andyg2011..

5th September 2020, 21:52	#10
cbr1100xx Gets stuck in VW touareg Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: dunsop bridge Posts: 870 Thanks: 225 Thanked 414 Times in 235 Posts	Another vote for keeping it going. It's not so painful if you can spread the Repairs over a period of time. I was in the same sort of situation as you and had a look round and there was nothing around. I could of got a newer zt but then in a couple of years would of been back to square one. I acquired all the parts for the front end over a few months which didn't seem to attract to much attention from the wife.(although the heated electric leather seats took some explaining. Next up is the rear end so I have started looking for parts for that. 49 mile round trip for work 6 days a week and it's a pleasure everyday. You obviously enjoy your car so think of it as an investment rather than repairs Stan __________________ WE WERE BOTH BORN ON THE 4th of JULY CAR DIED 15/11/2022---I'M STILL GOING (JUST)