The old tin worm has struck my sills - Page 2

johnnyb44 · 5th September 2020, 12:55

This morning i went to have a look at another car. It was relatively new and got down the road really well. It didn't have the unique qualities of the Rover but it was a cheap to run Euro box that had no character what so ever. Making the hard decision to buy it i went off to the cash point to put a deposit on it.
Whilst driving the Rover back into town to draw the money out, i felt gutted to think my old car would be sold on to someone who would run it into ground as a cheap hack.
Ironically all the cash machines seem to be out of the service and when the last one failed to be working, i thought "is this a message from above"
Walking back to the car i bumped into an old friend who by chance is a welder/metal fabricator. We got talking about my predicament and he spoke some words of wisdom. He's well into his classic motorcycles and told me i was mad to throw the towel in with the car as its in such great overall condition.. With even more thinking and the advice given i just can't part with it, and have decided to committ into getting it all sorted out properly,
In the cold day of light, yes it's only piece of metal and plastic (a touch of rust) but it's a family friend that's served me well and i cannot bear to let it go.

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

johnnyb44 · 5th September 2020, 22:46

I think the above post speaks volumes. If you treat a car as just a means of transport and look at it purely of what it costs to repair against it's value, this is when an older car will find its way to the scrap yard. Its all to easy to sit there and add up the costs of this as well as the consumables it needs such as tyres ect. The cop out solution is to sell it on and buy something newer.
I've certainly made this mistake this week, but after heeding advice from friends and club members ive decided to keep it. In the grand scheme of things, yes the work needed on sill repairs and two new tyres will no doubt probably cost as much as the cars worth, but this work doesn't need to be done all at once. A new sill repair this week and then i can have few weeks to recover financially before concentrating on the other sill. You've got to break the jobs down into smaller projects and get them sorted out one at a time,
If you look at the whole picture it can become a somewhat depressing and overwhelming affair.
Sitting down the pub tonight talking about cars i was listening to some of the problems my mates were having with there's. DPF filters and baffling electrical issues. . The money they where throwing at their cars was eye watering, and that's not even including the finance payments on them.
It adds a new light onto spending a few bob on my car. A few 100 pounds on something that's mechanically reliable and looks amazing is a small price to pay. It's at rock bottom value now and can't depreciate any further unlike my friends cars The only direction the 75/ZT can go nowadays is up. This combined with feeling sentimental about the old thing makes it a no brainer to get it sorted

planenut · 6th September 2020, 06:41

Nice to understand you are going to repair rather than rid. Not everybody who evade the repair issue are showing a total disrespect to our marque;; for some, it is too daunting, it is the unknown. There is a major difference between using a car and liking it.

johnnyb44 · 8th September 2020, 16:43

Well it's been in the Garage today to get its sill sorted out. I'm no expert by any means but it now looks really good and judging by all the pictures they've taken, they've done a thorough professional job. Tomorrow it's being painted so should have it back later on tomorrow. I'm trying desperately to see how to upload the pictures but for the life of me can't see any options to do it. The hole turned out to be a a little bigger but thankfully it didn't spread into the inner sill. It's all been cut back to clean metal and new metal work fabricated and welded in. I feel comfortable with this garage who did the job. The cars they are currently working on are eye-wateringly expensive classic cars and having a look around them you can see the quality of work that's been put into them.
In fact it felt somewhat embarrassing presenting for old rover to them to be welded, but the staff and owner where very nice and enthusiastic towards my car as they are towards to Bentley and Rolls Royce they've got.
Well done to the guys at Oswestry Classic car sales

suzublu · 8th September 2020, 16:54

Got mine done last year

It runs · 8th September 2020, 21:34

I had osr tinworm 3 year's ago. Only a couple of inches. Cut the lot out made new panel seam welded it in . Painted ect.

it was well rust proofed but the rust proofing hadn't hit the last 6 inches of the inner sill. So maybe it was a Friday car.
If your sills are still good . Maybe get inside with the waxoil and double dose while you can.

What struck me was how superficial the sill was it really is a thin cover over a very strong chassis.

And that is one quality repair as you must know .

I purchased steel plate and beat my own panel
I have made lots of panels in the past I never thaught to see if a panel was available

5th September 2020, 12:55	#11
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	This morning i went to have a look at another car. It was relatively new and got down the road really well. It didn't have the unique qualities of the Rover but it was a cheap to run Euro box that had no character what so ever. Making the hard decision to buy it i went off to the cash point to put a deposit on it. Whilst driving the Rover back into town to draw the money out, i felt gutted to think my old car would be sold on to someone who would run it into ground as a cheap hack. Ironically all the cash machines seem to be out of the service and when the last one failed to be working, i thought "is this a message from above" Walking back to the car i bumped into an old friend who by chance is a welder/metal fabricator. We got talking about my predicament and he spoke some words of wisdom. He's well into his classic motorcycles and told me i was mad to throw the towel in with the car as its in such great overall condition.. With even more thinking and the advice given i just can't part with it, and have decided to committ into getting it all sorted out properly, In the cold day of light, yes it's only piece of metal and plastic (a touch of rust) but it's a family friend that's served me well and i cannot bear to let it go. __________________ 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, 13:00	#12
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	#13
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	#14
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	#15
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)

5th September 2020, 22:46	#16
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	I think the above post speaks volumes. If you treat a car as just a means of transport and look at it purely of what it costs to repair against it's value, this is when an older car will find its way to the scrap yard. Its all to easy to sit there and add up the costs of this as well as the consumables it needs such as tyres ect. The cop out solution is to sell it on and buy something newer. I've certainly made this mistake this week, but after heeding advice from friends and club members ive decided to keep it. In the grand scheme of things, yes the work needed on sill repairs and two new tyres will no doubt probably cost as much as the cars worth, but this work doesn't need to be done all at once. A new sill repair this week and then i can have few weeks to recover financially before concentrating on the other sill. You've got to break the jobs down into smaller projects and get them sorted out one at a time, If you look at the whole picture it can become a somewhat depressing and overwhelming affair. Sitting down the pub tonight talking about cars i was listening to some of the problems my mates were having with there's. DPF filters and baffling electrical issues. . The money they where throwing at their cars was eye watering, and that's not even including the finance payments on them. It adds a new light onto spending a few bob on my car. A few 100 pounds on something that's mechanically reliable and looks amazing is a small price to pay. It's at rock bottom value now and can't depreciate any further unlike my friends cars The only direction the 75/ZT can go nowadays is up. This combined with feeling sentimental about the old thing makes it a no brainer to get it sorted __________________ 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..

6th September 2020, 06:41	#17
planenut Regional Secretary Rover 1.8T Tourer Join Date: May 2007 Location: Heathrow Posts: 6,955 Thanks: 1,551 Thanked 2,036 Times in 1,264 Posts	Nice to understand you are going to repair rather than rid. Not everybody who evade the repair issue are showing a total disrespect to our marque;; for some, it is too daunting, it is the unknown. There is a major difference between using a car and liking it.

8th September 2020, 16:43	#18
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	Well it's been in the Garage today to get its sill sorted out. I'm no expert by any means but it now looks really good and judging by all the pictures they've taken, they've done a thorough professional job. Tomorrow it's being painted so should have it back later on tomorrow. I'm trying desperately to see how to upload the pictures but for the life of me can't see any options to do it. The hole turned out to be a a little bigger but thankfully it didn't spread into the inner sill. It's all been cut back to clean metal and new metal work fabricated and welded in. I feel comfortable with this garage who did the job. The cars they are currently working on are eye-wateringly expensive classic cars and having a look around them you can see the quality of work that's been put into them. In fact it felt somewhat embarrassing presenting for old rover to them to be welded, but the staff and owner where very nice and enthusiastic towards my car as they are towards to Bentley and Rolls Royce they've got. Well done to the guys at Oswestry Classic car sales __________________ 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.. Last edited by johnnyb44; 8th September 2020 at 17:00..

8th September 2020, 16:54	#19
suzublu This is my second home rover 75 1.8 vvc club se wedgwood blue Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Seaton Carew Posts: 26,920 Thanks: 65 Thanked 7,142 Times in 4,642 Posts	Got mine done last year

8th September 2020, 21:34	#20
It runs Avid contributor Rover 75 saloon Join Date: Aug 2020 Location: Skelmersdale Posts: 181 Thanks: 15 Thanked 49 Times in 42 Posts	I had osr tinworm 3 year's ago. Only a couple of inches. Cut the lot out made new panel seam welded it in . Painted ect. it was well rust proofed but the rust proofing hadn't hit the last 6 inches of the inner sill. So maybe it was a Friday car. If your sills are still good . Maybe get inside with the waxoil and double dose while you can. What struck me was how superficial the sill was it really is a thin cover over a very strong chassis. And that is one quality repair as you must know . I purchased steel plate and beat my own panel I have made lots of panels in the past I never thaught to see if a panel was available Last edited by It runs; 8th September 2020 at 21:37..