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Triumph TR6 - One small milestone

Well the weather is changing and the driver's side sill, B pillar are tacked in, time to flip the car around and dig into the passenger side.
http://static.flickr.com/105/290140921_471ae6c900_o.jpg
http://static.flickr.com/114/290140919_de55bb6999_b.jpg

There is still some clean up of welds to take care of but I am going to wait until the body is off the frame so it is easier to get around the car.
I also kept the sill caps off until I can boil a few candles and pour them into the sills.

The passenger side is rough and the floor, upper and lower sill will be replaced.

Here's a question to those who have done this? How do you keep the A pillar from hitting the ground after you have removed the sills and floor?

For now, the nose is pointed out and the passenger side is on the business end of the garage.
http://static.flickr.com/99/290140922_9fd15fea71_o.jpg
http://static.flickr.com/119/290140923_d8d6ef0aa1_o.jpg
Thanks,
Tom
Tom C


Nice job Tom. Brings back memories of when I replaced my sills. Big job isn't it? It's alot of fun cutting the old one out. Especially under the pillar "feet". It looks like you replaced the kick panel too and welded it over the sill flange. I had to weld my flange over the kick panel.

Is the unfinished side worse than the finished side was? Proabably since you are removing the floor too.

Don't know about the sag when you remove the sill and the floor but it looks like you have some good bracing in there. I suppose you could put a floor jack and a board under that area.

You'll have it ready for spring right?

Henry
HP Henry Patterson

Looking Good Tom,

I am not surte you need any more support if you do no plan on removing the baffle and the inner fender.

Henry's idea of the jack is probably enough but if you want more, if you don't plan on moving the car until you weld in the new parts. you might be able to tack a support column on it to the floor.

Mike Petryschuk
Michael S. Petryschuk

Hi Henry and Michael,
Since I didn't need to remove the inner sill on the driver's side, it was a real pain cutting out the outer sill around the kick pannel. Eventually, I had to cut the kick pannel 1/8" above the sill and then drill out the spot welds.
After the new sill was installed, I welded a new strip of metal at the bottom of the kick pannel. You must overlap the pannel or everytime it rains you will have a wet foot. I am still working on a solution to drain the scuttle vent below the floor.
The passenger side is not as nice as the driver's. The first 3" of floor pan is rotten along the inner sill. The forward part of the inner sill is missing and the lower lip of the floor pan is non existant. I like the ideal of making some sort of pedestal to the floor
Here is an early photo, the sawzall and cutoff wheel made quick work of this mess.
http://static.flickr.com/24/55602822_532ca56ce8_b.jpg

It is a ton of work but I am lucky that the car came with Stanpart sills and front fenders. I got the floor pan from Wishbone Classics. Kai's price was better than the big three and he accepts paypal.
Tom
Tom C

"I am still working on a solution to drain the scuttle vent below the floor"

Tom - You are right to be concerned about this. The original drain slots are very prone to clogging with leaf debris and tin worm breeds easily.

I brazed in a copper pipe through the sill and sealed and clamped a single length of hose over it before fitting the baffle plate. The pipe slants back slightly from vertical and projects 1/2" below the sill. It is vitually invisible unless you are below the car.

Roger H


Tom,

My sills were not as rotted as yours. I just had a few small holes in the underside of the sills below the doors. So to replace the entire sills I had to cut away solid metal. As far as the kick panel.. I simply cut the old sill off at the flange that is tucked underneath the sill. In other words I left the old flange welded under the kick panel and welded the new sill flange on top of that. Since I never opened up the kick panel to remove the old flange I do not get any leaks on my foot. As for the scuttle drain, I didn't change anything. Good thing I avoid driving it in the rain...mostly.

Henry
HP Henry Patterson

Tom, excellent idea keeping the body on the frame until after the body repairs are done. The frame will keep your reference points correct. Those sills are the only real strength in the body. Yeah you have a bit of fun ahead of you, although I have to say and some may think I'm crazy, but your pics of your car just as it is right now are more beautiful and more exciting than a finished car. It's the potenial, the posibilities, and that first drive when she's done.
Please keep us posted with pics.
Chris
Christopher Trace

Hey Roger,
One question about brazing copper pipe to steel- will the copper sacrifice itself to the steel (cathode - annode thing)?
Christopher - I was amazed how strong the sills were when I welded them together. On the inner seam between the inner/outer sills, I took a long stick covered in roofing tar and sealed up the gap between the pannels.
TC
Tom C

What Roger describes is similar to what I did for the scuttle drains. A plastic hose to a verticle copper pipe to a hose. I fit the plastic hose through the sill (behind the interior panel) and have it drain to the ground out the bottom of the sill. The plastic insulates the copper from the steel so no cathodic activity will occur.

Tom- I also used a long stick to fill in the seam with seam sealer on the inner and outer sill.

I have to say great minds think alike.

Regards

Mike Petryschuk
Michael S. Petryschuk

I should add that I think the original scuttle drain design was very poor. Draining into the space between the inner and outer fender on top of the front part of the sill and no where else for it to go was a recipe for corrosion.
Michael S. Petryschuk

I replaced (or will when I get this puzzle reassembled) the scuttle drain hose with one the same diameter, just long enough to reach and extend through the baffle plate (which I had powder coated), so now the water will drain to the rear of the front wheel and not into the cavity between the A post and the baffle plate. Cheapest and most effective solution for me. Hose cost a couple $s.
db
Doug Baker

Hi, Tom
I have scuttle drain problem. This is something on top of my list this winter. Since you have you body striped, can you share some pictures with us to show how this is set up? I could find any detail of it. I suspect somewhere is clogged up, but I am not too sure where. If I put a hose on the scuttle vent, water will come down on my feet.
thanks
Paddy
Paddy Kan

Hi Paddy,
No problem, I assume your interior is still installed because the metal drain tube (where the hose is connected) is directly above your left leg. The factory rubber hose attaches to this metal part and makes a tight bend thru the side pannel and sticks out about 4 inches behind the front left fender.
I'll post some pix in the next couple of days.
TC
Tom C

Here are the pix, sorry it took so long but my camera quit on me and I just picked up a new one (Cannon Power Shot 530)
Here is the outlet tube from the scuttle. To get a reference of the position, the hood release bracket is directly below it.
http://static.flickr.com/134/319909560_fbbbe4a4fa_b.jpg

The rubber hose goes thru the side pannel via the top right hole. The lower left hole is for your radio antenna. The factory hose will stick out about 3-4 inches and that's it.
http://static.flickr.com/137/319909563_a03061c3cc_b.jpg

I will continue the tube below the sill, I'll post the pictures when I get to that point. I just tacked in the passenger side floor pan so I am concentrating on welding up the right side inner and outer sills next.
Tom
Tom C

When I restored this part I was advised to reroute the scuttle drainage. I drilled a hole by the door mounts and the rubber hose (shortend to about 10 cm)is putted in this hole. The water drainage is now leaded directly to the outside and not through the front quarter panel.

My 2 cents
Eric de Lange

This thread was discussed between 06/11/2006 and 12/12/2006

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