How well can you see the inner sill membrane? MG side construction is a
sort of three-piece box-beam affair. There's a castle section that forms
two sides, a top section, and a thin galvanized membrane that forms the
fourth outer wall of the beam. Unfortunately, when the outer rocker is
as rusted as you say yours is, it _usually_ means that the membrane is
also weakened. MGs are tough little cars, and you could probably buy a
replaement rocker, cut the section you need, shut yer eyes and weld it
on. When you cut off the rocker section, see how bad the sill membrane
is. If it still seems sound, forget about it...but, if there's rust
there, you're gonna have to go back and fix it sooner or later, and that
means removing the entire rocker which means cutting into the rear
quarter which means a big old mess. Either way, when you get it
finished, make sure you put in new rubber around the splash panels and
seal them well with silicone or something as you replace the front
fenders -- that will help make the rocker last a LOT longer under there
where you can't see it.
I sympathize; my '63 B in "nearly-new" condition was hiding the exact
same problem you have. You can't really tell how bad those sills are
until you get the rockers off, but it's good to remember that when you're
dealing with MGs, it's ALWAYS going to be worse than you had ever
imagined...except for those rare times when you're pleasantly surprised.
My fingers are crossed for you...
-- Marc
GHN3/8214
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