On Wed, 10 Nov 1999, Shannon Cole wrote:
> am about ready to replace the sills on my never-ending project and was
> wondering if it was worth the trouble to fabricate new sills myself or just
> buy new from one of the big three? Also wondering what is proper gauge
> metal, my are to far gone to measure. And back to the 1st question,
If you are so inclined to make lots of noise beating the metal into shape,
go for the sheet steel. Prefabbed parts are nice but aren't usually as
thick as the original steel.
I got a new outer rocker for my TR4, it couldn't have been more than 22 ga
steel. The original was 20 ga, which isn't much thicker, but gets stiffer
when bent. (also is harder to bend!)
I also got a 4x8 sheet of 20ga sheet steel. The sills are fairly easy to
do they are mostly straight lines, and the compound curves can be faked
with the welding torch and a hammer (especially where nobody will see the
results)
The 20ga rocker is stronger than the 22ga one, but I do not know by how
much (and am not about to test them!)
If you can, get some 20 gauge sheet steel anyway, you will need it for
small patches. You may not need a full sheet (get some cutoffs and
scraps, they will be easier to get than big pieces!)
> materials would cost near nothing as I have a friend at a steel mill, so
> basically all I would have invested is the labor which I would do myself.
You will find that there will be much more materials expended (welding
gas, grinding wheels, paint, blood) if you make your own parts. But then
you'll also have intimate knowledge of EVERY SINGLE PART in the body, and
you'll have the satisfaction of having it done by you.
-Malcolm
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