Door Gap After Sill Replacement

**Pattymac** · 11-09-2014, 01:43 AM

Hey guys quick question, when replacing the sills, is welding a bar in the door jams essential to stop the door gap messing up or not? Could it be corrected with some adjustment of the front quarter? Probably gunna do one side at a time if that changes anything.

Cheers

**"Z" UTE** · 11-09-2014, 01:32 PM

Pattymac, I see where you are coming from. The factory utilizes spot welding, this keeps the heating to a minimum and avoids the expansion problems. You can hire a spot welder from the good hire shops, or you could buy a cheapish one off the interweb. They are heavy suckers though and next time I have to borrow my mates I will be slinging it from the engine crane.

Tack both ends, tack middle, spot both ends, spot middle then fill in the gaps alternating spots from one side of centre to the other, Just take you time ad if the tempo starts getting up take a smoko break, or use a damp cloth to pull the het from the metal.

If you use Tig or Mig, do spot welds, absolutely no need for a continuous seam weld. Silica Bronze works well for panel steel, requires a lot les heat to accomplish the task and is ideal for homemade spotwelds.

cheers Chuck.

**Pattymac** · 11-09-2014, 02:14 PM

I'm aware spot welds are the way to go, alternating weld locations to distribute heat evenly etc. but from what I read, just removing the sills takes away some of the structural strength and the chassis may shift a couple mm. This is a pic from a bloke of 1stgen, using some kind of brace.

Silly 1stgencelica isn't taking new members and the forum is set to private, there's a lot of info on there I would like to take in

**lexsmaz** · 11-09-2014, 03:59 PM

Sagging is possibly an issue ??, trouble is if you don't brace it & then take off the sill & the body then sags it all going to turn to shit & you are not going to be able to fix it by just adjusting the front guard as the whole squareness of the car could change, the size & shape of the actual door opening could change ..

I would say it also depends greatly on if the car is jacked up & where it is supported & if the motor is still in etc etc ..

**ToyTA22** · 11-09-2014, 04:41 PM

I did my passenger side about 2 years ago and used blocks and jacks to just support the main rail and just inside inner sill with no distortion problems. If you are only replacing outside sill, as in photo above, you shouldn't have any problem because the inner panel and door jam give the door opening strength. Only if you remove inner and outer or remove outer and door jam will you have trouble.

**Pattymac** · 11-09-2014, 05:25 PM

Awesome, yep only the outer sill. So, engine is in, I should be able to get away with car up on stands ?

**ToyTA22** · 11-09-2014, 05:38 PM

Best bet is support car on ramps or blocks under front wheels and jack stands under outer diff housing, so weight is as if were standing on wheels, then do as I did supporting main rail and floor at inner sill with blocks and screw jacks. wind up screw jacks so they just touch floor and rails. Should have no problems.