dogbreath_48

I'm sure this has been covered somewhere before but i couldn't turn up anything with a search, so here goes.

I'm toying with the idea of buying an XA-XC as a bit of a resto project; something to toy around with. I don't plan on spending much on the car itself ($800 special style), so I know i'm going to be faced with rusty sills. I think between me and my old man we could handle welding in simple floor sections and the like, and we should have no trouble with rust in door's/outer panels (non-structural stuff, bog jobs) but what really worries me is the sills. Is it difficult to repair/replace rusted sills? what's involved? I imagine i'd have to cut out the whole sill and weld in a replacment panel? Any idea how much replacment sills would cos me? do the questions i've ask suggest i'm already way in over my head?! Are there any other areas that typically cause nightmares?

Whilst i'm at it (really just out of interest), how much would a panel shop charge to repair areas like sills etc?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

-Stu :)

p.s. instead of starting a new thread i'll ask here: which models came with a 351C as standard and which with a 302C?

brenx

Rarespares sell the repair panels. You'll find the $ details on their website www.rarespares.net.au

XA-C all had the option on a 351. Just depends what the purchaser from new wanted.

Brenden

__________________
XB Fairmont (street car) 11.07@123.02mph.

XWish Ute

Like all old cars, rust is always a problem. Also check front and rear lower corners of doors, leading edge of bonnet, around windscreen and bottom of rear window, front guards lower bit behind wheels, under dash up around air intakes (pretty hard to see here - use a torch and get a mate to run water into the vent panel under the screen - a leak here will generally mean rust and big bucks to fix. Lower rear quarters behind rear wheels collect crud and rust out. Also check under battery tray and radiator rupport panel. Floorpans also rust - mainly front ones. Have also seen rust in the top of the doorframe, so have a really good look at all these areas. Check under boot rubber seal as you can get tinworm there too. Be wary of any car that has had the lower panels done in that ripply 'stone guard' as it may be hiding bodgy repairs.

Sounds like a lot but they were certainly no worse than other cars of that era!

Only problem with replacement sills is that they don't have the front and rear ends on them, if yours are rusted out, you will have to fabricate them yourself.

IMHO go the 351 - weighs about the same as a 302C and has greater output!