Manalishis Mk 1a 827 Vitesse (manual)

[Fastback]

Another very good material for creating rear shelves is PVC foam board as it is very light. You would probably need to make some kind of box section (like the original shelf) to give it strength and it certainly would be no good to take speakers. But it is easy to use and once covered would look good.

[scoobyh123]

Is this the sort of thing you mean Mark?

Seems they do all different sizes of it in varying thicknesses as well, just picked that listing to check it was the right sort of stuff.

Do you happen to know if it can be moulded to shape with a heat gun or similar?

[Manalishi]

Henrik - a very sill thought crossed my mind - you haven't got the fader set all the way to the front have you?

No one of the new speakers are blown. Haven’t had the chance to hook up the old ones yet. I went to my other garage instead and fiddled some with my ”new” drivers door. Almost totally rust free. All in I have three doors there now and I plan to rip the inner panel off all of them to spray the inside black first, then turning to the outside.

The plan is to get the sill welded on thursday or friday as we are having days off from work and it looks like the weather is getting better.

[scoobyh123]

Sounds like you have a good plan there Henrik! Been nice weather here today and as the correct socket for the hub-nut on my Volvo landed today, i was finally able to fix my ABS problem.

I'm sure the good weather will help you get a good conclusion as well!

[Fastback]

Is this the sort of thing you mean Mark?

Seems they do all different sizes of it in varying thicknesses as well, just picked that listing to check it was the right sort of stuff.

Do you happen to know if it can be moulded to shape with a heat gun or similar?

Yes. It can be shaped into curves and heat might help. Have to admit I have not used it for such a large area as a parcel shelf but it is certainly used for making custom sections (consoles, door panels, etc) in vehicles.

[scoobyh123]

Is this the sort of thing you mean Mark?

Seems they do all different sizes of it in varying thicknesses as well, just picked that listing to check it was the right sort of stuff.

Do you happen to know if it can be moulded to shape with a heat gun or similar?

Yes. It can be shaped into curves and heat might help. Have to admit I have not used it for such a large area as a parcel shelf but it is certainly used for making custom sections (consoles, door panels, etc) in vehicles.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm...................................................... ideas...........................................

[Manalishi]

Is this the sort of thing you mean Mark?

Seems they do all different sizes of it in varying thicknesses as well, just picked that listing to check it was the right sort of stuff.

Do you happen to know if it can be moulded to shape with a heat gun or similar?

Yes. It can be shaped into curves and heat might help. Have to admit I have not used it for such a large area as a parcel shelf but it is certainly used for making custom sections (consoles, door panels, etc) in vehicles.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm...................................................... ideas...........................................

Don't get started Dave!
Oh and excellent on the socket, you were quick there aswell if it's sorted already!

I managed to get out on my lunch (I'm still working from home like most of us) to get both speakers hooked up. It sounds pretty good! Ok, those speakers aren't really that great but quite sufficient for my Disco!

[scoobyh123]

I've had an idea of something to house the extra LED-bargraph instruments i've made for a long time Henrik. That PVC foam sheet might be just the thing for what i'm thinking of.

Good to hear your speakers work and sound good! If you can minimise any movement and/or resonance/vibration on the parcel shelf then you can more or less treat the luggae area as a bass enclosure.

As soon as i'd finished the coffee i'd just made when the socket landed Henrik, i was out there and did the first side - took about an hour then in for a rest, coffee and painkillers followed by just over another hour to do the other side. That included putting the tools away (aka dumping them in the shed, i'll sort them later!) and turning the car round ready for use later and a couple of other bits.
Thankfully the weather was kind to me!

[Manalishi]

Second sill welded today. It isn’t pretty but it’s ok for the tester. At least I had some 2k etch primer for it so pretty well protected. On the outside...
I just need to get some sealant on the joints and add some stonechip paint over it and that will do.

[scoobyh123]

Some good work there Henrik! It wouldn't pass in this country for what i consider a silly reason. On the bottom seam, you've plug or spot welded the outer and inner sills which is very similar to how it left the factory. Quite rightly, where the new and old metal further up join, you've welded all the way along.

For some stupid reason, our MoT states any welding repairs must be continuously welded, even if the original was a spot weld at regular intervals. Drainage points are allowed, either drilled or folded into the new metal.
The exception to this is if a complete new sill is fitted, it can be spot-welded in the same places as the original sill was.

What do you make of our rules? Do you think (like me) they're silly? I'd consider what you've done perfectly acceptable and closer to the original design.

[Manalishi]

That sounds crazy Dave. As you say, the original welds are plug welds, some 40mm apart.

I spotted the 800 club had fabricated sills out as we speak. What are the demands to have a welded sill approved? And how do they test it? Over here the look at it and give it a good wack with the hammer. .

[scoobyh123]

I've had many arguments over the years with various MoT testers about this, none can give me a satisfacotry answer except "the repair must be continuously welded". I suppose if a replacement panel is made to the exact spec of the original including the fixings then they'd be hard pushed to argue it wasn't as originally intended and would have to pass it.

I think the MoT wording is for replair patches let in to repair a hole (for example, weld in a new 100mm square plate in a sill to repair a hole) and the continuous seam weld makes sense then. Other than that, it seems like they're stretching a point to cover themselves.

[Manalishi]

Fromt reading on UK forums for some 20 years now I have gathered that the MOT is a lot more strict than our ”bilprovning” is here. We too complain about silly stuff like if the front fog lights are working they have to be adjusted. But they don’t have to work. I’ve had my arguments with those guys too but it is as I say; ”The man with the hammer is in charge”.

The sills are fine now. I never seam weld but make the spots closer and closer until it is a seam. Start off with 10mm apart and then one between each and then one between again etc. I’ve learnt that seam welding always blows holes and only give trouble with heat, fire etc. The major problem is to get it properly protected. I have a special gun with a small hose for my compressor but it is hard to tell if it really gets everywhere. And then the car is seeping goo for days Messing up the parking space...

[820Vitesse]

Great work on the sills

[scoobyh123]

Sadly you're right about the man with the hammer! I think most people do similar to you when welding, usually the stitch welding idea - instead of a spot, run a seam of about 10mm then move to another area, run another seam 10mm long and move then finally once you've got enough "stitches", joined them up with more 10mm stitches in between.

As long as yours passes, that's great.

Perhpas putting an old blanket or similar under the car after applying protectant to the insides of the sills would help keep your parking space clean?