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Body Work Progress - Sill Quality Questions

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Patton

Patton

Jedi Warrior
Offline
Big day yesterday as I went to the body shop to go over the Healey project, and to see what we need to finish. I do have a couple of questions which I would like some input on.

Well the Healey is down to a rolling shell, and we are to the point of dealing with the two areas of rust on the car. Of course its a little worse than expected, but not as bad overall as in many cars. Here are some pics

Healey At The Body Shop View From Front.jpg


Healey At The Body Shop View From Left Front.jpg


Healey At The Body Shop View From Left Rear.jpg


Healey At The Body Shop View From Right Front.jpg


Healey At The Body Shop View From Right Rear.jpg


Healey At The Body Shop View From Right.jpg


The area we are going to have to replace with all new parts are the passenger side inner and intermediate sills, and the front outrigger. A previous owner replaced the rocker, but didn't touch these so we could see how gone they were.

As for the sills, I notice that the prices from Nocks, Moss, and Classic Collectibles are all pretty close, except for the sills. Moss' price is significantly lower, am I missing something? Moss catalog says that it is two piece like the others, but it is half the price. I am assuming that that means they all come with the inner and intermediate sills, am I correct about this?

Here are pics of the right sills and the front outrigger

Healey At The Body Shop Right Front Outrigger.jpg


Healey At The Body Shop Right Sill.jpg


The other area is the driver side rear outrigger. The rust stayed on the outrigger, somehow, so we are replacing it and the spring hanger.

Here are pics of the left rear outrigger

Healey At The Body Shop Left Outrigger 2.jpg


Healey At The Body Shop Left Outrigger.jpg


I have a big decision today for ordering parts. We are over budget and the cash reserves are dwindling, so every cent helps. I have a local Moss dealer who gives a 10% discount, and free shipping which will help a great deal, but I am concerned about quality. Is the quality that different?

The shrouds, wings, trunk and hood have been stripped by hand, dents, dings, scratches, and cracks have been fixed. I am VERY happy with the work so far, very smooth and clean. The interior, under body, and engine bay are going to be blasted next week. Then the rust repair, then paint. He will be putting the engine back in to set the sills and doors to make sure the gaps are correct.

When he is finished, I will be putting the new wiring harness, all engine ancillaries, and the interior back in. MAYBE, if I really work hard (and get a little help), I can have the car at Texas Healey Roundup in April.

Patton
 
Patton,

Just another source for the sheetmetal parts to check:

https://www.vintageautomotive.com/

I would call them to check prices, availability and ask about the quality. I have not purchased anything from them, just trying to give you another option. Perhaps someone else on the list has info about Vintage Automotive.

Cheers,
John
 
I didn't know about them, I will look at the site.

I just got off the phone with Moss and the sill is the two piece, and everything is in stock. I didn't think about it, but it's also 10% off as they have the big sale right now. That makes shipping free, and I can ship it directly to the shop, where my local guy is an a hour drive from where the shop is.

Off to a meeting for work, I will have to make my decision when I get back

Patton
 
Patton, I do not think Moss carries Kilmartin chassis repair parts,In my opinion if it does not say Kilmartin on it you do not have quality replacement parts.__FWIW---Keoke
 
I buy almost all my stuff from the local Moss distributor. I've replaced all outriggers, floor pans, trunk pan, bumper outriggers, front and rear crossmembers, sills and rockers. Most of the parts coming from Moss are Kilmartin. A few are not. The difference in quality is readily apparent. If I had it to do over again, I'd specify that all chassis parts must be Kilmartin. The other manufacturer is somewhere in the UK. Those parts are useable, but the attention to detail with Kilmartin is superior. All Kilmartin parts come in a black e-coating, with the KAS sticker and Kilmartin part number and description on them. Moss just puts its own bar code and stock number on another label.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Patton, I do not think Moss carries Kilmartin chassis repair parts,In my opinion if it does not say Kilmartin on it you do not have quality replacement parts.__FWIW---Keoke

[/ QUOTE ]

So where would you put Classic Collectibles in, website https://www.ahealey.com/, I have heard good things in the past.

Patton
 
Cutlass,

It looks like you have ordered everything that I am ordering. From the below list from Moss, were these the good or bad parts.

Inner & Intermediate Sill, Right Side 856-060 $34.95
Front Outrigger, Right Side 857-600 $79.95
Rear Outrigger, Left side 857-630 $79.95
Spring Hanger to Rear Outrigger 856-505 $30.95

Patton

[ QUOTE ]
I buy almost all my stuff from the local Moss distributor. I've replaced all outriggers, floor pans, trunk pan, bumper outriggers, front and rear crossmembers, sills and rockers. Most of the parts coming from Moss are Kilmartin. A few are not. The difference in quality is readily apparent. If I had it to do over again, I'd specify that all chassis parts must be Kilmartin. The other manufacturer is somewhere in the UK. Those parts are useable, but the attention to detail with Kilmartin is superior. All Kilmartin parts come in a black e-coating, with the KAS sticker and Kilmartin part number and description on them. Moss just puts its own bar code and stock number on another label.

[/ QUOTE ]
 
Of those items, the sills were the only non-Kilmartin parts. I'm having trouble welding new rockers to the sills because the sills are probably 20 guage steel or lighter, and they warp immediately upon establishing an arc with my tig. I'm not sure whether the Kilmartin would be the same guage or not. But anyway, the Kilmartin parts are just fine.
 
Patton: It occurred to me after viewing your pix that when you grind off those outriggers you might find that the frame is damaged by rust. This happened to me, and I just cut back to good metal and welded in patches. To do that most effectively, I found a local sheet metal fabricator who would make me a channel in the same shape as one half of a frame rail, including the little 1/4" welding flange. I had them make the channel out of 14 guage steel in two foot lengths. So whenever I needed a frame patch, it was available.
 
I made the same mistake ordering the inner and outer sill from Moss (trying to save money). The Moss sills are the wrong gage. The sill is a structural part. This is not the place to skimp! Upon receipt of the Moss sills I did not use them and purchased the correct gage sills (kilmartin) from British Car Specialists in Stockton, CA. It was more expensive for me to return the sills to Moss so I cut them up and used them as weld-in patches in non-structural areas.
 
I just bought everything from Lynn at Classic Collectibles Company. His sills are made from made of 16 gauge and include weld tabs. I also like that the spring hanger is already welded onto the rear outrigger.

I like buying from Sports Car Specialists any time I can, and I know that Kilmartin is quality stuff. I am saving about $40 plus getting shorter shipping by a day.

Patton
 
Patton, I have no experience with Classic Collectibles so I can not comment. I Buy my Kilmartin from Healey Surgeons I know it will all have the KAS sticker on it.---Keoke
 
Update!!!!

As I said, I bought my sills and outriggers from Lynn at Classic Collectibles Company. They were installed a couple of weeks ago by my paint and body guy. Because of the controversy on parts quality out there, I asked him what he thought of the quality of the parts. He is very happy with the fit an finish of the parts, and said the quality was great. I felt that the cost was good as well. Definitely a recommendation.

All of the body work is done and the car will be painted this week. I should have the car back in the next 10 days, then its time for reassembly! I got the remainder of the the door trim parts plus the carpet from the local Moss reseller today, so as soon as it gets here I have to start putting the wiring harness in, then the interior.

EXCITING TIMES
Patton
 
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