How do I replace sills and rocker panels.

[John_Progess]

I need to replace all the sills and rocker panels, along with all the flooring on my 64 BJ8. I was told by a long time Healey restorer that I should have the drive train in the car when I replace the sills for the weight. I have to doubt that they were built in this manner when new. My problem is that mine is totally dissassembled and I would have to get the entire suspension done and add the drive train before I can proceed. My question: is this necessary or recommended? Thanks for your help.

John

 

[JamesWilson]

There's been quite a lot of discussion of this in the past.

You might go back and look at:

https://www.britishcarforum.com/ubbthread...;page=15#143735

and:

https://www.britishcarforum.com/ubbthread...;page=14#146438

It will depend on the chassis and how solid it is. I'll risk summarizing the views I've heard over the past years- with a new or very solid chassis there should be no problem in assembling the car without the drivetrain components in place- they should not cause any flex. With older frames that have been subjected to rust and may not be so reliable then it may be advantageous to put the drivetrain in and assemble the components under the stresses they'll normally encounter.

I've a new chassis and I plan on assembling the whole of the inner body without the drivetrain installed (except for the rear axle that'll be used to help to absolutely confirm the positioning of the radius boxes). I'll then mount the outer body, and leave the outer sills until last with their positioning primarily dictated by the doors.

I trust this helps, and await others' comments too. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yesnod.gif