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2 Door Amazon: Repairing the N/S Inner Sill

Over the last week I have been working on the inner box section of the n/s sill. As a 2 door amazon, my Volvo has what many believe to be an inherent weakness in that the rear section of the outer sill is actually part of the rear wing. This arrangement is arguably more susceptible to corrosion than on the 4 door amazon which has a single pressing for the outer sill, rumoured to be galvanised (as is the front section of the 2 door outer sill and both the inner sill sections) - the 2 door rear wing is not. Consequently, rust issues here are common with this model of Volvo, and once again, mine is no exception.



Having removed the previous poorly patched repairs (see February's post ), I attacked the inner sill with  a variety of wire brush attachments on my angle grinder. I then marked up proposed cut lines to take the box section back to good metal.

I used my spot weld drill set to remove the welds along the bottom edge, then cut along the marked lines to remove the poor metal.


Next, I got stuck in with the wire brushes to clean the inner sill, then after wiping down I treated the whole area with Fertan rust converter. 



I made a card pattern for the repair section using the remnants of the original metal as a guide.



I bought a sheet of 16 gauge mild steel from the local motor factors and using the card pattern, marked out and cut the section. Bending and forming such a heavy gauge was quite difficult. I was not too precious about leaving hammer/concussion marks as this section will be hidden, but I needed to be as accurate as possible as its shape as this is critical for the attachment of the outer sill panel. In the end it took me quite some time to refine the repair piece to a point where I felt it was a good enough fit.



With the new piece clamped in place, I have offered up the outer sill repair section and checked to the best of my ability for alignment; it's looking good. I just need to drill some holes along the bottom lip for plug welding and it will be ready to weld onto the car. Before I do this however, I have decided to do some practice welds with some off-cuts of 16 gauge, to find effective MIG settings for this thickness of metal .

NB. If you are welding Amazon sills remember that Volvo galvanised these sections when originally manufactured. Welding on galvanised metal can give off some seriously obnoxious fumes! If you do this, you should wear a mask/respirator and work in a well retaliated area, preferably outside. I also grind/sand off the galvanised coating in the area of the weld before welding. 

I wear a mask for all my welding/sanding/grinding tasks, in fact any situation where dust and fumes might be present, even just sweeping up. I would urge you to do the same. There are lots of masks out there, but I am not qualified to advise as to which is best. You need to do some homework before you make your choice.


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