matty325

alright folks could do with some advice regarding replacement panels etc for the mk3 .I bought this mk3 xr3i 2 months ago with only 57k looked decent enough but was lowered 60mm making it very hard to get right under it. new it had a couple of holes on the floor from what I could feel ,I checked the car over pretty well as I cant weld and lost my s2 last year through rust as when you start paying someone else to do restoration work its fkn expensive.ive attached some pics as its rotten at the front footwells where they always go but whats worrying me is the inside of the front wheel arches to the lower rear theres a bit of box section this is rotten as well then through to the front upper floor can this be bought or will I need to get someone to fabricate this up after the floorpans repaired,its scary what you find when you start grinding off all the underseal/stonechip the car looks and feels solid but you cant start tearing holes in it while viewing it I wont chuck the towel in but will have to hide from the wife what its costing to put right.

matty325

heres some pics what do you think inside and outside ,why did ford make cars out of such shite metal in the 80's and 90's

gingerturbo

iTrader: (2)

Cant see any pics, best thing to do is clean everything back to bare metal so at least then you can see where the good metal starts and finishes, a lot of panels you will struggle to get genuine ones but they do pattern parts which are ok to cut out the awkward moulds/shapes to fabricate, but other than that it is a lot of fab work, it is a sticky situation as your throwing money on the trust of someone else's work but sometimes there ain't much choice

SBT83

I heard that it was Spanish steel for a while coz It was expensive at the time. Don't quote me on that but that's what I heard off a ford enthusiast some years ago and could be a load of rubbish for all I know. As for the welding, get learning lol

gingerturbo

iTrader: (2)

That's some work there just see the pics and its had a hard life

Caddyshack

I would suggest getting a mig that runs on gas, forget little hobby bottles and get a good proper gas then practice a bit on scrap metal and get going, it didn't take me long to be happy with the welds. Take some advice on what metal to se and get going....buy some tiger seal too and grind back the welds.

SBT83

You gotta love tigerseal!! Amazing stuff

matty325

cheers for the quick replies,ive got a mate who can weld but its a lot of work! don't want him to think im taking the piss .he says he'll do it but wont take any money ,thing is he's not too good with engines and I am so maybe I can sort him out in the future. I want to keep the car for as long as possible so don't just want to patch it up want it done right theres not many of these left and the good ones are making a lot more than I had to spend so had to settle for a bit of a project its a shame as it only has 57k and lots of history to back it up its been of the road for a while now but its pretty evident that it was put away in winter caked in salt you can still see crystals underneath on the underseal etc a fatal mistake for a car of this age .

gingerturbo

iTrader: (2)

Yeh as said get a decent mig, with some some good argon shield, and practice on some 1.5mm sheets as that will be your average thickness on the 3i, when your starting off don't worry about BIRD POO welds as you can grind it all flat just make sure it's solid

SBT83

You could hire a mig for the weekend and get it done yourself. Don't be scared about getting some DIY talent. You might do a better job than u think. Plus it can't get any worse can it

matty325

cheers lads think im going to have to give it a try ujust want the work to be to a good standard ,theres a night course in welding at my local college might enquire to see if its mig welding and get to grips with the basics.does anyone know how to remove the front wings as im going to need to get into every crevass to get the car sound would make welding the inner arches easier as well is there a step by step guide anywhere on removing the wings as ive heard it can be a real bstrd ,my winter project needing a little wrok is fast becoming a full on resto,lol

rsmark86

iTrader: (3)

mark at medway rs centre would be best to sort that in my opinion

ive seen him hand make those box sections in treads on www.seriesoneturbo.co.uk and they look amazing, like factory

luke19790_3

Doesn't look to bad, just cut the rot out and make some new panels

Glenn_

iTrader: (1)

Its got to be worth saving.Dont worry if the weld looks shite after he has done the welding.The weld can always be ground down.

SBT83

+1 it's got to be saved. We all know how many of these have gone to the scrap pile in recent years. It has to be kept. I've seen a lot worse be saved.

Glenn_

iTrader: (1)

Defo agree.We have to keep these old donkeys on the road lol.

matty325

she'll be saved just a matter of how much and how long ,thing is I really gave it a good going over on all the bits that let go on my s2 came away thinking that's not too bad was maybe a bit blinded by all the service history,mot's and low milage some years having only done 650 miles then I think some young lad had it put after market wheels on and used it through a couple of winters not washing it regular etc and the rots got hold pretty quick lets be honest not many will make 30 years old getting hammered over our pothole infected roads and sprays with salt and grit

mercury grey minter

Why not go on a night course at college.2 weeks ,around Ł200 and at the end you can weld.
Get yourself a second hand mig and some sheet steel and your away.

matty325

that's the plan, will keep this post updated .got the dash out tonight what a t*$t,had a good go at the stripping down think ive got tinnitus from the grinder,lol feeling a bit better the arches,rear chassis legs roof and even the suroof are pretty sound so if I get the floor pans and other front bits sorted she'll be ok not what you expect to need to do after forking out Ł1500 quid then again at least i'll know its sound

matty325

heres a pic of the hard up chassis number and the rear end after some long hours grinding with a wire brush and a good soaking in vactan rust treatment

matty325

passenger wing off not as bad as I tought it would be can probably save inner wing don't think drivers side will be as forgiving think the wing will even go back on