MG-Cars.info

Welcome to our Site for MG, Triumph and Austin-Healey Car Information.

Parts

MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG MG Y Type - YB Sills

It would appear that some previous owner has almost totally removed the sills on my car and I have only recently, after 25+ years of ownership, realised this. As I prepare to fabricate replacements I need some dimensioned drawings of the sills, if indeed such things exist. I have a lot of photos of sills from various places on the internet, including this site, posted by people doing renovations and repairs but they all seem to have had the remnants of the originals to copy. In addition the photos are not really clear enough for my purposes though they give some general idea of what I am up against. Unfortunately, apart from a remnant at the front ends, I have nothing left of the originals. I am not even sure where the inner sill attaches to. If I had some idea of how far apart the inner and outer sills were I might have more of an idea of how to fabricate the new sills. Franz let me have a couple of patterns a couple of years ago, which I assume are the bottom and outer pieces, but I need the inner pieces also. In addition I am not sure whether the patterns I have include any flanges for mating the pieces together. I did find a drawing, unfortunately not dimensioned, of a cross section showing flanges but with no indication as to whether the flanges are as per original or where on the sills they refer to. I am aware of the fact that NTG offer repair sections but they seem rather expensive for what in the end are simply cut metal sheet and I am more than capable of cutting my own if I know the shape, size and metal thickness. I know I am asking a lot but can anyone help me with this.
Ian Thomson
ian thomson

While NTG might seem expensive Ian, consider firstly that they had to research the requirements, then commission a third party to (slightly oversize [ as remember everything on our cars only fits where it touches]) cut them out of the correct gauge metal as they are structural, carry inventory etc. and make a profit at the end of the day.

Now, with that in mind, by the time you have obtained any dimensions, obtained the steel allowing for over-sizing (as the chassis were all hand made so while vastly similar differences may exist between what fits on your car and what fits on someone else's), and then possibly made a mistake on cutting out and wasted the correct gauge metal sheet ... you might only be pennies ahead and pounds of frustration behind!

I went with NTG for some sill replacements I had done on a customers car ... even though I had to ship to the US and had 2 YA/YTs here in my shop at the time. It was much easier!

Paul
Paul Barrow

I find it interesting that you focus on my comment about NTG Paul. On including this I was aware that I was inviting such criticism as we who want to do it ourselves so often are nowadays. In 50 years of working with old cars I have found that commercial panels often need so much work that it would have been quicker and easier to have done it all from scratch and NTG are not actually offering panels but simply sheet metal. As you point out a degree of fitting is always called for in working on handmade cars so I find it easier to cut (pun intended) to the chase and do it all when I can, especially as although removing metal from a commercial panel is easy adding it can be well nigh impossible. While simply buying parts may be the easy way we deprive ourselves of the enjoyment and satisfaction of doing it ourselves and the research required is part of this. Indeed I would argue that this is one of the primary reasons for owning old cars.
I must correct your claim that the sills on our cars are structural though. They are not. The chassis is where the structure is. Even our old car safety test over here recognises this as it specifically excludes body damage as a fail except in very particular circumstances and where it may be of danger to others. Thus my car has never been failed this test even though it has never had sills while in my ownership. If you have worked on our cars commercially, and bought sills from NTG, I find it hard to believe that you have not measured them with a view to avoiding having to go to the expence and hassle of importing them next time. Perhaps you would like to share?

Regards
Ian
ian thomson

Hi
you have seen my blog ?!
can you make some pictures of your situation now
so i understand what s your problem

i have a YA but i don t think the YB has different sills
there is nothing inside the sills
one sheet outside
one sheet inside
one on the bottom

please sent me some pictures directly or here

not to difficult to make them
FT Franz

Ian

It is great that you are an experienced metal worker - most of our owners are not (myself included) so I prefer to obtain parts from NTG and hand them over to a welder who deals with all that hot metal gluing stuff. And that is why I have not ever bothered to measure them - I source those kind of parts and then make it someone else's problem!

Paul
Paul Barrow

Spotted these on eBay. No connection to seller.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/386143009827?hash=item59e7eabc23:g:SskAAOSwXwhlD24I
JRB Moyes

I have seen your blog Franz, indeed it was this that drew my attention to the fact that my car sills looked rather different from yours. You kindly sent me patterns of what I believe are the outer and underside of your sills which helped me visualise what was missing. I assume that you did not have to replace the inner sill as I will have to do. What I am asking for is dimensioned drawings showing how far apart the two sides are and at what points as I am unclear as to where the inner attaches to the rest of the body. Your patterns give me some idea about how the sills curve both vertically and horizontally but I am wondering whether they simply show the external shape or whether they include any flanges for fastening them together. Indeed were they originally flanged or are they just butt welded? It is difficult to take photos but suffice it to say that apart from a residual boxed triangle at the front which runs into a vertical piece for bolting the running boards to there is nothing left. Thanks for the link to the EBAY site JRB but I think I will pass on them for the moment on the grounds that they are overpriced for what look like second hand parts even though they would answer my questions. If the price comes down I may reconsider.
Regards
Ian
ian thomson

Hi,
look on picture
175
212
216
217
in my blog

then you should understand how it works,
inside i made a template from paper after i had done the sill outside and inside

not possibe to make some pictures of your situation
FT Franz

Thanks Franz. Very helpful.
Ian
ian thomson

This thread was discussed between 12/10/2023 and 16/10/2023

MG MG Y Type index

This thread is from the archives. Join the live MG MG Y Type BBS now