Rusted out jacking point - MOT failure?

[s2martin]

My van is currently SORN as I'm converting it into a micro camper, but before I do any work on the conversion I want to ensure it will get through an MOT! I jacked the van up at the weekend on the drivers side rear sill jacking point and the sill partially collapsed

I then went on to read a post on here saying never jack the van here, wish I'd checked before I did! Anyway, it's happened now, but I was hoping to take the van for an MOT next week - does anyone know if this would cause a fail - is it structural? I've attached a photo of the mangled sill.

I imagine if it will fail on this, I'm going to have to get it cut out and new metal welded in, has anyone had this done? Seems that the sills are a common problem on these vans.

[SandyHenderson]

It might be okay for the mot. You could slap filler on it and spray it until you can afford the welding. Then again I could be wrong

[metalworker0]

IT quite near to the rear spring hanger ..they have rules that say ..so many inches etc .
so yes that would fail

I've just repaired that area myself . its quite involved as you have inner sill , middle sill , outer sill ..and re-enforcement plate that stiffens it up and acts as jacking point.

you are looking at the back of the inner sill in these photos ..once loose metal has been taken away ..this is what you will be probably left with ..you can see the re-enforcement plate in the photo not up the job when new ?

ive since put in a 6 mm thick plate .

[metalworker0]

MORE PHOTOS

[metalworker0]

same area ...outer side, and mine from that side looks beter than yours

its a tin of worms when you open it up and look inside

[metalworker0]

and my van looked like this .

[metalworker0]

As it is this morning ..still got to add the outer sill , stone chip, and orange paint all repairs where done with 16 gauge steel (1.6mm) ...as i want 10 years out of this van,
Today before i close it all up with the outer sill , my task is to work out where to drill holes for the waxoyle ...as you cannot see concealed box sections, once its closed up , there is one box section that is impossible to waxoyl unless i drill through another box section to get at it ...so waxoyel proble will be passing through one hole into another.

you cannot waxoyl these sections before you close it up as it would create a risk of fire , when welding then outer sill in place.

so there you have it .....even if you waxoyled from new there are still hidden box sections you would not be able to find and be unaware of . these box sections are made of waffer thin metal look thinner than 22 gauge.(0.7mm) - design seems to be made to let water in as well as out, with holes leading into the sills from behind the front wheel ..and a row of holes drilled along the outer sill . , mine will just let water out and non in, the waxoye will play a major part ..in preventing rust .....as ford could have done that but never did .

all the best...mark

[metalworker0]

its 30 cms from a load bearing component.

read this .and note the connect is a monocoque and does not have a real chassis.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/mot-inspect ... -corrosion

[s2martin]

@SandyHenderson - if only I could get away with this I would!

@metalworker0 - thanks for the advice and detailed photos, much appreciated. So I don't think I'll bother with the MOT then until I try and repair it... I was reasonably confident having a go at the sills (even though I'd be learning how to weld at the same time!), but that looks pretty complex, not something you'd recommend for a novice? It's such a shame as the rest of the bodywork on the van is in great condition. Do you know what sort of costs I may be looking at to get it repaired? P.S. your repair job looks mint!

[metalworker0]

@SandyHenderson - if only I could get away with this I would!

@metalworker0 - thanks for the advice and detailed photos, much appreciated. So I don't think I'll bother with the MOT then until I try and repair it... I was reasonably confident having a go at the sills (even though I'd be learning how to weld at the same time!), but that looks pretty complex, not something you'd recommend for a novice? It's such a shame as the rest of the bodywork on the van is in great condition. Do you know what sort of costs I may be looking at to get it repaired? P.S. your repair job looks mint!

If you wait..I will be doing the other side ..I will try and guide you through it, by posting a thread on here about it .(my other side is the kerb side which is a lot worse)...note my efforts are to improve and not to copy what ford did, it may look similar on the outside but different on the inside ...so i will never worry about jacking mine up ever.

As regards welding on these, its hard work, its galvanised on both sides and very very thin.. The galvanising causes the weld to erupt like a fire work and continue burning after you've switched off.! ..The thin metal results in blowing holes.
Mine is being done outside in exactly same position as in the picture of it sitting outside my house above..........which means no wind protection..and crappy welds when wind blows ..you need still air, no galvanising and decent thickness of metal for a mig to weld neatly.

You will need a metal folder if you are going to do it with the gauge of metal i used.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/265151911294 ... Sw5cJglVMP

I'm sure above can be found cheaper and then again it's still not perfect because you can only fold - one fold on it ..try folding another the opposite direction and it fails ,...as its designed to fold the next fold two inches away from the last..which is no good as you need less than 1 inch.

This one is cheaper ...but not up to the job - too small too lightly constructed
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/265198164010 ... SwYPpgyfHY

Also note: that the repair sill sections at £18 a each on ebay do not cover the ends ..and that's where a lot of your rot is.
I took hours to do that repair above..Probably more than 40 hours in it. I replaced the whole middle sill, and two jacking points plus the inner sill at both ends.
These things only reveal all, once opened up...they can be patched for years and each time, quickly and poorly done, A garage mechanic MOT standard patch traps more water inside and accelerates more decay.

You need to put your mind in Restoration mode, not patch mode .and think of each part of the job as a giant project!

Note: be aware 99 percent of the you tube videos are showing quick very rough fixes ..which would last 3 years max.
Take your time and you'll do a better job than any rushed garage mechanic can do.

all the best..mark

[s2martin]

Hi Mark

That'd be great if you could document the repair on the other side, as I think it'd be a great resource for the forum. I understand what you're saying about thinking about it as a restoration, but I'm not sure I have the skills to do it myself, but would be brilliant to have a guide on how to do it as I couldn't find anything on YouTube other than the more straightforward outer sill replacement. I just want to really get it through the MOT so I can start the conversion and get out and enjoy the van more than anything, I don't anticipate keeping it for 10 years as it's already on 160k! But saying that, I'm learning a lot of new skills working on the van and would enjoy having a go if I thought it was possible.

Cheers
Steve

[paul2012]

My van is currently SORN as I'm converting it into a micro camper, but before I do any work on the conversion I want to ensure it will get through an MOT! I jacked the van up at the weekend on the drivers side rear sill jacking point and the sill partially collapsed

I then went on to read a post on here saying never jack the van here, wish I'd checked before I did! Anyway, it's happened now, but I was hoping to take the van for an MOT next week - does anyone know if this would cause a fail - is it structural? I've attached a photo of the mangled sill.

I imagine if it will fail on this, I'm going to have to get it cut out and new metal welded in, has anyone had this done? Seems that the sills are a common problem on these vans.

MOT Failure. - Prescribed area - Within 30cm of suspension component’s mounting point

[s2martin]

MOT Failure. - Prescribed area - Within 30cm of suspension component’s mounting point

Thanks for confirming, will have to get it repaired before I attempt to take it for an MOT.

[metalworker0]

Just thought i would let you know how I'm getting on with the "so called" easy side .

what you see here is a backing plate , this re-enforces the join ...stops you blowing holes...those youtube videos dont show the blow holes and lots of hedgehogs on the inside of thee panels.
The backing plate also prevents distortion ..allows you to turn the machine power up and allows easy butt joint.and good panel alignment and good penetration of the weld, the grey paint is zinc weld thru primer.

any little misses on the spots were filled in later.

[Boghopper]

Mine has a row of holes all the way along the outer cills with rubber bungs in them. Every year I go along them all with a undersealing pot and blast oil, diesel and wax oil up in them.

Nice to see it spotted rather than a seam of bird-shite all along the join.

Zinc weld through primer is a new one to me, I shall get a tin of that, sounds handy.