RE Buyers guide :)

[debmog8437]

Quick question please...
In the buyers guide on here it referrerd to 'dreaded cover panels'

Are cover panels the silver strip running along the doors sills?// Is that good or bad-as i thought this to be quite normal ?? To protect the car from rot?



thanks

Debs

[The vast minority]

Not read the guide recently so not sure in what context but no the parts you mention are not cover panels. The term is applied to a panel that Is used as a bodge to quickly cover a lot of rot whilst leaving the mess there but "covered"

consider buying cars outside of
Sussex, It's not important where it's located these days. Someone can look at if for you in advance and you can always get close up pics. You could even travel to see it after all the above is done, folks will be able to help you without that need to travel though.

What's your spend and timescale?

Al

[IaininTenbury]

Yes the silver strip you mention is the sill finisher, a bolted on trim piece underneath the doors. Originally painted steel to match the car but polished stainless ones are very common now as they don't rust.
The cover panel was a commonly available folded repair section to go from the floor edge to the sill finisher to "repair" rusty sills very cheaply. It covered up any rotten sill structure without adding much to the structural intregrety of the car and are a good thing to look out for and avoid these days. Looks like a 2" deep box section by about 5" wide where the sill should be, often with very shallow pressed ribs along its length. (N doubt someone on here will have pictures of one. they were advertised in Practical Classics mag well into the 1980s as proper repair panels, though many people simply bodged up something similar).

[POMMReg]

beware of thick underseal too, tell tale sign of crap welding work!

[debmog8437]

Thank you very much