Morris Minor Owners Club

Can anyone help
I am about to commence major surgery on my traveller and I am confused about the reinforcing panel inside the inner step sill on my traveller. This runs from just behind the A post to just past the B post.
This is an additional reinforcing plate spot welded on the inside and I can find no mention of this panel in any panel lists or forums.
Its definitely an original panel as I checked my donor car and it has one too.
This makes the step sill about 3mm thick and the repair sills are at best 1.2mm thick?

Welcome to the forum! Any chance you can post up a picture - and it may help if you can enter your location in your profile. There may be someone nearby willing to come along and advise!

Hi

I am in Bucks, have updated my profile - I think. I will try to upload a picture but its getting dark!

Here are some photos, if they load ok<br><br>

Another photo<br><br>

and another<br><br>

This is where it finishes at the front<br><br>

I know it is getting dark, but can you do a photo, but not so close to give an idea of where you are looking at.

Hi

The first photo is looking up into mid sill section, the top of photo is sill boxing plate.

The second photo is upside down! the fresh cutting is where the B post used to be

The third photo is again just behind the B post, the top is where the B post has been cut out, the angled plate in the centre is the one I'm referring to.
This has approx 20mm return at the top of the step sill internally.

The last photo is a view just behind the A post through the first opening in the boxing panel. you can see where the reinforcing plate ends. It appears to step out near the bottom and drops lower than the inner sill but is rusted away.

Sorry if this is difficult to explain

Oh dear- it's pretty badly rusted! Lots of welding ahead. I would just advise that you should survey the whole car very carefully before you start - so you know exactly how much work you are taking on right from the outset.
If you contact 'youngun' on this forum he has an excellent photo record of his restoration - although a saloon they should be the same !

This is the donor car - past saving I think. I cut out the B posts for spares, thats when I spotted this reinforcing panel running duwn the inside of the step sill.

I have got a lot of welding to do on my project, full sills, floors and the usual front end rust, also all the timber! but the car is otherwise nice and straight and not messed about.

This should be a sketch of the panel<br><br>

Try again!<br><br>

Ahhh - Donor Car - thank goodness! I'll leave it to the resto specialists to comment on the panels!

Just checked the photos of my traveller - it has the same panel inside the sill, as you say its not one that I have seen as a replacement panel. Looks easy enough to make one up from sheet steel then you can weld it to the bought in panel.

it could be a replacement inner sill has been welded over the original, making a double thickness panel. As usual, the old inner sill would just carry on rusting away and assist the new panel on it's way to the same demise.

I did the sill on mine earlier this year and there was no reinforcing on the inner sill, just a small square at the seat belt mount.

Andrew

My inner sills were good but I do have a photo showing the end of the 'reinforcing' panel with the angled end as in the photos above. As you say though I do recall seeing the small square at the seat belt mount. All very confusing!

It does look like a 'cover sill' job - but you say both cars are the same ?

Thanks MGFmad, I will try and make one up or I might try making the whole step sill in 14swg to prevent creating a rust sandwich!

Do you have a photo or detail of how the bottom finishes as mine is rotted away? Does it go right down to the floor extension panels with a return.

If this panel is not generally known about then there is a risk that people will restore a traveller and leave out a good part of the sill strength.

There must be a specialist out there who knows about this.

Definitely not a cover sill job, the travellers are late 62 /63, these are original panels.