Door Sill Removal on 29 Roadster

[Bergy]

I'm in the process of disassembling pieces to paint my '29 Roadster. I am planning to leave the body on the frame and only removing doors, fenders, and other easily removable parts for painting (just sprucing up a driver).

Can the door sills be removed easily without lifting the body off the frame? I took out the top 4 screws and attempted to slide it out from under the body, but it appears to be fastened/lipped under the body. I loosened the body to frame bolts, but it still doesn't slide out. I haven't been able to find any references as to how the sill is installed or to be removed.

Any guidance on how to remove the sills would be appreciated, or direct me to some documentation on how to remove them. Thanks in advance.

 

[ericr]

It is rather impossible to find much research material on the assembly of specific body sheet metal. I think your question is whether the bottom flange of the door sill somehow slips under the lip of the body sub-rail and can't pivot off due to interference with the running board apron. We need a member who has an uninstalled repro to take a sideways photo of the part.....or else have you remove the body bolts and jack up the body to view that area.

 

[Dick Carne]

Originally the lip on the top inside edge of the sill would slip over the floor channel, and then more or less snap into place. The four metal screws on top would then hold it in place. However, over the years many of these have rusted and the lower edge filled in with body filler, some that have not rusted may have been crimped over the bottom edge of the channel, and perhaps others just rusted to the sub-rails / channels. IF you are willing to take the splash aprons off, you should be able to look underneath to better determine what your best option might be. It shouldn't be necessary to lift the body off the frame to do this. Good luck with your project! Dick

 

[ericr]

Originally the lip on the top inside edge of the sill would slip over the floor channel, and then more or less snap into place. The four metal screws on top would then hold it in place. However, over the years many of these have rusted and the lower edge filled in with body filler, some that have not rusted may have been crimped over the bottom edge of the channel, and perhaps others just rusted to the sub-rails / channels. IF you are willing to take the splash aprons off, you should be able to look underneath to better determine what your best option might be. It shouldn't be necessary to lift the body off the frame to do this. Good luck with your project! Dick

Dick, how can he remove the running board splash aprons without lifting the body inasmuch as the body is sitting on wood blocks which sit on top of the apron?

 

[Randy in ca]

Here's a couple of pictures I posted awhile ago on another thread - one of an original sill piece and another of the subframe cross-section onto which I've sketched how the sill piece sits onto the subframe. As Dick indicated, once the screws are removed the main thing holding the sill in place is friction and corrosion. The front inner edge should be the easiest place to start lifting the sill, as the lip just sits over a corner on the subframe. The rear portion, where the lip is sandwiched between the subframe and the base of the seat is likely to cause the most trouble. If you're able to raise the inner lip enough to clear the subframe the sill can usually be maneuvered so that the outside lower edge will rotate clear of the subframe. Different factors here can make quite a difference as well - how close the body is to the splash apron depending on shimming, as well as how tightly the sill itself was wrapped around or crimped to the subframe on assembly. What can be a fairly easy task on one car can be a total nightmare on another. Good luck and hope this helps some. If it's any consolation I've found that the reproduction sills are good quality and fit well.

 

[Bergy]

Gents,
Thanks for your insights, guidance, and photos. It looks like the best option for me at this time is to paint the sills in place rather than tear them up trying to get them off, until such time I remove the body. I did notice that my sills have been bondo'd, so the previous owner apparently reached the same conclusion sometime in the past.

 

[Dick Carne]

Hi Eric -

Thanks for your comment. My understanding was that the body bolts had already been loosened, and that the concern was in not removing the body from the frame - perhaps I misunderstood the extent of dis-assembly Bergy was willing to undertake. I believe that once the body bolts are removed, that the splash aprons should be able to slide out off the frame rails, once the rear splash apron bolt has been removed. I think that this can be done without removing the body. Did I miss something? Again, thanks for your observation - always willing to learn something new.

Dick

 

[ericr]

Hi Eric -

Thanks for your comment. My understanding was that the body bolts had already been loosened, and that the concern was in not removing the body from the frame - perhaps I misunderstood the extent of dis-assembly Bergy was willing to undertake. I believe that once the body bolts are removed, that the splash aprons should be able to slide out off the frame rails, once the rear splash apron bolt has been removed. I think that this can be done without removing the body. Did I miss something? Again, thanks for your observation - always willing to learn something new.

Dick

Dick there would be at least two body blocks resting on the apron. One is that dog-legged shaped block under the cowl and there is another one towards the back end of the apron. I believe the weight of the body would have to be taken off of the apron to allow it to slide out. You don't have to remove the body, just lift it up slightly with a board pushing up under a cross channel and a floor jack.

Eric

 

[Dick Carne]

Thanks Eric -

I believe that we were saying the same thing, just a difference in semantics. My thinking was that the body could be lifted up without separating/removing it from the frame, thus the body could be left on the frame for purposes of repainting. Thanks again -

Dick