Getting started on closing up the front of the sill on the Cortina

I don't have a bead roller or an english wheel, nor have I ever worked with them so this was never going to be done as a single piece 🙂

I started with the smallest and simplest bit to get going, using the left hand side as a reference for the width and the shape. After tacking it in place I decided I should make sure that the shape was correct and traced it onto some paper, I was out by a but so cut some of my welds loose and reshaped it until it matched with the paper.

Both the narrow and the wider sections have a curve in them and are not simple straight lines, to cater for this I used a hammer and stretched the metal on the outside. The third photo shows how the wider piece looked before I stretched it.
Despite my best efforts the metal did seem to move, I think the heat of the welding affected it and it left me with a gap between the original metal and the new metal. I will close this later.

I moved onto the side and managed to get that closed up. After test fitting the fender/mudguard I cleaned up the welds.

I still need to close up the front, which is a great deal more complex with a lot more shape and curves but it is at least a start!

#cortina #rustrepair #fordcortina #cortinabakkie #fordp100 #restoration #cortinaldv