Cross Member to Castle Rail

Several weeks ago I messed up the edge of the cross member when removing the original castle rail.

This left little to no edge to attach the new castle rail so I cut back the cross member and made a replacement section from sheet metal.

The first step was to cut a template. Cardboard from file folders is ideal. I transferred the measurements to the cardboard, folded and adjusted through a number of test fittings until I had the desired dimensions and shape. The cardboard template was transferred onto scrap sheet metal I picked up from the local scrap yard (Coiner's in Charlottesville).


The edge that will overlap the original cross member was flanged using the pneumatic flanger. The flanger was later used to cut plug weld holes for the cross member and castle rail attachment points (not shown). The flanger/hole cutter will soon come in handy when cutting all the holes needed for plug welds in the inner sill membrane.

The piece was then bent into the appropriate shape and went through numerous fittings and adjustments before being welded in place.

The final pic shows the reconstructed cross member after welding to the castle rail directly below the jack reinforcement piece. Sure, it ain't pretty, but after paint and undercoat the replacement section will be barely noticeable.

The castle rail was previously clamped and welded to the inner (side) sill member with 1 inch welds spaced every 1.5 inches. I had been concerned that my Hobart 125 would not have enough power for the sill work but I easily blew through the inner sill when on the highest setting (4 voltage, 80 wire speed) and had to back it down to 3 voltage/60 wire speed for welds with good penetration and no blow through.

The day ended after I found that sparks easily melt through the fluorescent bulb in my trouble light. Regular bulbs trigger the autodark feature in my welding helmet so its off to Walmart for spare bulbs before doing any more evening welding

Next up: Finishing the welds for the castle rail. The original floor pan will be plug welded onto the new castle rail and the remaining attachment welds for the castle rail will be completed.

Sill Section Fit-up

Since December I have managed a few hours on the B, mostly for cleanup and prep work required for fitting up the sill pieces.

The ability to salvage the inner sill side member provided an ideal reference point for building out the additional pieces. I fit up the castle rail using measurements taken from the original before removal, then ensured it was even with the inside of the side member using a straight edge and a level for the outside lip top lip of the side member to outside edge of castle rail. Clecos from Airparts Inc in Kansas City to held the castle rail loosely in place. You can also purchase clecos from Eastwood but they cost significantly less at Airparts. Clecos are normally used for holding sheet metal panels so I was pushing their limits. Their advantage over clamping at this stage is that they allowed easier fitting of the inner membrane and rocker without clamps getting in the way. Again, I was just going for a rough fit to make sure nothing was too out of line. They do not provide enough holding power for welding.

The inner membrane was then fit to the outside of the castle rail. Some adjustment was needed at the front for proper fit where a tab on the membrane wraps inward around the end of the castle rail.Fitment of the rocker followed. Front wing and door were refit to get an idea of alignment. It is looking good at this stage but aligning the door will take much finessing. Next steps are to remove the wing, door, rocker and membrane to begin final alignment and tacking of the castle rail in place. The connection point to the cross member will also be refurbished.