Got the fixed steps and sill cover off today. The usual bubbling on the rear arch was a give away that investigation was required!

Am I wasting my time treating this, or is it salvageable?

Bear in mind this is my quick attempt at surface rust removal, if I continue I'll need to clean a fair bit more up.

This is the drivers side, passenger side cover isn't off yet but suspect it's the same/worse.

Thanks!

Click image to enlarge

Click image to enlarge

I would remove tge arch liner and repeat your cleaning process. I would use a quality rust converter next followedby spraying a rust proofer like waxoyle into the inside of the cill.

I would then apply a quality primer followed by filler primer which will allow you to achieve a smooth finish for paint touch in.

I had to do this on an old Alfa and ut worked well for me. 2012 4.4 TDV8 Vogue Santorini black ivory leather

I'm pretty sure that it is fixable - anything is with enough time/effort/money. Personally I'd be looking at the rest of the car before commiting, sadly a lot of L322s (along with most other older high end cars) are just 1 big problem away from becoming either a "project" on Ebay or being reincarnated as a coke can.

I've just done mine:

https://www.fullfatrr.com/forum/topic67143-225.html

Definitely remove the arch liners as it lets you get behind the rear of the sill and get a proper look at everything.

I wire brushed all the rust on mine, treated it with 3 coats of Bilt Hamber hydrate 80, gave it 3 coats of galvanising spray paint and am going to paint it all with Bilt Hamber 2 part Epoxy Mastic.

David. 2002 4.6 Vogue SE - Alveston Red with Lightstone Leather
2012 Range Rover 5.0 SC Autobiography in Indus Silver with Jet/Ivory Interior
2012 Range Rover 4.4 TDV8 Autobiography in Baltic Blue with Sand Interior
2013 Range Rover Sport SDV6 HSE Black Edition in Santorini Black with Ebony Interior

You don't appear to have done enough rust removal, as David says you need a wire brush in a drill and you need to get off not just the surface rust but the scale as well, I have marked on the photo a line you can see is the edge of the scale, go over the whole area with a small toffee hammer and get all the scale off, if you treat it as is it will rust between the layers...

Also make sure when you clean you expose bright unrusted metal all around the edges...

A good start but you need to be more ruthless if you want it to stay away....

Don't forget to inject the sill till it comes out the drain holes when you have painted the outside...

Thanks all for the input, it is much appreciated. It does appear things are much worse than first meets the eye!

Driver side is definitely better, not by much. Suspect if I continue on I'll be looking at much the same as the passenger side.

Here is the passenger side:

Click image to enlarge

Click image to enlarge

There should be an independent closeish to you, ask them who does their welding, a lot of garages out source welding now...

IIRC someone had both sides done on here recently and it was over £2,000, it's a lot of work....

Good luck  Pete
__________________________________________________
2014 L405 Autobiography SDV8 4.4 Loire Blue Ebony interior
-Click here for Thread-
2012 L322 Autobiography 5.0 Supercharged Ipanema Sand Sold
2011 L322 Vogue SE 4.4 TDV8 Baltic Blue. Sold
2002 L322 Vogue 4.4 V8 Epson Green (Fatty Offroader) Sold
-Click here for Project Fatty off roader-

Looks to me like it might be time to do it properly. I sell both those sill repair panels and the jacking points. You just need to locate a good local welder. 2017 4.4 SDV8 Autobiography in black
2018 D300 SE Velar in champagne
2006 Bentley Flying Spur in silver

Thanks Stuart - definitely time. I was looking at your site to gauge pricing, I noticed one seller on eBay lists the lower tub panels as an additional piece but only as part of a 'pack'. Are these bits really necessary? Also, how long are the sill sections you supply?

A local place has suggested it's about £1500 per side with me providing the panels. I gather this is generally the going rate especially where I am located.

He wasn't 100% the drivers side needed doing, it isn't as bad but until its taken back properly he won't know if there is anything to work with.

Decisions, decisions.

Nobody has ever asked for the additional piece. And I have seen no mention of it here in posts passim. The other seller you speak of makes them individually to order - with a few weeks lead time - so it costs him little to offer an extra part.

On price, £1500 a side sounds crazy to me. But others here would know better on that. 2017 4.4 SDV8 Autobiography in black
2018 D300 SE Velar in champagne
2006 Bentley Flying Spur in silver

£1,500 per side is a rip off. My local painter/welder does around 8-9 of these a year and charges around £350 per side.

2x arches, 2x jack points plus sills and paint on 5 panels cost me around 2k. £1500 a side is definitely on the expensive side of these jobs. Make sure inner sills are checked too😏 2010 Supercharged

cost me £1300 welding and painting i think. i got the parts

Thanks all for the comments, looks like I need to do some more phoning around!

Thanks Stuart, as you say I've never seen those bits mentioned before and not really sure it's needed, at least in my case.

Thanks again.

Stuart- wrote:

Nobody has ever asked for the additional piece. And I have seen no mention of it here in posts passim. The other seller you speak of makes them individually to order - with a few weeks lead time - so it costs him little to offer an extra part.

On price, £1500 a side sounds crazy to me. But others here would know better on that.