Cutting up the Crown Vic - starting sill repairs on the P71
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- Опубликовано: 5 окт 2024
- Ive made a start on the Crown Victoria's rusty sills, and oh boy have I under estimated this...
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Sincere congratulations for taking on this project, vs. just unloading the car. You certainly didn’t sign up for this kind of work, and it’s a treat to see one of our ubiquitous Crown Vics getting some love in the UK. Best of luck!
I have to say I never expected this level of rust on the crown vic, she looked a beauty when you were polishing her up in previous videos. Just shows how you never know what's underneath til you start poking around. Big respect for your commitment Matt.
No one did!
Just watch this again, for the second time, you are a braver man than me, but on a brighter note the wings you’re gonna take off will look magnificent as man cave decorations in the barn
Matt isn't mad anymore and he took on the challenge. 💪
For cutting with the grinder I recommend that you get some of the 1mm cutting discs as they allow you to have more control with the grinder than those thick cutting disks
1mm slitting disc would be much better. Battery’s last longer too.
You have my 100% admiration for sticking with this and bringing her back to life rather than taking the easy option and junking her. Once all done, she will be like a new car. Scrapping the car is a stupid idea so shame on those idiots for suggesting that! They probably give up when any minor problem arises, let alone a big problem. We are all behind you on this and I certainly will be following the whole eagerly as it progresses. Well done Matt!
The most impressive part (if impressive is the right word) is that the bodge was so well done that it hid all of this rust from both you and the previous MOT controller. With the amount of work put into this bodge, you'll have to wonder why they didn't just fix it "for real".
And double (or even triple) skinned panels will always rust sooner or later. They rust from within the layers due to moisture getting trapped, and it cannot be seen from any of the sides before it has rusted through.
I know, it must have been a huge effort
@@furiousdriving I expect it’s a matter of shortsightedness . The local government agencies having these cars probably has a lot of rust, and in an effort to prevent farming out endless body work…they foam them all if only to make sure they can get good mileage out of them before they buy new ones at taxpayer expense. But if they’d done it right it would last longer and probably be more cost effective.
It is artisanal bodgery of Olympic standard......I'm dreading getting my allroad on stands when it comes time for the offside front jacking point😢
its also kind of hilarious to see people's amazement with the rust on the vic, here in the states its Extremely common to see vics rusted to shit especially the rocker panels and fenders. I appreciate your perseverance!
Well done Matt, that is a huge challenge to accept, I’m sure that when it’s finished it will be as good as new.
I really enjoy watching your repair, restoration and tinkering videos❤.
I think it’s hats off to Mrs furious , for putting up with it , it must do her head in
I admire your mental as well as physical tenacity. I dare say the mental drain of realizing what has to be done can be more daunting than actually doing the work. I know you will get there in the end. I would be tempted to just weld on the outer section and call it a day. You are a true champion. We’re all pulling for you on this one
There is a cult following here in the US for these crown vics as well as the mercury grand marquis and the lincoln town cars. We live in the midwest where rust is pretty common. I myself have the 2000 lincoln town car. All 3 are pretty much built on the same platform and also built very well. The crown vic fleets started as police fleets then used as taxi's afterwards Most of them would last well above 300,000 miles and some even double that. These crown vics are still used in some states today as police vehicles long after their production. It's still a very solid, reliable, sought-after and well used car to this day. Well worth the rust repair
I really admire your perseverance Matt. Many would have just scrapped a car in this state
You've also inspired me to learn how to weld (or at least try...). Might be useful one day!
It's like the W123 all over again. It'll never be finished.
I disagree. Just watch this space and soon you will see a shite old Crown Vic be reborn...
In for a penny, in for a pound!
@@bikeman123 I think there's more determination to turn the Crown Vic around. For one thing, there's less broken stuff.
Shame the vendor didn't also feel inspired to learn how to weld. Would save a lot of people a lot of heartache
So Ford designed a handy tea shelf for when you're cutting out and replacing rust. How thoughtful is that!
Very admiring of your tenacity with this job Matt. I can only imagine how you must have dent peeking back layer after layer of rotten metal. Good luck with it and can’t wait to see this beast returned to former glory with some proper metal installed .
I salute your indefatigability. I’ve enrolled on a welding course starting in August to deal with any future rust on my old piece of retroshite. So I’ll be sharing your pain soon.
Something I'd like to do too. I've picked up a welder before and the results were shall we say, not great. It's very wise to get proper advice as I've seen welds that look nice a tidy but never got the full penetration depth and are therefore pretty dangerous. Like everything skills and safety....
The car will be back to being a tank when you've finished. At the very least it's a fairly easy shape to weld and hidden by the plastic cover. You'll get there Matt. Chin up, ol' boy.
Best of luck with the project! I got an old Amazon last year that will undergo some repairs to rectify old sins. Your perseverance certainly provides motivation and inspiration!
Keep going Matt . You are showing what true grit is all about and you’re doing a great 👍 job
Furious Driving - the home of quality tinkering. Love it mate
Respect to you. I take on pretty much any mechanical work myself, but even I'd have outsourced this. Whoever bodged this car shouldn't be allowed near any tools, what a horrible person.
Matt, you have the heart of a lion. Terrific effort!
Patience is a virtue!!!! Best of luck with that repair work 💪💪💪
I’m so happy to see you caring for your crown Vic. What a beautiful car!
I'm so glad that you're not going to give up on the Crown Vic, and really admire your resilience as well! I wish you the best of luck with this, looking forward to seeing the P71 back on the road!
A man of true grit and dogged tenacity and clearly not fazed by the odd rust blister!
It's going to feel so satisfying driving this old girl once she's all completed, safe in the knowledge that there are no more surprises lurking beneath the skin and that you've tackled all that could be rusty. Already looks so much better with all that horrid grot and rust cut away. I feel the pain but you've made incredible progress in such a short time.
Well at least you have the weather on your side. Good luck with it all.
Well done i say. I find rust a scary job to tackle, and my 91 ford fairmont needs its outer sills doing. But watching you crack on with thr crown vic inspires me to have a go.
Well done and brilliant patients on getting this bodge removed
What a heartbreaking mess! Good on you, Matt, for keeping on. That front bit that is hidden by the wing is actually part of the lower cowl/firewall/A pillar structure.
You are rightvwhen you tslk about the big, beefy frame. You are incorrect, howrver, wnrn you say the sill skins are cosmetic only. The disign of this frame goes all the way back to 1965 with a gap from 69, 70, and 71. 72-79 it was under the Torino/Montego,/Cougar XR-7, Cougar, LTD II, Ranchero, and 77-79 Thunderbird. It was modified again and became the Panther platform from 1979-2011. The frame itself is for great strength horizontally. Depending on year and equipment this frame was engineered for up to 6,000 pounds of trailer towing. Tortional regidity was probided by the body, mainly in the sills, which explains the double box section. What has been done is to cut the innner box out to a flat surface and weld a length of square tubing in place. That allows for getting paint and other rust resistant treatmenets done to the inner stucture. After that you can weld the outer sill back on, doing a 2 layer pinch weld where inner and outer sills meet. Then you can treat the inside of that cavity properly before putting the end caps on. Once all of that is done, and the body looking beautiful again, invest in some mud guards to go behind the front wheels. I do that with all my old Fords, and it does keep the sills and frsme rails protected. Keep up the good work. It will be worth it in the end.
Gosh golly Matt that is a lot of work to do but as you said this is about fixing cars, that's what we all do. I've faced this dilemma a few times with cars, thinking I'm going to scrap it, but then thought no way I almost enjoy the buzz of getting the old panels and rust off, then building it up and seeing it like new, well almost new! Keeping my eye on this one, really enjoying the updates and good luck with getting some wings :)
Looking good so far. Keep up with the enthusiasm and see it through. Will be great experience
Marvellous work Matt. I love how you're channelling your anger and disappointment into action. It'll totally be worth it
Awesome....Keep picking away at it...before you know it you will be done with the repair. Be sure to POR-15 that inner rocker to stop it from rusting again and make sure you use weld through primer on the back side of that new rocker. When you are all done be sure to use the spray wax on the inside of the panel to also help it from rusting again. Good luck!
Matt, if you don't already, I'd recommend you lease a cylinder of Argoshield (BOC do them). It helps quite a bit with MiG quality and you are going to need one of those large cylinders and it'll work out cheaper than the small bottles.
Genuinely felt for you when it was discovered, I myself have been well and truly caught out by a bodged 20 year old Ford aswell so have felt your pain. Looks a massive undertaking, good luck
I have to admire your attitude towards this disaster; however it is excellent content and should mean the car is good for the longer term. Great video sir.
Matt, I take my hat off to you! Your tenacious doggedness will see you through. You have my respect for taking this on. Good luck and I hope it ends without too much heart ache.
Thank you for providing the inspiration for me to do the same job on my Mk2 Cavalier!😁
I'm so impressed how you've not been phased by the amount of work you'll be enduring. Well done to your commitment. I dove my cap to you sir.
Gloves, safety glasses, and ear buds… good man! So many other videos I watch don't do that. As you say yourself. It is important.
You're a man after my own heart! Never give in! Never!
This car is going to be a huge investment in your own skill set. You’ll quickly learn how use templates to snip up and shape repair patches for all those inner parts and the bottom of the box section. Then you’ll get good at welding. You can’t put a price on the satisfaction you’ll get out of it. We don’t restore cars for financial profit, but each project builds our personal bank. You’ll be quite rich in experience when this is done. I’m subscribing after seeing it attacked properly.
Well done for getting the Crown Vic repaired. I’m sure you will end up with a better vehicle than what came out of the factory in Canada or even Detroit.
Just returned from Hemet California. I saw at least 2 working Crown Victoria police cars in operation. (they looked well used) There was also a Lincoln Towncar herse for the funeral we went to.
Hope you’re gonna sandblast those internals, rust cure and prime etc. Brave to take that on…but you have to because most professional welders would just close that up as quick as
possible and job done!
Well done for sticking with it looking forward to seeing the finished car
Grand work ! - don't scrap it ! - carry on repairing it and make it boss !
All the very best with it. I can't imagine the pain you have. But it will be worth it in the end. You invested so much to get that thing over here. Don't forget the value of it should sky rocket once it's done. And it will be a solid car once you've done it . Ignore the folk who are saying scrap it.
Nothing but respect for you Matt! What an undertaking to get all the rust out. Rotten to the core those sills.
Brave man for taking on the Job 👍👍
Seeing as it's Americana with the crown Vic, just got to say you have massive Cojones! The dedication to never declaring a car is a lost cause wherever possible is fantastic! Keep up the good work and I look forward to more cutting, grinding and eventually welding the Vic back together!
Technically the body actually is structural on these cars. Ford designed this chassis back in 1965, with the intention of having a rigid body and a semi-flexible frame, to allow better absorbing of road harshness and vibration. This is the reason that the radiator support dropped down as well when you unbolted the fender, because the front sections of the chassis drooped downwards a bit. The rocker panels are heavy gauge and fully boxed and act as braces for the body itself, much like in a unibody car. Its interesting really, everybody calls these cars body on frame, but they almost are kind of a unibody-hybrid design. Its basically just two front and rear subframes that are tied together by a relatively thin siderail instead of just bolting to the body like a unibody car.
Mate I feel your pain. I have a retired New York City yellow taxi Crown Victoria and I'm dreading to start cutting the rust out. I have 4 Crown Vics though, 3 of them are pretty solid. If you need me to take any photos for reference for your repair give me a shout.
Great Rimmer quote!
Im so smegging happy someone got that!
I think Sweeden is a lover of big US cars. Have you had a look there to see if they have wings? Mega job, but we are all behind you all the way and hoping you get it back on the road again mate.
Only good thing here Matt is its summertime , long daylight hours and more pleasant weather to work in
This man is the definition of a problem solver. I'd go to pieces if presented with this! Great watching.
I actually know a pretty big group of panther owners who just HOARDE parts from simple partitions to posi locking diffs and the FPE system with fire extinguishers
I knew a man who was recently in the Netherlands with a Aussie Ford, shall i get him to go back and get you some wings.
Genuinly still gutted for you Matt, but i know you will get the crown vic back looking her best.
If Id known Id have had him pick some up for me!
You did a great job, Matt, taking on this work. You will have the best Crown Vic in Britain when this is done. 💪🏻💪🏻🍀😀
Well, youve not seen my welding yet!
@@furiousdriving the angle grinder and some paint, make you the welder you ain't 😂😂
Bless you that looks tough Matt! I just began poking around my rover 216 to find it needs welding too on the rear arch.
Think we need to get you a face mask too to avoid breathing in that rust when you’re cutting
Hi Matt and wel said there are loads of cars 20-30-40-50 years or more still on the road and ain’t that point to these channels cause people loving these cars cause I do😅
I doff my cap in your general direction Matt!
That barge will sail again which is great news!
Well done mate on persisting with it, it’ll be great when you get it done. Andrew
The battery comment is exactly why i have wired tools for long running jobs like grinder work. Running the extension lead takes way less time that recharging batteries.
Keep up the good work - if people just scrapped cars like this there's be nothing interesting left on the roads!
Hat off to you Matt, you're taking that better than most people would - myself included. Hope you have spme better luck with it soon.
If I may say, I'm very happy to see you tackle this enormous task. You'll appreciate a solid car, especially knowing how bad they can be. Good luck!
One there's probably not a lot of Crown victorias in the UK. Except for ones that people brought into the country like you and 2. It's just a rotted outdoor cell the floors in that car solid the frame in that Crown Vic solid. So it's worth what you're doing to it. New door sales 2 front fenders the car is gonna be as good as new. I live in Ontario Canada. We live in the Ross belt. And trust me that's a lot of rot in that Crown Victoria's body. Those are solid cars.
I'm following this with great interest due to having similar issues with a Peugeot Expert - rotten sills that are more complex and more rotten than I realised, and *massive* mission creep. I currently have the entire front end dismantled - engine, suspension, subframe, the lot - which only started out as "get it another MoT but try and do it nicely so it'll last longer".
Good luck matt, this is making me feel so much better about the rust on my 240, keen to see how you do!
After 33 Ontario, Canada winters, not to mention the 391,000 miles on my Volvo 240DL estate, mine needs some attention right sharpish. Still drives like new. At least it is not as bad as Matt's Crown Vic.
Well done Matt, hats off to you. So many people would be daunted by the amount of work you’re taking on. 👍
Anybody who says scrap it clearly are not car people...absolutely ridiculous ...Good luck Matt. Keep going
Stick with it Matt. Never give up on a car you love.
Like suggested previously, use either 1mm or 1.6mm cutting discs. These will last a lot longer, but don't like being side-loaded, and can shatter.
Tap around with a hammer near where you're welding, as you may find even more, and while you can get at it, is the best time to do it.
Cup of tea. Start tomorro. BLMC 1972.
Stay with it, good work so far. At least it's not the frame that's rusted. It could always be worse. Last week a rodent got into the engine compartment of my new truck and ate every electrical wire. I have to have a whole new main wiring harness/loom installed.
Thats a worse job than this!
Spotted the AJ Rimmer quote in there. Class.
The crown Vic was sold in the Middle East …I remember seeing them for sale in Kuwait
Good luck with repairs
If you make a shirt saying "We have nothing to fear but pain, failure, humiliation and death... and fear itself" I will buy it
You can get proper 4.5" metal cutting discs for the angle grinder, makes a much neater cleaner easier job than the thick one that you used....
There's no way you can say that the whole complex metal box assembly is "not structural" !
Sell the Volvo and pay the Fiat / Beetle welding bloke to fix it for you.
Youre a braver man than me Matt. Good luck with the repairs!
Most certainly worth the trouble of repairing it. I have had lots of similar fun on my 1997 Mondeo - new wheel arches - fabricating inner wheel arches, new sills, repairing inner sills, not forgetting my latest endeavour, stripping the rear sub frame and suspension down to it's component parts and shoving them bit by bit into the shot blasting cabinet. All good fun though. But with regards to your Crown Vic, still hard to believe that the police kept it for so long, they certainly must have got their moneys worth out of it. Keep at it Matt, it will be well worth it once it's done.
Brace resourceful guy.
That’s right Matt! The Crown Vic stays 🎉 through THICK and THIN 🚙💨💨🤠🇺🇸
Sadly rust is always worse than it first looks, the prep is the worst bit youre doing well, i can weld but i would of given it to someone else to do, i am impressed how youre doing it yourself.
Weldone for taking this work on yourself,
Take my hat off to you 👌
I`m looking forward to a similar amount of work on one of my 80`s Fiats soon, cept thats a monocoque, so bracing nessicary!
The wings looked very repairable when I saw them? I`ve repaired similarly rotten Jaguar XJ SIII, XJ40 & X300/X308 wings that have gone in the same place. You`ve got nothing to lose other than a few hours of time!
Have to admire your staying power. I was one of those who said scrap it, and still wonder how the books are going to be made to balance on this project. But I sincerely wish you good luck with getting it pulled round.
It may well be body on frame, but there has to be structure for seat, seat belts and braking components to be mounted to. I admire your enthusiasm an have a go attitude. Good luck
As others have said Matt. full credit to you. If you got all that cut out in a day, I reckon that is very good progress. I was worried you would find the seats sitting on rust, but no, it all looks pretty solid under there. You pretty well know the extent of it now. At least the weather is now in your favour.
Hi matt, first of all i love your channel and im so sorry you have found this disaster on your dream car 😢, i am a car body repairer myself at my dads business, he has been doing it over 35 years and i am 32 now so its all ive ever known, id like to point out a couple of points if i may.
1. In the video where you found all this rot, the sheer amount of green overspray left on the front wheel arch liner would sound alarm bells for me, typical sign of a shoddy bodyshop who gives it a quick tidy up without giving a monkeys.
2. The paint finish on the bottoms of your doors in this video is looking incredibly orange peeley ( like they have been painted over stonechip?) Unless of course this was done to protect it more from the salty roads where the car came from and having a hard working life. Maybe worth a check all the same, but at the end of the day you own and know the car and im only seeing this on video 👍. Hopefully its just a poor paint finish that can benefit from a good wet and dry 2000 grit followed by a damp cloth with a good dollop of farecla g3 compound and a machine buff after 👍👍
But on the plus side at least you havent found chicken wire lurking around under old filler like we did while restoring my grandads 1962 super minx 😂
As i said i love this channel you do a great job and are a credit to both youtube and car anoraks like myself. I genuinely hope you get this sorted ok and best of luck mate 👍👍👍
The p 71 crown vic,a car with a story and a soul ,always worth repairing, I can sympathize on the rust issue here in Maine
You will win. Crown Vic will be on the road soon. Never seen so much rust for such a modern car. Used to Volvo 240, 740 and current 940.
Well done for persevering and ignoring the naysayers and doom-mongers. My Renault 16 had similar levels of rot in its sills, but my Dad and I repaired them with him making up and welding in new inner sections before fitting pattern outer sills. In a similar vein, I'm exhausting all avenues with keeping my BMW alive, which apparently has an irreparable ECU. I too refuse to bin off a perfectly good car (that I have sank a good bit of cash into in the last two years) for such a piddling fault!
I am curious, why cant you just get a new ECU?
Glad to see you doing the work! I can't see any reason to scrap a perfectly good running car over non structural rust. I'm excited to see the repairs. I live in rural New York state where they use tons of nasty road salt, most Crown Vics here are pretty crusty. Rocker panels are always the first to go. Also happy to see they make replacement parts! Can't wait to see the progress on this.
Well done for keeping on with the project, a shocking bodge but very well disguised. That car looked beautiful when it landed in Blighty, I get your anger. Small consolation but at least you have the welding skills to rescue it.
I admire your persistence Matt. If you havent seen South Main Auto, just see what Eric O thinks of used car dealers in the US. The cable peobable feeds either the laptop dock between the front seats or the radio/data terminal above the heater controls
Unbelievable. Top marks for effort and perseverance.
This is going to be an epic series of videos, well done on tackling it