Winstar under door sill replacement

[David429]

Has anyone replaced the sills? If so any suggestions?
Thanks;
David

[glennet404]

Hello David-

Welcome to the forum. - question -

Are you asking because of rust or accident damage ??
also - Do you own the vehicle or is it something you are thinking of buying ??

Glenn

[David429]

I own the vehicle. It is because of rust.
David

[wiswind]

I wonder if you are asking about the rocker panel......
The rocker panel is below the door.....bends around.....is the lowest part of the painted body.
Mine are rusting as well......on my '96.
You can buy new ones and have the old one cut off....and new ones welded on....and painted.... ($$)

I was thinking of putting some sort of molding/ etc over mine......just painted black.
I have seen a couple of items online.....nothing that really grabbed my attention......just want something simple.....so I have some more looking to do.

Rest of the underside of mine is still great (I have gone over it a few times to keep the rust proofing/undercoating in good shape).
My rocker panels rusted from inside......did not come through until the winter of 2007/2008..... Not bad for a '96 that sees all the city salt every winter.

[glennet404]

David-

The sill on the Windstar is an integral component of the Unibody frame system. To say replacing it would be a major job costing plenty of $$$ would be an understatement.
If your sill is rusted so badly that you need to consider replacing the entire unit - I'll offer the suggestion that replacing the vehicle might make more sense. Furthermore - it is a job that even the most accomplished home mechanic fully tooled with welder and air tools would need to think twice about before attempting.
If on the other hand you have pockets of rust with holes say 50mm or less - an accomplished welder could make those repairs by welding in patches and the structural integrity of the Unibody would be intact. Also - if you are experiencing bubbling paint / surface rust with holes say 10mm or less - you could consider patching with fiberglass. Furthermore - if your sills are rotted so badly that you really need to replace them - covering them with some type of trim sill plate may not be such a reliable option.
In this case David - a few photos would have really helped out.

Good Luck-
Glenn