301 replies to this topic

[buddylove]

Coming along nicely, keep up the good work

[1984mini25]

So with the mini now on the pallet the plan originally was to chop the drivers side sill off, patch up the inner sill, chop down my replacement over sill and tack it in place enough for me to be able to tip the shell over and weld it properly as I hate welding upside-down.

Only once the outer sill had been removed, there wasn’t a lot left of the inner and would also need welding, so another pair of panels were ordered (might as well do the pair) as I didn’t have enough to patch the inner, so they would of had to be done in sections which would of looked a right mess.

[attachment=77088:HPIM9883.JPG]
[attachment=77089:HPIM9998.jpg]

So then took the grinder to the inner sill, heal board end as I had found a more solid, less bent repayment stubby that I could bolt up to the remaining mounts to get the new section in the right place. Along with the complete rear arch and closing panel, all to be replaced in one go.

New sills and replacement stubby (which was free)
[attachment=77090:HPIM0009.jpg]
[attachment=77091:HPIM9879.JPG]

And the new inner sill welded in place.
[attachment=77092:HPIM0034.jpg]

With the shell now solid again it was then tipped onto its side onto some old tyres and then lifted back onto the pallet and wheeled back into the garage, so I could finish up the welding on the inner sill, the front floors, rear arch, the outer sill and to give the underside a going over with the grinder/wire brush to remove the under seal, flaky paint and any surface rust And given a coat of primmer.
[attachment=77093:HPIM0036.jpg]
[attachment=77094:HPIM0038.jpg]

With that done it was then flipped back up the right way so my replacement door (thanks to Retro_10’s) could then be test “fitted” (with a bit of persuasion it did eventually fit like a glove) with the mk1 hinges along with the front end I had been working on.
[attachment=77095:HPIM0189.jpg][attachment=77098:HPIM0217.jpg]
[attachment=77101:HPIM0222.jpg][attachment=77102:HPIM0225.jpg]

Then replacement battery box was fitted and the innersill on the other side chopped out and replace and flipped back onto its side for finishing and underseal/painting.
[attachment=77103:HPIM0233.jpg]
[attachment=77104:HPIM0329.jpg]

[Retro_10s]

Looking good Karl, what's the plan of attack from here on in?

[1984mini25]

Well now it’s back up the right way (does help) and the underside has been under sealed and painted with the new copper brake and fuel lines run and then the painted, partly assembled stubbys bolted on so it’s now a rolling shell is...
[attachment=77307:HPIM0366.JPG]

To get the Last of the welding done, little odd bits hear and there.
Finish up the removable front, gave up trying to make the hinges to work.
Fit and gap the replacement passenger door which is no were near as good as the drivers side, but I’m running out of time finding another more solid and straight replacement.
And get the body filled, along with the arches and rear valance mods, sanded, prepped, primed and painted by the end of the month.

There were a few other bit’s I would have liked to do, but as I can’t seam to find the parts at reasonable enough prices and with the lack of time left, those have been sidelined. As I really need to paint sooner than later, so it can sit outside for a month or two while the 25 is re-worked on.

[mighty mini jack]

That looks great.

Is the whole car going to be green then ?

[1984mini25]

Well the main body colour (still undecided on the roof) will be that green, which is slightly darker than the pick because of the camera flash, with the wheels being an off white colour, well once I’ve sanded and painted the other 4. (set of 5)
[attachment=77308:HPIM9585.JPG][attachment=77309:HPIM9786.JPG]

The green I had painted most of the shell in already during most of the repairs is just some cheap hammerite I got from the market for a £1 each and was just there to stop the repairs from rusting, as the garage can get quite damp.

Oh and this is the front stubby partly assembled, which was fun to do as I had only recently broke two of my fingers (crushed them at work) and they were still quite sore and heavily strapped up.
[attachment=77310:HPIM9625.JPG]

Edited by 1984mini25, 04 January 2009 - 03:26 PM.

[Down&Out]

i really like them wheels

[buddylove]

The green and white combo will look good, whats the name of the green you are going with?

[1984mini25]

i really like them wheels

They are nice, although they were never bought for this project, as I original bought them about 3 years ago from the local mini scrapers for £70, they were in quite a sorry state but had decent tyres so I could stick them on the 25 before the mot. Only it wasn’t until I bolted them on I realised the tyres that the tyres were fitted were too big (metro size) and so didn’t fit under the arches properly at the front and were toughing the mounting rack on the rear stubby.

And they then spent up till last summer stacked up outside in the garden, So were even more rusty, before I thought about removing the tyres, getting them shot blasted re-painting them and fitted with some proper mini tyres and used on this mini.

whats the name of the green you are going with?

I would prefer to keep that secret until it’s painted, although it’s not a standard mini colour.

[1984mini25]

Well I’ve been quite busy on this for the past few days, nearly got all of the filling and sanding done, looks like it’s been snowing in the garage thanks to the thick layer of filler dust everywhere lol (it’s bloody cold enough )
Expect for a few little bits that need touching up and the passenger side door still needs a bit more work to get it looking straight, but I should have it all ready and primed by the middle of the week ready for blocking and final painting.

[1984mini25]

What the saying one step forwards 2 giant leaps backwards?

Now I’ve got the filling and sanding work done, it’s now ready for paint, but as my garage is a bit too small I’m having to mask off one side of the car, prime and paint it and then turn it around and do the same on the other side. Then once the main car is done, leave it out on the drive to free up the garage, hang the doors and boot up on the walls spraying those and putting the mini back in the garage, or at least that’s what i did with the 25, but I was rollering it instead.

So I’ve got the passenger door, side window and rear window holes masked off and the rest of the car sheeted over, sprayed on my primer, which went on fine, gave it a quick rub down and sprayed on the green, which…. Despite problems with my gun clogging went on ok with no runs.

Only when I came back for a peek a few hours later the rear panel wasn’t green anymore and most of the paint has run back off the panel.

[Sir Cheat]

So what did you do wrong? Why the paint run off the panal.

[1984mini25]

So what did you do wrong? Why the paint run off the panal.

I’m not too sure as I was using up the left over I had pre mixed from spraying the underside and I had already sprayed the passenger side before the rear, so can’t really be the paint to thinners ratio.

The gun was playing up though as it became clogged mid spraying and was very spluttery (like a normal spray can when it’s nearly empty), so I might have sprayed it on too thick.

I’ll try sanding it back to the primer and give it another shot and see what happens.

[Junior Mini]

What sort of paint are you using????

Mixed 2K only has a limited time before it starts to cure.

[1984mini25]

I’m using a well-known brand of enamel mixed with 20% white sprit; I’ve rubbed the rear panel back to the primmer and the odd run/imperfections from the side panels and given it another go, which despite the odd run which should rub out before the next coat/polishing, is staying stuck to the car.

I’ll get some picks once it’s had time to go off a bit more, as I don’t really want to go kicking up anymore dust than I have to.