417 replies to this topic

[CLM]

Thanks!... though there is so much work left it makes my head spin! I hope to have the boot floor welded in in the next couple of weeks, Inching forwards to the nasty job of repairing the crappy rear deseaming someone started... ugh.

Now if I can just remember to turn the gas on when I am welding... then maybe the welds would turn out half decent

Chris

[CLM]

Well no pics this update, but, the boot floor is almost ready to weld in. I managed to weld the wire clips in, the subframe support panels and the valance closers in. Those THICK support panels were a pain, was difficult to get the penetration on them as they heated up so much slower then the thin floor. I still would like to redo a couple welds across the spare well as the panels don't line up well.


Chris

[CLM]

I pretty much have the boot floor ready to weld in. I dont have the battery box valance or the two valance tags early cars use, I was able to salvage everything else to build up the boot floor from my other pieces. You may notice the subframe mounts are slotted, I did that to match my original setup. I also used a section of a scrap companion box to make a set of wire tags to weld onto the boot floor. I hope to have the boot floor welded into the saloon this weekend

Here you go, one early-ified heritage boot floor for your looking... what a task. If you can look real close you might notice the tank strap and the battery ground is a 6 point nut, these are brazed in all the way from back in the factory, these I was able to salvage directly from my early january 60 shell.





I will also be trimming down the old photos for more room as time goes on... so I have more room for new photos

Chris

Edited by CLM, 10 December 2010 - 04:36 AM.

[hughJ]

Hello Chris

Took a look at this after your encouraging comment on my welding. You're making me feel even worse. My Mini is pristine compared to yours and you just get stuck in while I woose out! Your welding looks great. If, as you say, I should get to this standard I'll be delighted. All the best with this.

Hugh

[sonikk4]

Liking your progress so far. I would recommend trial fitting your battery box now as well. I changed the complete boot floor and then went to fit the battery box it did not fit at all.

I had to modify it big time to get it to fit, have a look at the Project Erm thread and you will see what i did to the box.

[Pitcrew6464]

Hardcore rebulid love it good luck

[CLM]

Hello Chris

Took a look at this after your encouraging comment on my welding. You're making me feel even worse. My Mini is pristine compared to yours and you just get stuck in while I woose out! Your welding looks great. If, as you say, I should get to this standard I'll be delighted. All the best with this.

Hugh

I would love to start with a nicer mini.. but I just can't get them here in the U.S. under several thousand dollars So I work with what I have... They are not the cheap cars they are over there unfortunatly. Someday I will have a nice shiny mini... untill then I just have to bust my knuckles.

As for my welding, it's really not that great yet, but it is functional. You would be surprised how a bit of grinding will make them look nice

And I dont yet have a new battery box to put in so I cant really test fit, I will just have faith I can make one fit when I get it!

I did run into a minor issue...



Kinda hard to weld UNDER that bracket oh well, I can weld one of the two holes, the second one will just have to not get welded, oops.

Chris

[hughJ]

Hi Chris

I'm not seeing your pictures, which is a pity, they were very good and helpful. Thanks for your reply on my own topic.

Hugh

[CLM]

Hi Chris

I'm not seeing your pictures, which is a pity, they were very good and helpful. Thanks for your reply on my own topic.

Hugh

Yeah sorry about that, I went over quota on my data transfer... over a gig worth of picture views heh. They will be back at the first of next month.

Chris

[CLM]

Oh, it\'s been a while coming, I did more work on the shell after my provider limited my web account, but this update is more my insane project I have been working on in virtual secret... And now as it\'s looking like it will turn out well I will post some pictures

Well... As I needed a change in pace I decided to play a bit with my new welder and I had a rear door from my van that was, well, beyond repair.




I pulled out pieces of filler that you could have killed someone with, I will take a picture of the.. big piece.. here soon, I chopped out a section of the door to see how extensive the rot was on the inner skin.




Then I got to thinking, pulled out some paper and made up a pattern.



And the end result turned out pretty decent, I used a 1/4 inch long extension and a vice to form the radius




But then ran out of any decent salvageable flat metal so finally made a trip to the store and picked up $40 worth of steel and made the second part of the pattern



Once I had it done I looked at the bottom.. and.. err had no idea what shape it was really supposed to be, it was a little rotten...




There was enough of the old 90 bend to show me about where it should go so I made a plate but as I had no judge for the bottom seam I left it flat for now, I guessed the bottom of the middle of the door should look like the top so made it simmilar to match.




I was still pretty much playing here, didnt know how this would all turn out, and well, the door was garbage really so I wasn\'t losing anything by working on it.

The next day I started messing with the curved section on the other side, trying to duplicate what had remained there



...continued

Edited by CLM, 11 January 2011 - 01:40 PM.

[CLM]

Following with one of the trickier sections to make, lots of bends in this one... but it turned out fairly well.





The next thing I went to tackle was the inner skin rust at the base of the window aperature, this was the first place I had to make a second piece, the first one I tried the alternating bends... failed. Prior to that, and without any pictures, I finally figured out where the lower seam should be so was able to bend it... which was fun... holding the whole door while trying to position it in the vice, tighten the vice, and bend all at once! If you notice at the bottom right corner of the outside of the door you will see the small piece I made to position the lower seem.. somewhat correctly.




Once that was done I focused back to the bottom and the recess where the door seal goes, I had to remove more of the outter skin so I could get to all the rusty section, I actually used some of the steel I had messed up trying to make the bottom of the window aperature a day or so before. This turned out to be somewhat difficult trying to get the you shape right, but I managed in the end using a large square section pry bar as a mandrel to form it around.





...continued

Edited by CLM, 11 January 2011 - 01:44 PM.

[CLM]

At this stage I started wondering what next, so pulled out some paper and started making another template... of the outter door skin.





It's looking suspiciously like a door now. A door that is not made out of plastic... however there was surface rust in there that needed delt with so I picked up a gallon of Ospho (a phosphoric acid rust treatment) and you7 are supposed to brush it on and let it dry then paint. However I saw the metal getting cleaner as I brushed so did several cycles of brush on - wait - wash off - repeat before I put a coat on to dry. I was suprised I actually got to very shiny metal! The final coat went on and hazed like it was supposed to before I wiped it down with a dry cloth and pained it with some rustoleum.






After that I went to aligning and trimming the outter skin to fit, after pondering for a bit on how to get the skin to not fall inside, I welded some temporary tabs on the skin to allow it to follow the curve of the door, and tacked it on so I can build up the window corners.





I think I just may be able to get some use out of this door... well the maybe 40% of the door I didnt cut off and replace that is

Chris.. The Insane

[hughJ]

Well Chris, what can I say. You have a huge heart tackling a job like that. I always feel so shamed when I read your posts. Keep going and keep us informed of this drastic rebuild.

Hugh

[CLM]

Thanks Hugh

Door is a bit of a pita but it is working out, it will be cheaper then buying another right now. I may replace it at a later date with one not so frankenstined up. But for now it will be the most rust free part of my van

How is the Sky doing?

Chris

[CLM]

Well it's been a while, including a change of location mid-job Prior to the move I did manage to get the boot floor fully welded in, the valance closing panels fully welded in and even the rear seat back repaired and fully welded back in.. but dang if I can find the photos I took

Aside from the holes in the floor along the crossmember it could sit back on subframes at this point, however I decided I needed to put it on the back burner for a bit and work on the van some, put it in the little garage and opened a can of (tin) worms when I started digging into it.



in that one picture along I will need inner wings, scuttle panel, inner and outer a panels, door step panel lower rear quarter panel.. etc etc etc.

Previous owners musta had bodging in the blood... they had large unshapely plates randomly welded in over top of the rust in this van, It will be at least shaped correctly and devoid of rust when I am done

Bondosicles anyone?



droops of bondo under the scuttle end does not bode well.

I decided to try my hand at making some panels so started with trying to make a pattern.



Using that pattern I trimmed a 2x6 chunk into the shape and hammered out a panel... of almost 2mm steel.. that was thick... too thick...



and... well there was not enough curve and the steel was so thick it was resisting me trying to increase the curve enough to make it a satisfactory fit.



So I decided to try again, As I have the 850 which has immaculate inner wings, i used it to make up a pattern along with using a piece of copper tubing to copy the existing curve in the doorframe and reshaped my 2x6. I did have a hard time bending the long straight section.. untill it dawned on me to use 2x4's as a makeshift sheet metal brake.






This fit Much better!



including the little joggle at the bottom.



continued...