1146 replies to this topic

[minimuk]

on a roll!!keep it up, like your style and speed

[grahama]

Hugh,

Your work is comming on nicely and looks very neat now under some paint. Have you decided on the boot yet now you have got it on it's side?

Graham

Edited by grahama, 22 May 2011 - 06:51 AM.

[hughJ]

Destruction and depression

Thanks Michel and Graham. I think I will repair the lip all along the hinge panel and corners. I will repair below the passenger side tail light as described by Rich in his 1979 Rust Heap Clubman Rebuild. His repairs are very impressive. I really like his repair along the hinge panel - Rich's link. Then a fair bit of the boot floor has to be replaced and the subframe strengthening panels. I think I'll follow your example Graham of replacing the boot floor. I know you advised me to buy the panel but I advised you to keep with the fabrication of yours. Mainly for this forum's entertainment!

I cut out the rear valance and its closing panels. Then started to explore with the grinder. Its not good news!







I'll be spending a few nights slowly removing metal. Last night was a no no - it's like November up here and we had gales. The power was off for most of the evening so no grinding.

Grinding on

Hugh

[grahama]

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm brown stuff !!!

You have a little more than me there Hugh, take it you are going to grind off the strengthening plates and weld in new?? Think I am going to take the top layer off mine too asI think the valance closing panels have the strengthening plates attached in some cases.

Hope your power comes back on soon.

Graham

[minimuk]

If you want my opinion, ....cut the lot out,...12" from valance inwards and repair the remaining spare wheel bit near the rear seats, new panels to arches and new half boot panel, you might need to weld in a strip as the boot repair panel is usually 10" max. add new strengthening plates and I even would put new arches in as the rust virus is in there already. What condition is the heelboard? seriously, what I can see on those pictures, there are only a few bits ok in the bootfloor, part of the spare wheel bit.

Stand back and re-asses the/your plan,...ask yourself would it be better to cut out the whole boot floor and replace with new one,...(£180approx) or spend a lot of time trying to chase the rust around.

let me know what you decide

[087dave]

If you want my opinion, ....cut the lot out,...12" from valance inwards and repair the remaining spare wheel bit near the rear seats, new panels to arches and new half boot panel, you might need to weld in a strip as the boot repair panel is usually 10" max. add new strengthening plates and I even would put new arches in as the rust virus is in there already. What condition is the heelboard? seriously, what I can see on those pictures, there are only a few bits ok in the bootfloor, part of the spare wheel bit.

Stand back and re-asses the/your plan,...ask yourself would it be better to cut out the whole boot floor and replace with new one,...(£180approx) or spend a lot of time trying to chase the rust around.

let me know what you decide

I am at the same stage as you on your project last week i cut out the whole floor and back seats as the are the same panel
but as minis rust i also had to cut the two coner sections from the heel board to mount the rear subframe and also the two filler pocket panels

you would be better in the long run and do it right
Dave

[hughJ]

Dave and minimuk you are probably right. I'm so sick of the sight of the rust I left it tonight even though I had time. A lot of the boot is just surface rust and probably will just need cleaning and treatment. I am actually a lot more worried where the roof seam is, now I've seen from underneath! Thanks again Graham.

Hugh

[SAL 821X]

WOW hugh! what and inspiring thread ive just read it from front to back...

So inspiring that i've just bidded on a welder off ebay, just a shame ive just got my van back from having most of the welding done, theres some more to go though.

Keep up the good work fella.

[sonikk4]

I know its a big thing to do Hugh but have you considered replacing the whole boot floor??? There's no faffing about with individual repairs and to be honest after having done one it's not that difficult.

Buy the complete floor with the battery box installed. It would take roughly a day to cut the old one out and clean everything thing up prior to trial fitting the new floor. Providing you find nothing else in the way of crud, spend a day prepping the new panel ie drilling plug weld holes, lining it all up etc you could have it all done in 3 to 4 days max.

Its about £145 to £150 for a complete floor i believe, not cheap but by the time you spend welding in seperate panels etc there is a lot less mess and a nice clean finish.

Its worth considering Hugh.

[hughJ]

Neil I do appreciate the advice and know you are usually right. But I'm a Scotsman and I'm trying to avoid going over £1000 in panels. The Mini is not to be a show-piece and will not be returned to as-new but to a good running standard.

SAL 821X thank you for your kind words - if you only knew. I've had to force myself to get back to work.

My son has come back from university for the summer. He works out and is a as strong as an elephant. So I enlisted his help to put the Mini on its roof. I should have put 'Spit' on his birth certificate all these years ago.



I've repaired part of the lip at the rear valance. First time welding in weeks and it shows. Need to get my hand in again.







I've spent an awful lot of time with the grinder cutting out the boot floor and grinding round the subframe mounts. I've also been trying to fettle this Magnum panel. Their panels have been not bad so far but this one is poor.



Especially on this side. I've been hammering away.



Well, I'm working at it again. I hope I can keep it up and get the rear repaired. But what time it takes!

Grinding on

Hugh

Edited by hughJ, 04 June 2011 - 08:59 PM.

[087dave]

Neil I do appreciate the advice and know you are usually right. But I'm a Scotsman and I'm trying to avoid going over £1000 in panels. The Mini is not to be a show-piece and will not be returned to as-new but to a good running standard.

SAL 821X thank you for your kind words - if you only knew. I've had to force myself to get back to work.

My son has come back from university for the summer. He works out and is a as strong as an elephant. So I enlisted his help to put the Mini on its roof. I should have put 'Spit' on his birth certificate all these years ago.



I've repaired part of the lip at the rear valance. First time welding in weeks and it shows. Need to get my hand in again.







I've spent an awful lot of time with the grinder cutting out the boot floor and grinding round the subframe mounts. I've also been trying to fettle this Magnum panel. Their panels have been not bad so far but this one is poor.



Especially on this side. I've been hammering away.



Well, I'm working at it again. I hope I can keep it up and get the rear repaired. But what time it takes!

Grinding on

Hugh

Hi hugh, i have to agree with neil i am doing the same as you and instead of using a few panels to do the boot
floor i brought a whole new one
i know your doing it on a budget but if you use the whole boot panel you would will save time and money
ohh check out the floor where the seat belt reinforcement plate is
Dave

[grahama]

Hugh,

£1000 on panels !!!, now I know you aren't true Scot with a line like that , lol. £100 and you would be a true Scot !!

Seriously, that's why I bought a 2x1M sheet of steel so I could make my own, however, it proves longer and harder, although more enjoyable, to produce my own parts !!



More of that on my thread in a bit !!

Glad you have got the enthusiasm back for a bit at least. We'll get there in the end. By the look of things, (lad 17 today), have another year to complete things !!

Hic, hic, off to bed, full of food and beer !!!

Graham

ps, can't beleive you have bought your boot panel ready done, thought we were doing all fabrication ourselves, or am I just that daft ??

Edited by grahama, 04 June 2011 - 10:12 PM.

[Stevee]

didn't you damage the roof when you flipped it over??

[hughJ]

Hi Graham - sorry!! I weakened. But look how Neil and Dave have tried to win me over to the dark side. I do feel ashamed especially when I was advising you to fabricate!!

Stevee when you turn it over and you are not careful where you put the pressure the roof does bend in but just pops back out when you take the pressure away. I have the weight sitting on the edges of tyres at the four corners. Seems OK.

Tonight I have just been 'adjusting' the rear boot panel to fit. I have had to weld in two extension pieces at the sides.

Passenger side







Drivers side







And I've also been hammering/dollying it to get it to fit. I'm a long way off. Neil and Dave are correct in the time taken. By the time I get all this to fit it might have been easier (not easy) to replace the lot. But then where do you stop!

Hope to do a bit more Thursday night.

Grinding along

Hugh

[grahama]

Hi Hugh,

just gone through your entire thread again, some great work and good to see you back at it even though you are cheating with those shop panels. I think I may have been better buying panels as the look is a little 'bity' on my flitch area just done, yours is much neater, but it's done now and will be under carpet.

Also found the answer to my bodywork question in there about where the doorstep ends, and yours stops at the A panel lip, can't remember where mine stopped but think it was short of there, don't know why???

Looks like I need to make some adjustments to the boot panel I have made as I have no flanges to weld to the arches. Never mind, looks like a replacement panel is not much easier to fettle !!

Anyway keep going and we'll meet up in 2015 when all done lol

Graham