1146 replies to this topic

[Brams96]

Just read your whole thread. Well done so far! Your doing excellently with the welding & keeping the progress going. I just hope I'm the same come October when I will be pulling my car off the road for some 'minor' (I hope) repairs. Keep it up.

[hughJ]

Graham you are very kind. It is such intense work!

Brams96 thank you - I hate to tell you this but a Mini is like an iceberg - there is an awful lot more damage below the surface! But all the best come October. Just get stuck in.

Tonight was incredibly tedious work grinding away old weld where the boot panel is to fit and slowly cutting the boot to take the panel. I asked early in my thread what was involved in the word 'fettling'. Now I know.

Here is the panel fitted to the passenger side.



There was no lip - I had to fold it. I folded it before but had to hammer it flat again tonight and redo the lip. The only way I could get it was with the relief cut. It will weld over easily. I am going to have to weld bigger flanges to it - maybe tomorrow.

And the drivers side



Not nearly so much metal on this side. Again I had to fold the much smaller lip. And again I will have to weld an extension to it.

The whole panel is fitting now



Apart from this bit



I'll persuade it to fit as I'm tacking it, by hammering it out. - tack, hammer, tack, hammer and so on.

Not very interesting but two hours slog this evening.

Hugh

[minimuk]

Bit more grinding b4 welding and yr there, not bad, yr getting the trunion stiffener's too and all would be strong again. If it was me doing the last bit,.."tack hammer tack"... I would make a template first 10" by 5" and cut that bit out and put your manufactured piece in instead, it looks to me a bit far eaten in those rusty bit's and it looks like it is the end off two panels stuck toghether from the previous welding, Your choise but you might regret it after a year not having done it!

But never the less your doing a great job there!

Edited by minimuk, 09 June 2011 - 09:17 PM.

[grahama]

Nice one Hugh,

fettling is indeed a word we all use on out threads, the more we do the more we use it !!! Nice fettling though !!

Personally I would if possible use a relief cut on the boot panel and put a small piece in to fill rather that hammering it to fit. I only say this as it looks like quite a gap to pull together and you may well spoil the fit in the corners doing it ?? Only you can tell the extent of the 'pull' involved and it may well look worse than it actually is.

As for the rust Minimuk mentioned, I see what he is saying but if it passes the screwdriver test then I would Kurust and paint. There has to be a point both in time and money where you draw the line and just do it, (no offense intended minimuk by the way). I have a special screwdriver for the test lol.

Graham

[Pitcrew6464]

really progressing great work

[minimuk]

Nice one Hugh,

fettling is indeed a word we all use on out threads, the more we do the more we use it !!! Nice fettling though !!

Personally I would if possible use a relief cut on the boot panel and put a small piece in to fill rather that hammering it to fit. I only say this as it looks like quite a gap to pull together and you may well spoil the fit in the corners doing it ?? Only you can tell the extent of the 'pull' involved and it may well look worse than it actually is.

As for the rust Minimuk mentioned, I see what he is saying but if it passes the screwdriver test then I would Kurust and paint. There has to be a point both in time and money where you draw the line and just do it, (no offense intended minimuk by the way). I have a special screwdriver for the test lol.

Graham

No offence taken, however......Kurust. not my way on a restore.If you do a relief-cut, you might aswell cut out the bad piece and put a new repair piece in to give the weld and boot some strenght there.And if in doubt cut it out, forget screwdriver test for a minute.(No offence intended to you either Graham).Welding the edge on that rusty bit, the weld will go straight through and you will burn holes quicker then Mount Edna ever will.

Good luck on whatever you decide.

Edited by minimuk, 10 June 2011 - 09:51 AM.

[grahama]

Minimuk, no offence taken, lol, understand your thinking better now but will leave it to Hugh to decide how he goes. I use Kurust on surface rust to firm it up, not deep pitted stuff, that I too cut out !

Sorry to hyjack your thread Hugh !

Graham

[minimuk]

Minimuk, no offence taken, lol, understand your thinking better now but will leave it to Hugh to decide how he goes. I use Kurust on surface rust to firm it up, not deep pitted stuff, that I too cut out !

Sorry to hyjack your thread Hugh !

Graham

No problem here, it is just that if he does not get rid of it now, he will kick himself in a bit time, and has to do some more welding repairs, with fairly new paint etc. don't want to be near him then. I understand kurust, but don't use it. No hyjacking of any kind/thought, if we can't talk open on here, where else can you,(appart from your "palace" garage) we all benifit from it. I hope Hugh does not get any cold feet now, have to go and help him next!!??

Edited by minimuk, 11 June 2011 - 01:23 AM.

[hughJ]

Hey boys! What's the arguing on my post about a wee bit of rust?! Levity aside, thanks for the advice and help. I'm afraid Minimuk, as you'll see I'm going with Graham on this one. Thanks Pitcrew6464 always appreciate encouragement. I have been working - a bit when I find time here and there.

So prepared the panel for welding in with new lips or flanges on the side.



Surface rust is forming already. I hate, hate rust.



And drilled for plug welds and sprayed with weld-through primer



Clamped



I really, tacked it and fitted it going along.

And welded in







I have to put in a couple of patches forward of it, dress down the welds and get some primer to hold back the rust!

Welding on

Hugh

Edited by hughJ, 14 June 2011 - 09:05 PM.

[Deathrow]

Coming along great Hugh, you're really shifting along with this!

Someone should seize the gap in the market for a boot floor repair panel that fits. I sit here and I'm not at all shocked to see you modifying yours as I had to do the same to mine (although you've done it in a much more sensible way than I did, but it all gets the job done).

Keep up the good work!

[minimuk]

Glad you made your decision and it is the right one, looking at those piccies, great welding there, I am sure you are impressed yourself.
If you can make a boot repair and it does all fit,...you can fit everything on a mini!! No Arguing here, just a difference of opinion.

Edited by minimuk, 15 June 2011 - 10:13 PM.

[grahama]

Only argueing in my side, lol. A difference of opinion does make you double check your plans, have done a few times myself.

Welding looks nice and strong, and I too fit and tack as i go! Big job done for us both now, plenty of the brown stuff to attack yet though. Will soon be time for some primer in the boot.

Keep up the weldathon .

Graham

[adammini]

I have just come across your build Hugh, you are doing a fantastic job!

Keep up the good work.

Adam

[hughJ]

Praise from Deathrow!! That's one of my heroes! And thank you Graham and minimuk. Welcome to my Posts , Adam. I wish it were fantastic but it's bog standard repairs - as you will have read I am no expert. I would have to confess to enjoying welding now! I don't really enjoy all the hours of preparation but there is something satisfying when a piece is welded in and the damage is gone!!

Not much to report - I did the two holes forward of the panel I just welded into the rear boot floor.

There was just a small hole to patch on the right side - the hole cleaned up and a plate made up to fit it - holes drilled for plug welds



Welded in



Welds dressed



And a wee bit of primer



The hole of the left side was a bit bigger





The plug welds are awful - I pressed the power on the welder to High instead of the 1/2 switch to position 2 - of course I'm too slow to puzzle this out and continued. Could have melted through the earth's crust with the power it was set to.







Every little takes me on. I need to make strengthening plates for the rear subframe mounts. Does anyone know what thickness of steel I should try and get hold of?

Welding on

Hugh

Edited by hughJ, 18 June 2011 - 12:14 PM.

[grahama]

Hi Hugh,

lovely neat welding. I absolutely agree, love the welding, hate all the prep. Glad you have cut out the patches, you will sleep easier now !! You at least don't have all the addad hastle of lugging everything outside everytime you need to exercise your enthusiasm, it can be very off putting, as it has today !!!

Need to get motivated soon as extra nights to do and could be a whole week gone soon. When you did your doorstep repair, NS I think, did you fold all the rightangles yourself??

Graham