1146 replies to this topic

[benjy_18]

project is looking really good, keep up the work and you have a mini to be proud of in no time.

the welds look good to me by the way

[Danny-T]

Hi Hugh, a big THANK YOU for sharing your trials with welding, it's actually very encouraging to hear someone else struggling with it (and more importantly sticking with it). I often think everyone else seems to just pick up the welder and gets great looking welds in no time so it's nice to see someone else battling with it

Having no knowledge at all on the subject, I wondered if the cold temperatures might be working against you? Would cold air and cold steel be making things more difficult? Might be a silly question though :S

I'll be clearing out the garage tomorrow and taking some pics of my pile of rust and will start sharing my welding calamity so that should be a nice demonstration that you're actually not doing too bad at all by comparison!

[Miniowner123]

looks like you have a nice project on your hands, inner wing repairs dont look bad at all, you seem to be picking up welding fine.

if you're not happy with your welding do some descructive testing on a few small pieces and you'll find yourself very surprised at how strong it'll be

regarding your dash rail rust i'd replace the whole inner dash rail, really is a easy job believe it or not and also the new panel is about £28

good luck

Edited by pinhead, 29 December 2010 - 04:46 AM.

[hughJ]

Well thank you benjy_18, Danny-T and pinhead that is most encouraging.
I don't know about the cold Danny-T, but it certainly affects me. It would be a good excuse. Look forward to seeing another struggling welder.
That seems good advice pinhead.

Well I only managed an hour in the garage today. My dear wife, of 28 years, arranged to visit a friend. Why can they not visit by themselves! But it was a better hour - I achieved more in it than yesterdays 5 hours. I repaired a small area at the top of the passenger side inner wing.



sorry for the poor photo - I don't really know what they are like till on the computer. I was always poor at photos.

Tacked



Welded - I could see holes starting, stopped, filled back and just kept going, trying not to panic. I tried a bit longer runs following Shifty's advice. I felt I was controlling it, rather than it controlling me. You'll notice some gaps in the tacked panel - kept my cool and got them welded over. It's the first time on the Mini I have felt I controlled the welding.



And the back



And ground down



I thought I was being too pedantic putting up so many pictures of poor welding but I would like to see how others get along, so thanks Danny-T for the kind words. I don't want to waste people's time.

I'm a bit happier.

Hugh

Edited by hughJ, 29 December 2010 - 05:36 PM.

[Shifty]

That looks better, as you get more confident, you can have longer runs and smaller gaps, after a while you just kind of know when its gonna blow though.

Nice job.

[hughJ]

Thanks a lot Shifty - I value that.

I thought I'd put up links to a couple of helpful websites, maybe they are somewhere else on this forum. Sorry if I'm duplicating.

This guy has amazing fabricating skills and shares his knowledge - 1962 Vauxhall Victor FB - Making Panels

And I found this very useful - tons of photos - Adam's Mini Restoration

Hugh

[Carlos W]

Really interesting read Hugh!

The cold may be affecting the steadiness of your hand! Your welds are better than mine, I seem to spend ages dressing them and grinding them down!

Good luck and keep up the good work!

[sonikk4]

That's a lot better Hugh, its good to see you are getting more confident. Keep it up before you know it you will be finished.

[CLM]

Looking great Hugh, Can see the improvement in those few pictures already

As for the dash, I would probably replace the upper dash as they are relitivly inexpensive, however I would leave the old one in there in untill you finished working on the scuttle as it adds strength and shape right now.

Chris

[hughJ]

Thanks Carlos W, Neil and Chris. The encouragement given on this Forum does help when you'd rather stay in and keep warm and just be middle aged.

No welding today - almost a relief but I should be trying to keep my hand in. The relations came today so not so much done.

I had taken the driver side door off some time ago. I sheared the lower bolt on the lower hinge and didn't want to do that again. So I soaked the bolts in penetrating fluid two days ago. I gently got the top three nuts off OK. Then the lower one gave me grief. The 7/16 ring spanner slipped on it. So I belted on a 10mm socket but it didn't grip properly. I took the grinder and ground the side of the nut till it was thin and then got it with a chisel.

My doors aren't too bad.



I then took off the plastic air vent fittings with an impact driver. I couldn't budge one screw on the passenger side so thought get it from the back with the grinder - stupid! Melted the plastic. But that's me! If it can be damaged then I'll damage it. Top right hole.



Can see the flitch panels now - really bad.





Then it was onto removing the pitch sound deadening. I did the front. The good news is my floors aren't too bad. They are gone at the front seem. And they are a bit bent and buckled - I presume from some tyre fitter carelesly jacking. Why do they always jack under the floor?





And a bucket of pitch rubbish



Not very exciting but slowly moving along.

Hugh

Edited by hughJ, 30 December 2010 - 07:38 PM.

[Carlos W]

Flitch panel, been there, done that!

I intend to give it lots of underseal under the wings or get some of those plastic liner things, (maybe both)

[CLM]

On the plus side, the cold is a great time to remove the sound deadening and underseal... falls off in nice big chunks

Chris

[hughJ]

Thanks Carlos W and Chris.

Very little to report. A walk with the family then helping repair my son's laptop - the usual stupid power socket so the motherboard has to come out and resolder - but he's happy now.

I just removed the scuttle. I had cut bits away before.



The more that is removed the worse it gets. I think I'll patch the top of the bulkhead, fit a new top dashrail. I have ordered a complete heritage windscreen surround.

I still have to remove the windscreen suround. I need help here if some of you kind experts have done this. On the uprights - the inside is spot welded but on the outside at the seam it seems to be some kind of continuous weld. Have you just to carefully grind till it comes away. I have heard that the roof was roller-welded - a sort of continuos spot weld. Is this the same here. What a pain. Has the whole thing to be ground thin and then pulled away?

Hugh

[Miniowner123]

you'll find the outer seams are roller welded to, so gently grind back until it comes away. tricky part will be the top, look forward to seeing how you get on with this

[CLM]

You will probably want to hold off removing the upper section of the window frame untill you are about to do it, take care of the flitch and the dash first, then when you do the window frame you could use the same technique I used on my rear wheel inner arches. The tractor weld there was a pain, but I used a cutter disk on a grinder and went up and down along one side of the tractor weld untill I can cut through the metal and could take that strip off. Then I ground on the other side of the tractor weld in the same fasion untill I could peel that off when I was done I had just the tractor welded metal along the middle to grind flush with the rest of the seam. I was afraid I would grind too far if I just ground the whole thing. My pictures should be back tomorrow, have a look at the rear arch ones.

I really came to appreciate my 90 degree angle grinder with a 3 inch metal cutting disk for this task.

Chris

Edited by CLM, 31 December 2010 - 09:12 PM.