1146 replies to this topic

[grahama]

Loving the fabrication work, it's amazing how good it all looks with a coat of paint on too. Buying some sheet steel myself this week to make some inner sills !!!

Graham

[Meland4]

Wow, you are really getting on. Great stuff

Mel

[hughJ]

Again I have to thank you for the encouragement Dan, Matt, Timty, minimuk, Graham and Mel. Take a look at minimuk's project - he races along. Matt give it a go. That's all that I'm doing. Things go wrong and then you have to rectify it. Sometimes I wonder will it all end up just a disaster but I'm keeping going.

I tackled the top of the flitch and inner wing on the passenger side. I forgot to take a photo of the damage at the start but it was worse than the driver's side. There is a photo of the bulkhead earlier. The area where the bonnet hinges were was completely rusted underneath. The panel has a very complicated shape and there was no way I could replicate it. So it was a matter of getting it replaced as best I could.

Repaired the bulkhead







Here's the state of the hinges. I cut them out and cleaned them up and plug welded back in. Hope they are more or less in the right place. I did make measurements before. A problem turned up - the hinge nearer the outside sits lower than the inside one. The original panel must have a rise where it sits. So I hammered from behind to try to raise the panel I welded in. Made it a bit better but not perfect. I can get a bolt through both holes.











Then the top of the inner wing





And top of flitch panel









Probably too many photos of a very boring but very necessary repair. It took about 8 hours work. I'm just so slow. And at the end I'm not really happy with it.

So it is time to move onto the windscreen surround. I have not been looking forward to that. The panel is expensive and I'm scared I'll wreck it. There is still the roller weld along the roof channel to remove. I can't quite see how it fits on. I hope I don't have to fabricate much more to get it in.

Grinding on

Hugh

[Miniowner123]

nice work mate, seem to be getting on with it no problem. with regards to the roof gutter roller weld, just use a flap disc on the grinder and attack it from underneath the gutter lip, should come away pretty easy. i did this to a small section but i guess same rules apply

[1275GTS]

Just read the whole thread. You are doing a really good job. Keep it up.

[hughJ]

Thanks pinhead and 1275GTS. pinhead can I ask you a question? Is the roof panels arranged as in diagram A or B below? I can't see exactly how the panels lie and where the roller weld is. The diagram is supposedly looking at the section across the roof. Would the roller weld lie along the middle and how thick is it?



Sorry to bother.

Hugh

Edited by hughJ, 16 February 2011 - 07:54 PM.

[Carlos W]

Hugh, why aren't you happy?

Fabricating your own panels isn't an easy task! (In my opinion)

I love when I get notifications that someone has replied to this thread!

And bare in mind, none of that will be visible once the scuttle and wings are back on!

[Miniowner123]

pinhead can I ask you a question? Is the roof panels arranged as in diagram A or B below? I can't see exactly how the panels lie and where the roller weld is. The diagram is supposedly looking at the section across the roof. Would the roller weld lie along the middle and how thick is it?



Sorry to bother.

Hugh

no bother mate, diagram b is the one, if you take a flat head screwdriver or something and scrap the seam seal out of gutter you'll soon see the way it goes together. i just used a flap disc and sanded away under the gutter, not all the way through the metal but enough to destroy the factory roller weld, use a pair of grips and give the gutter a bit of a wiggle and away it should come. worked for me

i'd say do it in small sections to make the job a bit easier, i imagine trying to remove the full width of the windscreen gutter in one pice would prove quite hard

good luck

[benjy_18]

thanks for the comments on my thread hugh, really nice to get some encouragement.

have to say you repairing the same section as me at the moment and it looks really good!

hope you manage the windscreen surround okay (Y)

[hughJ]

pinhead thanks so much for your help - that makes things much clearer. You have been so helpful anyway.

Carlos W I'm not happy as the repair is ugly and my welding had a bit of an off day. It is a mercy that it will all be hidden, as you say.

benjy_18 thanks a lot. Your welding is really tidy. I was just looking at your post and it is like seeing a twin of my Sky. Why do they rust like they do. Wouldn't it be great if they were made of stainless steel!

It's just been destructive work tonight. Following pinhead's help I tackled this dreaded roller weld on the roof, so I can fit these.



Here goes







The drivers side was easier. Once thinned it pulled away in a strip with the help of a chisel. The passenger side I just had to keep at it with the flap wheel. I hate that as it can thin metal at an alarming rate and make welding a nightmare.

Not exciting, but a job I've put off has been done. There are a couple of areas to repair here. Then I have to take more of the sides off, drilling out the spotwelds. The lower dashrail will have to come away too, before the complete windscreen surround can be fitted. Just a bit at a time and I'll get there.

Grinding or flapwheeling along

Hugh

Edited by hughJ, 17 February 2011 - 08:42 PM.

[Miniowner123]

pinhead thanks so much for your help - that makes things much clearer. You have been so helpful anyway.

not a problem, im learning as i go along and it seems im one step ahead of you....just so i might aswell share the little knowledge i have.

dash rail is an easy job so you have that to look forward to before you tackle the windscreen surround, soon enough you'll be further into the project than me

[hughJ]

Thanks pinhead. Well I'm a bit down to say the least. With the roller weld tackled I then removed the insides of the roof pillars to have a great big hole. Of course there were a few slips of the grinder, and buckled another part at the top of the door pillar, drivers side. But it wouldn't be me without doing some damage.



Then I naively thought it was just a matter of popping in the heritage screen surround. No! You would think I had ordered a screen surround for an Astra or a Transit. It does not fit the hole properly. I had to cut out some bits had welded in to get it in at all.



Problems with fit at the roof pillars





Very bad at the lip on the bulkhead - maybe up to 1/2 inch out



And the curve at the roof at the drain channel is much wider



I can't find any one else on these forums stupid enough, like me, to try to change this panel. It has to be done as there was so much rust holes.

This fettling business -

1. How would you pull the centre area out at the roof pillars so the new seem overlaps the original? Heave it with mole grips? Or hammer from behind.

2. How do you bring in the bottom windscreen lip to meet the lip at the top of the bulkhead? If I use clamps then the lip from the bulkhead stands proud.

I'm a wee bit sick after all this work. I have to do a lot of repairs around the edges. I also have to rust treat and paint the inner areas before welding in. That is if I get it to fit! I have sent off for the POR15 starter kit after reading on this forum and seeing the video on Holden's website. Hammerite is not the answer. It comes off easily.

Advice from some of you experts would be appreciated.

Hugh

[benjy_18]

no idea on how to get the panel to fit, but a little friendly encouragement cant go a miss right? ha

im sure you'll get it all in eventually, youve done some stell work so far

[Miniowner123]

i'd say the stifferner in the middle of the new panel is stopping you from bringing the middle of the scuttle/bulkhead lip to where it should be, cut this out and should give you a bit more movement to get into place. its only put there for when in transit or storage so you'll be fine without it.

as for the gutter at the top, is it not meeting the full width? or just on some parts? any chance of a closer pic of the worst bit?

[liam_italian]

It's no suprise that the panel doesn't fit perfectly, they say every mini is different. You'll just have to gently persuade the panel into shape with a panel beating hammer etc!