842 replies to this topic

[SomethingNew71]

[quote name='afoggo' date='Jan 4 2011, 10:33 AM' post='2012279'

jealous of your garage space
[/quote]

Me too......

[se_juggles]

nice project mate... and i too am jelous of that space i have around a ft eitherside to work with ... getting there SLOWLY tho!!

[analogue_radio]

Right kids, managed to get back for the weekend

My little Brother had an incident with a ditch so his car was in need of repairs, meaning 'Paddy' was temporally demoted to the driveway, a blue tarpaulin and some bricks. The rain, wind and condensation didn't do him much good and started to rust through again, so I took the effected areas back to bare metal then a layer of etch and a heavy coat of red oxide for protection. I don't think he'll be going back outside again as my Brothers car is almost done, but if 'Paddy' does it will fair a lot better than before.

Aside from that I straightened out a few edges, welded up a few holes and cleaned up a few areas.

Oh and I've got my new Canon 550D so enjoy some 18 Megapixel images and the odd 1080P HD footage



New boost gauge!







Pretty much all the bits I've left in Etch primer were effected, didn't take long to get it back to normal though.



Next task was to straighten the above out, this is where Shifty had put on a new genuine wing. I wasn't happy with how wonky it was so I did my best to try and correct it.



Looks a lot straighter! Next bit was to fill the holes..





Left over from fixing the wing on I think..



So welded up, etched and red oxided.





Took both the shock mounts off was expecting this to be honest! I've seen a few people do it before so I'm sure it's not a huge deal.



By this stage the front was looking like this, tidy!



Then sorted the front valance, it had been bashed about a bit in the past I assume, so straightened that up as best I could, and etched.



Engine bay wire brushed.





& cleaned with a rag soaked in petrol.



And lastly, etched.



Tomorrows job

[LouisT]

moving on now mate, cant wait to see it finished,

got the hinges by the way,

cheers

louis

[analogue_radio]

moving on now mate, cant wait to see it finished,

got the hinges by the way,

cheers

louis

Good good



So had a huge long day yesterday (Sunday) before going back to Uni later that evening. I did take a whole load of photos but they are all fairly repetitive. I am basically continuing the task of sorting the bodywork for paint and tidying up any rough edges. I found a few more rusty holes to either patch or fill, but nothing major!



I turned my attention to the rear as this is an area I hadn't touched bodywork wise.





Any rough edges like that have to go, can't justify skipping over them and even though they will be hidden under the bumper, it'd just bug me them being left there!



& this.

So that whole area was grinded, bare metaled, ku-rusted & etched.



Dropped the rear subframe which was a major PITA! Luckily I could rope in Dad to use a ratchet above board whilst I was underneath holding on for dear life with a pair of mole grips. It seems to be in good shape so I'll probably clean it up and sell it on as it's unneeded.



Few more holes discovered.. I hate that horrible factory fitted stuff, horrible and sticky when you attack it. That's down in the OS rear wheel arch pocket. When I've finished doing the bodywork on the top half the shell will be rolled onto a mattress and I'll bare metal and sort the underside out.





And these are near both the air vents, which will be easy to fill. BUT, if you look through the hole you'll see more rust.. which I can't reach at the moment, as above, when it's rolled on the mattress I should be able to reach up there, maybe..







Patch that I started to make, I think I've gone the right way about this. I'll plug weld the right angled section to the flat section at the back and then position in place and then seam weld the edges. Obviously the top would be cut down afterwards, that was just to make handling the piece easier.



I also want to graft either one of these switch panels (prefer the one with the switches already in it I think) into where you can see the cut outs for the switches on the Autoplas dashboard.




& that's how I left her looking.

Did some more cleaning all over, tested my Under-seal as well on the lower half of the bulkhead. Just a test to see if it reacts with the etch and red oxide, hopefully it won't!

Edited by analogue_radio, 07 February 2011 - 02:19 PM.

[analogue_radio]

I don't know wether to either chop the lip of my MK3 bonnet in order to fit my MK1 grille or go with a fibreglass MK1 bonnet and keep the MK3 bonnet in one piece safe and sound.

http://www.the-arc-a...sp?CategoryID=2

Then if I was to fit a MK1 fibreglass I don't know wether to fit the 'ultralite' or the 'ready to fit', difference being the 'ready to fit' retains the use of the standard hinges and bonnet catch whereas the 'ultralite' does away with that and it would be secured by fixings in all 4 corners.

I think I'm leaning towards going with the 'ready to fit' and then getting rid of the bonnet catch so I can fit a full MK1 grill and then use leather straps to secure the front and the back would still be using the standard hinges.




Hmm

You can tell I'm bored of being stuck at Uni.

[camp freddy]

Nice to see your back on track with the Mini Luke, Your best to go over it with a fine tooth comb
to catch all the missed rusty bits to save you the misery of sorting later on....

[analogue_radio]

Quick update as I'm back for the weekend but I'm going to Berlin until Monday, so I won't be making any progress but it meant I could open all the packages that had arrived over the past few weeks.


From Minispares -

- MK1 grille package, opted for the one with the dipped slat for the external bonnet release even though I'm not fitting one, just to make it look a bit more subtle
- Pair of boot hinges, so I can drill holes in the fibreglass MK1 boot
- Headgasket, so I can get on with the engine whilst the shell is away for paint

From Demon Tweeks -

- OMP Bonnet pins, for location and drilling holes
- Spring hooks, same reason

Ebay

- Period Toggle switch extenders, because I liked them

Arc Angels

- MK1 ultralite bonnet.



Will update with photos soon.

Edited by analogue_radio, 01 March 2011 - 04:36 PM.

[GreaseMonkey]

Where did the bonnet come from?

[Midas Mk1]

Nice Project!

When my arc angels bonnet arrived, it came with chips around the edges, but fitted fine, hopefully yours will do too

[analogue_radio]

Photos!



& a few lesser quality ones with my Iphone..





It does sit very well, as you can see from the top photo. But the front lip overhangs a lot, I've had a quick look at some other MK1 minis and it seems to sit flush with the slam panel, then the grill protrudes further.

Edited by analogue_radio, 01 March 2011 - 04:49 PM.

[analogue_radio]

Just had a chat with a bloke from Arc Angels and he said that over 600 bonnets have been produced from that mould and only 3 people have had complaints, so I'm being picky

The fit isn't just down to the bonnet it's down to the panels that have been replaced around it, so if one isn't fitted properly it causes a knock on effect.

And as far as the chips and pitting goes they are all cosmetic and can be easily sorted with some filler.



Few deadlines coming up so my workload will lighten up for a week or two soon, really hoping to get back for a long weekend to have a final push on the bodywork!

[mini_mad69]

And as far as the chips and pitting goes they are all cosmetic and can be easily sorted with some filler.

It's looking good luke. Try to use as little filler as possible on the bonnet, fibreglass tends too flex a bit and causes the filler to crack.

And telling you that your picky is crap to be honest. You pay for something you'd expect it to fit properly and not be pitted.

Edited by mini_mad69, 01 March 2011 - 04:57 PM.

[buddylove]

I agree with mini_mad69. You payed the money, you are allowed to be picky. In other news, its coming along nicely.

[analogue_radio]

If they are all from the same mould then they will all be the same shape, surely?

Not 100% on the process of fibreglass and moulds.