1843 replies to this topic

[Petrol]

It all depends on the wheel, for example a 5x10 'exacton' mini special wheel will do, as they were designed to be run on cars with drum brakes. 

 

OK thanks Noah, I don’t know much about rim ET’s – I thought maybe all mini rims were the same. I’ll sort that lot out later down the line.

Back on the spit the back end is now finished



Time to fit the outer sills



Run into a bit of a problem though, with the door step fitted it’s not going to be easy to align and especially weld in the sill jacking point.



Need to have a think about this one

Pete

 
 

[myredmini]

Can you drill the inner sill and plug weld it from inside and weld where you can from the outside ?

[Petrol]

Can you drill the inner sill and plug weld it from inside and weld where you can from the outside ?

 

Top man, good idea and thanks for your help

 

Now sorted, this is what  I did.

 

To ensure the best alignment of the sill jacking point to the outer sill, I wrapped a claybar (same as plasticine) in some polythene to stop it sticking to the bodywork.

 

 

 

This allowed me to support it proud onto the inner sill like this

 

 

I then clamped the outer sill on which crushed the plasticine leaving the jacking point in the right position

 

 

Marked and drilled the inner sill / X member for the plug welds

 

 

Shell is upside down here but these are the plug welds

 

 

With the jacking point on, I then welded the outer sill on

 

 

Pete

[myredmini]

Looking superb! 

[F1L8EY]

i started at the beginning it took me 3 days in between revision stints to get through it all and WOW. some members on the forum never cease to amaze me with the level of attention to detail and craftsmanship !! i shall follow to the end but I'm sure thats not too far away now...

 

i was also going to pay for my shell and bits to be blasted but now i think i must consider am I better off spending the money on a compressor and blaster....

 

very informative... keep up this high level of work and great pace. an inspiration to us all 

[Petrol]

Looking superb! 

 

Thanks for your help

 

 

i started at the beginning it took me 3 days in between revision stints to get through it all and WOW. some members on the forum never cease to amaze me with the level of attention to detail and craftsmanship !! i shall follow to the end but I'm sure thats not too far away now...

 

i was also going to pay for my shell and bits to be blasted but now i think i must consider am I better off spending the money on a compressor and blaster....

 

very informative... keep up this high level of work and great pace. an inspiration to us all 

 

Thanks for your reply. I’ve been disappointed in the past with stuff I’ve had done, in particular shotblasting and electro plating so I tend to do these jobs myself. That said, it’s a bit of a poor do when you have to learn a trade to get a proper job done. I do however know a machine shop in Fleetwood, Lancs that will do a proper job of the engine when the time comes.
It might look like is nearing completion as the shell is nearly finished but it’s a long way off. Once the shell is built, I’m planning to do a lot of refinements / mods and add ons in an attempt to build something a bit interesting with a high level of finish. I will need to partly fit the shell out with the interior and loom to make sure all the holes are drilled and everything fits properly. This needs to be done before the final paint job.

An example of what I’m planning is this - A bit of old skool stuff
 

 

NOS Smiths Vacuum gauge from 1965 - 2 Pounds Twelve and Six

 

 

 

 

 

I did the usual zinc into the seams then 2K etch primed the sill, this was followed by a wet on "tacky" 2K blue solid. I will seam seal the sill on top of the 2k blue paint

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pete

[F1L8EY]

what sort of output compressor and what sort of size tank do you recommend for this sort of work ?? 

[Ben_O]

Looking good Pete.

I was wondering about those depressions in the floor pans. I have the same depressions in my replacement magnum floors and just assumed that they were covered by the outer sills. I didn't realise that they weren't until I read your latest update.

I can't see that they serve a purpose and was thinking about cutting them out of mine and smoothing them off flat. I know its probably pointless doing so but I would like to do it. What are your thoughts on this?

 

Ben

[Minidarren83]

Looking good Pete.
I was wondering about those depressions in the floor pans. I have the same depressions in my replacement magnum floors and just assumed that they were covered by the outer sills. I didn't realise that they weren't until I read your latest update.
I can't see that they serve a purpose and was thinking about cutting them out of mine and smoothing them off flat. I know its probably pointless doing so but I would like to do it. What are your thoughts on this?

 
Ben

I could be wrong in saying this but I believe they are part of the carpet clip system that the cars came with from the factory to hold the carpet in place

[Marco1972]

Fantastic work Pete !

How do you get such a great paint finish in your garage ?

Keep it up watching closely

Mark.

[Archived1]

You could eat your dinner off that floor! 

[Archived4]

+1 what compressor, guns, setup etc you using. I'd be happy with that finish on top of mine!!

[Petrol]

If you want to blast a whole car then you’re gonna need a massive compressor which is probably out of reach for DIY. I don’t know the CFM of mine as it’s about 30+ years old but it can’t cope with the volume of air required so I have to wait for it to catch up. It’s fine for small areas - I just have to take my time.

The depressions in the floor pan are indeed for stud fasteners to hold the carpet in place. The recess stopped the carpet fitting proud. As things moved on and moulded carpets came along they were no longer needed. If you’re going for the original look and building an older Mini then you will need to get rid of them. On this build though, I’m not going for “concourse” or original, I’m trying to build a refined go-kart.

Achieving a good paint finish is fairly easy once you get the hang of it, especially with 2K paint. I posted some info on this when I painted the arches but in a nutshell it’s a case of not applying too much too soon.

Pete
 

 

[Petrol]

Since the decision was taken to go for Mini Special type arches, the holes that were drilled in the rear ¼’s for the sportspack arches needed filling. Rather than running the risk of buckling them by welding, I decided to use the rubber top of a disposable welding bottle as a mold.

  

Fibral was used to fill the mold and after applied, it looked like this



Fairly neat but since these will be seen inside the boot, they sit a bit proud. After a quick sand with a flap wheel…..



Outer side of the panel was flatted and filled with stopper



Both outer sills are now on and work is progressing on the floor / bulkhead areas



Pete
 

 

[Zeemax Adventure]

Looking good...almost ready for the respray