1843 replies to this topic

[Brams96]

Thanks Pete, that blue one certainly looks the same & for a few quid more I'd rather get the better one. Another top tip

[Petrol]

No prob, it's often luck of the draw with stuff of Ebay.

 

Few pics,

 

 

Seam sealed along the wing / scuttle

 

 

Found these rivnuts with a small flange to fit the front arches, this will enable me to use a rubber seal

 

 

Like this

 

 

Not sure what to do with the arches yet. Might paint them body colour, leave them black or carbon wrap em

 

Pete

 

 

[Ben_O]

Hi Pete.

 

you must be so pleased with how those seams came out. There is absolutely 'that'll do' on this car. its perfect!

 

I'm taking a leaf out of your book and painting the shell as i go. I'm going to use a very pale grey. It's the only way as far as i can see with protecting a long term project.

Plus like we discussed before, its good to get top coat under stone chip and as i will be replacing the factory sound deadening inside, top coat will need to go under it unlike BL did! 

 

Your's is my favourite build on here, just because of the extraordinary lengths you are going to, to prevent future rust.

 

Ben 

[domdee]

Body colour those arches :)

[phil hill]

Body colour those arches :)

+1 

 

Phil.

[Petrol]

I haven’t really put much thought into the arches finish as it’s the last thing I have to worry about, you guys are probably right though, body colour will probably look the best. I might also beef them up a bit as they seem pretty fragile.

Hi Ben, There’s a number of reasons to paint as you go. Not only does it offer better protection than primer on a long term build, it also enables you to see what you’re doing. Primer has a matt finish and it’s near on impossible to see any imperfections. That’s why the seams probably look better than they are! If you look how any top marque manufacturer paints a shell – McLaren, koenigsegg Bentley etc, it’s checked after paint for imperfections and corrected. On a hand built shell like a Mini it’s even more important to get some shiny paint on as more often than not, the heat runs up the panels when welding resulting in distortion.

Then there’s filler – when primer is applied over filler it absorbs the solvents, this causes it to expand. Gloss is then sprayed over a few hours (even days) later and seals in the solvents. Eventually when everything dries out the filler shrinks causing “mapping” This appears as a ring around where the filler is applied hence the name. Another thing to take into consideration is paint shrinkage, when paint dries it shrinks quite a bit. What appears to be a perfect repair at the primer stage can often result in disappointment when the paint shrinks into any sanding grooves. The bottom line is don’t apply too much filler / primer / gloss too soon.

I want to get the shell built and covered in blue gloss so I can leave it for a while. This will give me a chance to start thinking about building an engine / gearbox / sorting the subbys, suspension and everything else. It might be next year when the shell is eventually flatted back for the final metallic paint job so that should give plenty of time for everything to fully dry out.

I would also like to point out that there’s a complete misconception about MPI shells and rust. After speaking to a few people and having been to a few meets, it seems the general consensus is that they rot due to the thin steel these shells are made of. That’s not true at all, they rust due to lack of protection. It’s not steel thickness that causes corrosion.
 

Pete

Edited by Petrol, 25 April 2014 - 10:58 PM.

[neiloliver]

I have just sat for three hours reading this thread from start to finish. Like all the others who have commented this is an amazing piece of work  - you are to be applauded for your care and attention. 

[Duggy]

It is really surprising to see so much rust in the seams, After reading this, it prompted me to have a poke about in the seams on my 84 shell and it's nowhere near as bad! wonder why the late shells are so bad!  
I had the rust preventative methods in mind on mine from the start but wasn't sure which product to use for the best but I think now im going to use what you have used.
I hadn't thought about the idea of spraying the zinc primer into the seams like you have and have to say its a great idea and i'm going to follow suit.
 
I'm probably going to be selling my Mini when it is finished so would be nice to be able to show photos to prospective buyers and explain what I have done to prevent future rust as iexpect most buyers will worry about future rust, even on a fully restored car.
 
Thanks for the inspiration Pete and you are doing a brilliant job, can't wait for future updates. This is going to be one hell of a clean car!
 
Ben

It is (at least partly) because back in the 90`s all EU based manufacturers were forced to move from solvent based paint that contained lead to water based paint that didn`t . About this time most motor companies invested in electric coating or full body galvanising. However the operating funds at Rover were used by BMW to bank roll the development of their new 1 & 3 series models, effectively bankrupting Rover and denying them the ability to upgrade the Longbridge paint shop and compete on an even keel.

[minimissions]

Nice clean and tidy work then... :)

[Petrol]

I have just sat for three hours reading this thread from start to finish. Like all the others who have commented this is an amazing piece of work  - you are to be applauded for your care and attention. 

 

Thanks for the kind words neiloliver, it's kinda taking over my life at the mo trying to sort everything out

 

It is (at least partly) because back in the 90`s all EU based manufacturers were forced to move from solvent based paint that contained lead to water based paint that didn`t . About this time most motor companies invested in electric coating or full body galvanising. However the operating funds at Rover were used by BMW to bank roll the development of their new 1 & 3 series models, effectively bankrupting Rover and denying them the ability to upgrade the Longbridge paint shop and compete on an even keel.

 

 

There's nothing wrong with water based basecoat as long as proper coat of solvent based clearcoat is applied. The problem with the later Mini's is the severe lack of protection. There's nothing left of the shell I bought, it's all been replaced with either new panels or replacements from much earlier models. The front wings are not MPI, nor is the NS wing anymore. I guess it's now a bit of a hybrid but the protection I have done should be better than any original / new Heritage shell.

 

Nice clean and tidy work then... :)

 

I need to have a real big clean up. The garage is a mess but can't get the Mini out as the drive is choka blocked with stuff.

 

It can be difficult to access confined spaces and box sections to spray zinc primer in with a spray gun. This is the solution...

 

Bilt Hamber Electrox aerosol with a Dynax cavity injection lance attached

 

 

This box section is where the scuttle meets the closing panel. It covered inside easily

 

 

Also down the A, B & C pillars. This pic (not easy to take) is down the A pillar

 

 

Another benefit of using an aerosol is that the propellant to force the paint out, causes the paint to bubble and increases it's searching properties - great for seam penetration.  Once the shell is painted I will spray some Dynax box section wax into these areas. The Dynax will be attracted to the zinc and will offer even more protection.

 

Pete

 

[Tomm]

After two days of on and off reading on my breaks at work and in the evenings I've finally made it to here.

Hats of sir, phenomenal attention to detail on every vehicle you've touched by the looks of things, the 13 &14A are exceptional and this will certainly be something spectacular once completed.

I think I am going to have to go out any buy some of the products you have used because quite clearly, they are working very well.

Best of luck with the remaining build, I will try to check in and follow some of your progress.

Exceptional.

[Petrol]

Thanks tomm, the products I have used were tried and tested before I rebuilt the S14. That was finished 6 years ago and it's stood the test of time.

I've been fabricating some spotlight brackets to improve the mounting arrangement of the stainless works style bar I bought. I've also been sorting some stuff out for the loom, which looks like it could end up a bit of a complicated affair. At least I'm now thinking ahead of the shell since I've started prepping the last panel.

 

Inside of the used roof I bought had some very slight surface rust.

 

 

Cleaning it up with a plastic brush in an electric drill

 

 

One thing led to another and ended up doing most of it. Then primed it with Electrox zinc

 

 

Grinding the gutter lip out. This folds underneath the roof but needs to be removed as it's not part of the roof skin

 

 

Peeled back with wire cutters

 

 

Done right, you can get the lot off in one piece

 

 

This pic shows the roll / drag welding

 

 

Then I removed the gutter itself, again using wire cutters

 

 

In the middle of all this grinding, I noticed an unusual bird fly past. Never seen one of these in my back garden before so grabbed the camera and took a pic

 

 

 

 

Looks like some sort of bird of prey to me but does anyone know what it is?

 

With the gutter removed from the roof skin I tried it for fit, it's 99% there

 

 

 

Pete

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[rally515]

That bird looks like a baby hawk ? ...............But then again i kownothing about wildlife other than fairy things are considered mammals   (Thanks Education!)  .

 

I was wondering i short while ago Pete about the Brushed in Zinc primer in the seams you've done, from what i gather primer/s are pourous and trap moisture so wouldnt the seams zinc primer gather moisture and still rot ? obviously we cant fully stop cars rusting, just slow the aging process down, but wouldnt a coat of some paint or seam sealer whilst the primer is tacky be a good idea before the seams were closed ?

 

Still loving the project thread and learning so much despite not posting too much myself :),

Cheers,

Cliff

[Domneon]

Is it a sparrow hawk?

[Ben_O]

Excellent work as always. Nice to see the plastic drill brush! I love mine!!

 

Glad the roof fit is good and nice to see the final piece of the body shell puzzle!

 

Looking forward to more updates!

 

Ben