409 replies to this topic

[1984mini25]

I went off to Himley Hall last Sunday on the hunt for a few panels and the odd bargain, witch there weren't too many off. But one purchase was a £70  £30 passenger door that's recently been repaired and re-skinned.

 

As the door currently on the mini needs repairs and re-skinning, but there is no way I'm able to leave a mini outside with no door if the repairs needed (frames cracked at both ends) end up taking longer than expected.

 

So what did my £30 get me? Apart from a pair of decent door hinges, chrome door handle and felt channel that can all be added to the ever growing pile of spares. It doesn't look too bad on the face of it apart from the lack of/plated over drain holes and what I assume to be bathroom sealant.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Although these were the only 2 welds holding the outer door skin to the frame.

 

 

 

 

 

Witch made it very easy to grind through them and peel the skin back off (with a bit of work to straighten back out the flanges it could be reused) and expose the innards of the frame, bad repairs and rubbish spray paint rust proofing witch could be scratched off with a fingernail and eventually removed completely with just a brillo pad.   

 

 

 

 

But all of that will be chopped out and replaced with this panel, I've handily had lying around for a while along with a new outer doorskin. And unless anyone wants it the old/new door skin I'll chop up and use for making up repair panels and patches.

 

Edited by 1984mini25, 10 May 2016 - 07:48 PM.

[1984mini25]

As its done nothing but rain on and off all day, I set about cleaning up the slightly rusty full doorstep panel I picked up at Himley for a whole £2. There is still some pitting, but I'm not planning on using that bit anyways. As I've found the cheaper non-genuine door step panels don't fit properly as they don't taper along there length, but the full length panels do for some reason.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by 1984mini25, 11 May 2016 - 07:47 PM.

[1984mini25]

A few picks of the passenger door now with the repaired bottom, sections and new skin. Taken best part of a week when well enough, as I've had an energy sapping cold/chest infection for most of the week. Sneezing into your welding helmet isn't nice.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[1984mini25]

Got the replacement passenger door, primed, filled, painted and fitted. Along with the removal of both front seam trims, to be replaced with the sound ones I picked up from Himley for a quid each. Witch I've de-rusted (or what little there was) stripped and painted ready to be fitted. And the primmer/filler cracks on the scuttle have been rubbed back primed and painted along with the door.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And one detail I quite like, so only 6 years newer than the rest of the car.

 

 

So all I have left is de-rust, prime and paint the drivers seam. Refit the newly painted trims (the clips for with are soaking in vinegar) and make 'adjustments' to the passenger door.  

[1984mini25]

A few pics of the door now silver or should that be 50 shades...

 

 

 

 

The newly painted n/s seam trim fitted.

 

 

And the o/s that needs cleaning and priming before the trim can be re-fitted. The wing and a panel were only replaced 2 years ago, so it shows just how quickly the hidden rust starts attacking the seams.

 

 

And while they were off I gave the mirrors a quick dusting of satin black. Yes I know they should be grey, but are now much smarter (even with the fish eyes on the n/s one) than the faded, flat and pealing paint they were before. Although I'll be on the look out for some new bases and a n/s mirror, as the plastic has pretty much had it and gone chalky.

 

 

[Ben_O]

have you thought about bonding the seam covers on?

That way, the sealer will keep the moisture out and the seam will last longer

[1984mini25]

have you thought about bonding the seam covers on?

That way, the sealer will keep the moisture out and the seam will last longer

 

I hadn't, but then to be fair the original seam covers were pretty rotten. So with my second hand replacements I've cleaned up the inside and brushed as much oxide primer into them as possible.  

 

Although the more I look at that pick above, the more annoyed I get at the drivers scuttle corner. I personally want to redo it, but I really can't be bothered to go hacking the wing off.

[slidehammer]

What I did with my seam cover is give them a good squirt of Wax Oil in them before fitting them on with stainless steel clips..It does mean that you can put sealer on as it now wouldn't adhere. Door looks good though. You can still buy the plastic mirrors new and then give them a lick of Nimbus Grey. 

[1984mini25]

I did try looking for a pair of mirrors at Himley. But one trader only had a box full of brand new left hand side ones And all the others I looked at the traders were wanting £15 to £20 per side for second-hand ones.  Witch is about the same or a bit more than what new ones would be. Still, the current ones will do for now (even if I find the mirrors on a mini completely useless) as all the trims being redone shortly anyway.

Edited by 1984mini25, 28 May 2016 - 09:56 PM.

[1984mini25]

Well todays work has been welding up a hole I’d cut in a spare boot lid, which was original for the Mayfair (was originally going to weld in a mk1 number plate recess up the other way) to serve as a temporary boot lid.  So it was stripped, patched up, given a quick fill (the welding didn’t turn out good as I’d liked) and a quick paint with the red oxide and roller( compete with textured paint finish).

 

 

 

I’ll refit the boot light and number plate tomorrow. But one issue is I’ve have to space the latch on the boot lid for it to actually close, otherwise it was near on impossible. Witch in one way is annoying and another a bit of a bonus. As the neighbour who I know has been attempting to force the boot handle open to nick ‘tools’ (of witch I now don’t leave any) from inside the boot was taking a keen interest in me swapping the boots over. So if he does try (I leave the boot unlocked) and sets the alarm off (old siren wired to a pin switch), he won’t be able to close the boot in a hurry to shut it up and defiantly won’t be able to get inside to flick the switch to turn it off that way.

 

I’ve also had the shaft of an old angle grinder machined down to fit in the chuck of the drill, witch I’m quite chuffed with. As I can now use all of the grinder attachments like the wire brushes and flappy disks in the dill.

[1984mini25]

Had a little play with the grinder and this happened….

 

 

 

What's left of the old sill.

 

 

 

The inner sill looks good though, well for 32 years anyway, with only the front section needing attrition because of a load of pin holes.

 

 

 

 

Although even I'm not quite sure what's going on hear and I was the one that welded the patches, although a number of years ago prior to an mot.  

 

 

[1984mini25]

Cleaned up the inner sill, re-welded the patch nearest the seatbelt mount and also hammered the floor indent into my patch so it sort of looks original.

 

 

 

 

 

Id also made a start on copping out and repairing the front section of the inner sill, until I ran our of wire. Witch is a bit of problem, as I could really have done with the mini for Monday.

 

I've also had a tin of paint I picked up in Aldi for £5 a while back for painting the floors etc, just one problem...

 

 

 

So as it's quite clearly grey and not silver I've used it for covering over the red primmer, as its not bad paint, except for the colour.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by 1984mini25, 03 June 2016 - 07:33 PM.

[slidehammer]

You don't see many original inner sills that good on a Mini especially one of that age, what a nice surprise when you opened her up!

[1984mini25]

In fairness I could probably have left to sill alone for a few more years, as although it had been repaired at both ends it was still mot able.

 

But I'm slowly working my way round the car at the scabby bits and previous repairs I'm not happy with, as It has been used year round for the last 11 years. I don't see being let off so lightly with the drivers side inner sill though witch has been repaired and outer replaced 9 years ago.

 

I'm also not looking forward to sanding the roof and getting into the gutters to clean up the flaking paint and rust that's appealing.

[1984mini25]

New sill on, still need to clean up the welds (ran out of flappy disks) and add a few more in a few places, but at least it derivable again.