409 replies to this topic

[Ben_O]

Getting there mate!

 

Ben

[phil hill]

Remember to unpick the washer bottle mount of the old inner wing before you sling it.

 

They are available again but it'll save you a few quid if you salvage it.

 

Phil.

[Steve8274]

Hi. It's all coming along and looking good. What do you coat your panels with after you have repaired it?
Thanks

[1984mini25]

Its funny you should say that, as that one was salvaged from the inner wing of my other mini, but after a quick look on eBay...

 

http://www.ebay.co.u...=item1e876e4a5e

http://www.ebay.co.u...=p2047675.l2557

 

And on minispares...

 

http://www.minispare.../classic/washer bottle bracket .aspx|Back to search

Edited by 1984mini25, 08 March 2014 - 08:49 PM.

[1984mini25]

Hi. It's all coming along and looking good. What do you coat your panels with after you have repaired it?
Thanks

 

I've been giving all the repairs 2 to 3 coats of screwfix red oxide, with the under side being over coated with 2 further coats of black hammerite (or equivalent) and then underseal. The exterior panels will be rubbed down a sprayed up properly, but for now I'll put up with the 'rat look' of flat silver and brushed red oxide for a bit.

[Rocket.]

Just looked at this from the beginning great work !

[1984mini25]

it's so nearly done, I just run out of energy today.

 

 

Got the scuttle closing panel welded, final repair to the front corner of the passenger side inner wing, passenger a panel, passenger wing (only by a few welds), drivers inner a post, drivers a panel, start on inner wing repair section and the scuttle trimmed and tacked for fit. That's along with all those stupid little jobs that rob time like stripping the winder and glass from the old door and repairing a few wires up in the a pillar that I'd accidently just nicked while welding.

 

[1984mini25]

Todays progress.

 

Passenger wing to a panel welded.

 

 

Along with a few down the wing to set the wing to bonnet gap.

 

 

Drivers inner wing, plus repair sections.

 

 

And made a start on getting the drivers wing to fit.

 

[1984mini25]

As of Tuesday progress on the mini took one step forwards and two steps back. As basically I found out that there had been a complaint from one of the neighbours about me working on the mini, but the complaint was made for a day that I hadn't even been working on the mini. Added to that fact that it wasn't until 3 days later that I'd actually found out via a sarcastic comment from his missus, all 3 of witch I'd been working on the mini. Now if the complaint was made from this particular dick of a neighbour with a history of being an arse while I was working on one of his cars (witch he can now kiss good by to in future), nothing would have been done or said about it. But as it was one of mine and the sarcastic comment that was made, I took exception too it and left me with no other option to move the mini back to mine. But with the welding not finished it wasn't exactly ready or exactly drivable. Reluctantly though I did manage to get enough of the panels welded or held in place with self tappers and enough trim back on so it at lease 'looked' drivable.

 

I then spent the whole of Wednesday moving a half finished mini out of my own cramped single garage and outside, all the interior trim, carpets etc. that were stored on the roof rack of the mini already in the garage into the shed and the 25 into the garage to be dismantled and the welding finished. Although it only took half an hour of having my other mini running up after having not been run for the best part of 5 months and with a slight problem that's its burning it's own brake fluid, to have a complaint for one of my neighbours about the noise/smell. 

 

I have since spent the last 2 days finishing off as much of the welding as possible and rubbing the front end down and getting it in primer. As despite being utterly knackered and not getting much sleep recently, I do actually need the mini for early next week at the latest.

 

But currently this is how the mini looks, there is bits I'm not happy with like the fit/welding for the drivers side scuttle and the drivers door, but both of those I'm going to have sort when I have more time.

 

Edited by 1984mini25, 14 March 2014 - 11:51 PM.

[Ben_O]

fair play though for getting it done so quickly! all the little bits can be tidied before paint.

 

Nice one!

 

Ben

[1984mini25]

And not only that but all with just over £300 worth of non-genuine panels.

 

Although the time issue has at times really pissed me off, as to some it seams needing a panel or parts etc., asap is an utter joke. like the a panel I paid £4 extra for, for 48hour/next day and it turns up 2 days late via royal fail 2n'd class. Or even the primer I'd ordered online for a local motor factors as the cans are £3.99 instead of the 4.99 in store. ordered and paid for them for collection in store, turn up to find yep I had paid, but couldn't have then till Monday when the next batch arrives despite there being a shelf full. so instead I ended up buying them the old fashioned way in store (effectively paying twice) and now having to claim my money back from PayPal, All just so I could have the front end primed before the weekend.

 

But I've since managed to get under the arches and front wing seams all sealed and the front rubbed down for it's second coat of primmer. So hopefully all I have for tomorrow is an easy day (I've had 14days of this) just cleaning bits up.

[1984mini25]

I've almost got enough bits painted and parts put back on for it to be drivable (I need it for Thursday) although predictably with some of the new parts being of the non-genuine variety, nothing fits like original.

 

One example being the old drivers side inner wing to witch I used to have 2 relays for the headlamps in place of were the vin plate used to be.

 

This is the old one with the card template I'd made up.

 

 

When offered up to the new panel.

 

 

The new panel is completely different, so what would have been a simple drill 2 holes and bolt up my replays etc. Turned into having to make up a completely new bracket and some rewiring.

 

I also have one other issue in that the recently new headlamps are now damaged beyond use.

 

 

Plus I can't 'borrow' the p700 ones off my other mini as one of those too has a cracked lens.

[1984mini25]

Stupid British weather, thanks to it now deciding to rain on and off the mini is now stuck outside under a cover. As even though enough bits of trim and stuff are back on to make it driveable, most of the front end is still only in grey primer and the last thing I want to be doing is sanding panels back down due to rust.

[1984mini25]

The front end is now all painted and apart from the add bit of trim is 90% back together.

 

 

Few bits I'm really happy with are the passenger side wing to bonnet gap, scuttle gap (yet to be sealed and painted) and the second-hand genuine areal I bought for £4, even if I did have to totally guess at were to drill the new wing.

 

 

The drivers side, I'm not quite so with. I did try to pull up some of the worst bits were it had warped/dented with a rather crude slide hammer.

 

 

It still needed a bit more filler than I'd have liked, but at least it isn't as bad as it was. But then I never had as much time as I'd have like to line the panels up properly with my 'mate' being a dick.

 

 

With the front end done thought the last major job was to sort out the fit of the drivers side door that had been reskinned, but months beforehand and never trial fitted to the car.

 

The gap along the a panel is tight, but it opens without catching so I'll do for now.

 

 

But along the back edge, not so good.

 

 

But with some hammering using the side of a club hammer as a dolly, some careful bending with some mole grips and a piece of wood along with a skim of filler.

 

 

And purely as an extra job having bought a larger than needed tin of silver hammerite to redo bits in the engine bay, having already painted under the front arches back. I'd then decided that as they are the cleanest they have ever been, that maybe that they would look a lot better being silver.

 

 

Although with the fronts done I couldn't really leave the rears. So I then set about scraping off all the old underseal, cleaning back to bare metal, priming, resealing and then painting silver to match. 

 

 

 

Edited by 1984mini25, 01 April 2014 - 10:46 PM.

[Ben_O]

Getting there now mate! Nice one with the door, worked out well.

Much respect for the slide hammer and method of masking the rear shocks!! genius lol

 

Ben