12 replies to this topic

[min200]

Evening everyone.  I am going to put a new roof on my mini and wondered if any of you have done this before?

 

I have a donor shell with a good roof on or I could buy a new skin if that's easier.  Any advice on where to cut and the best way to tackle the issue would be much appreciated :) 

[pinkmini99]

Basically it involves removing your old roof by removing all the spot welds cleaning up the panel underneath.

With the doner roof you will need to do the same by drilling the spot welds out and using these hole to puddle weld it on to your car. Clean back the weld and make petty before paint.

You could cut the doner off from under the roof lip and grind back till the panenl come apart so you could use a spot welder.

[Ben_O]

You won't be able to drill the spot welds on the roof skin as the skin is roller welded on which is basically hundreds of smaller spot welds so close together that they almost touch.

If you go down the new skin route, you would need to remove the old skin by grinding out the roller welds. There is a bit about it here on a Mini that I am in the process of doing a roof skin on

http://www.theminifo...rage-iow/page-4

 

If you decide to try and split a used skin from the frame, you would need to use the same grinding process but on the underside of the gutters and then carefully split the roof from it but a new roof skin is not terribly expensive so not really worth the hassle especially when there is so much potential to destroy the edges of the skin when trying to split it. 

 

If you are going to fit a used roof with the A, B and C pillars and join through the inner and outer pillars, then you will need to stagger the cuts and joins so that the outer skin join is a few inches above or below the inner skin join. This will give more strength.

However, I would remove the windscreen boxing panels and the top of the inner B post frame from the donor skin and leave these intact on your car. That way, you can get a more accurate cut and only have one join on each pillar.

 

Cheers

 

Ben

[min200]

Great work there Ben!  And thank you for the pictures they have put it all in the right order for me in my mind :) 

I will probably just buy a new panel.  Do you seal between the roof panel and gutter or just weld it up and seal internally after?

[Ben_O]

The skin sits inside the gutter leaving about 3-4mm between the edge of the skin and the roll of the gutter. This is where you want to put the sealer once it has been welded up.

Warm the tube so it becomes thin and runny and then gun it in and wipe it right into the gap and then remove the excess before it dries

 

I have toyed with using panel glue to fix the roof on which theoretically should be at least as strong as welding but I'm not 100% convinced.

There are other options too, especially if you can spot weld the new skin on. 3M do a 2k weld thru glue/sealer which I used to use back in my days of main dealer accident repair and its great.

[min200]

THat is all spot on advice and thanks again for taking the time chap.  I have wondered about bonding it into place creating a seal all in one.  Did it with my campervan windows and they havnt fallen out yet!

[sonikk4]

What you have to remember here is how a mini is assembled. Its welded, not bonded. We have had numerous threads with regards to the merits of bonding over welding BUT and its a big BUT the car was only ever designed to be assembled as a welded entity.

 

So in the event of an accident (hopefully not) and the roof pops off the insurance company could well invalidate your cover.

 

Now slightly off track, Carbon Fibre roofs are bonded on, but with the majority of the steel roof removed. And normally a roll cage of some sort fitted!! And then declared on the insurance.

 

Its one of those areas as to where do you stand with insurance???

[min200]

LOL Insurance is a mine field and they like to use any way they can to get out of paying out!  It will probably be down teh welded route as this is going to be a sympathetic restoration and a present for my good lady wife ;) 

[GraemeC]

I thought Bracken was.........

........Oops!!

Edited by GraemeC, 27 March 2018 - 05:36 AM.

[sonikk4]

I thought Bracken was quite brown - are you sure you're not thinking of Bronze Yellow (BLVC15)

 

Ben_O has a good photo of Bronze paint on one of his threads.

 

Wrong thread!!!

[The Golden Shot]

We used to dynafile the old roof off as its roller welded on and the use a weld through sealer and plug weld it back on then put expoxy in the drip rail just to make sure it wouldn't leak, easy enough to do just take your time

[min200]

Thanks for the advice and encouragement folks :) 

[drooper]

What you have to remember here is how a mini is assembled. Its welded, not bonded. We have had numerous threads with regards to the merits of bonding over welding BUT and its a big BUT the car was only ever designed to be assembled as a welded entity.

 

So in the event of an accident (hopefully not) and the roof pops off the insurance company could well invalidate your cover.

 

Now slightly off track, Carbon Fibre roofs are bonded on, but with the majority of the steel roof removed. And normally a roll cage of some sort fitted!! And then declared on the insurance.

 

Its one of those areas as to where do you stand with insurance???

hi all

sonikk4 (or anyone else) do you know off anywhere that show in what order a mini shell is assembled , i think that having that prior knowledge would be a great help, as i (and countless others probably) have loads of welding to do , but want to do it in a logical (proper/safe) order, i have never welded (apart from a little gasless ugly welding) before but the write ups you and alex-65 and others have done on the forum have been a great inspiration and am looking to purchase my welder soon along with all the nicknacks that i would need to start practising welding

 

thanks

 

if this counts as hijacking a thread sorry

Edited by drooper, 29 March 2018 - 11:07 AM.