948 replies to this topic

[Ben_O]

The spot welds are quite hard to see there.

Cut off the quarter panel with a slitting disc close to the edge where it folds over the b post.

Don't go deep though or you will cut into the b post.

 

Once you have done that, you can put a chisel between the remains of the quarter and the b post and give it a little pry or a tap.

The force will pull on the spot welds revealing them foe you to drill.

 

Hope that makes sense

[Viktor]

Thanks Colin and Ben, spot on!  I will give it a go and let you know how it goes.

 

Cheers

[Viktor]

So I managed to remove the quarter panel following the advice from Colin and Ben, it went very well :)

 

I took some dimensions and tried the quarter panel in, to see how far I need to cut the old one. It looks so good to have new metal on the car!

 

 

I cut the rear area, giving at least 10mm more, so I can refine the cut point later

 

 

Same on the B-post area

 

 

Then I grinded down the area where the panel folds into the B-post

 

 

And I separated from the B-post, getting it ready to remove the spot welds

 

 

With the help of a small screw driver I managed to locate the spot welds and drilled them out

 

 

I then cleaned up all the area with the wire brush

 

 

I masked the areas where I need to put zinc primer to weld in

 

 

And then painted with anti-rust paint

 

 

 

I removed the masking and aplied zinc primer

 

 

 

I still need to do some repairs in the central area, but for now this is all sorted and ready to receive the quarter panel

 

Next I gave it a go to the closing panel at the front of the wheel arch. I aligned it with the mounting panel and the boot floor

 

 

 

Then I tried the wheel arch on, to see how things were getting together. I still need to put the lip of the wheel arch on the other side...

 

 

 

I also tried the rear valance closing panel, unisng the rear subframe mounts

 

 

 

And finally I got the wheel arch in again to check aligment

 

 

 

Then I run out of time, but next week I will try the quarter panel and the wheel arch all at the same time to find the final aligment.

 

You all have a nice week.

 

Victor

[colinf1]

Looks like your making progress, won't be long til you fire up the spot welder!

[Eggers]

Looking good Victor, can't wait to see the fresh metal go in place. I put the first new part on my mini at the weekend - 2 seconds to put a shiny new petrol cap on but the feeling of that first new part and the instant difference it made from the crappy old plastic "emergency replacement" one was great. Putting a whole new body panel on, closing up a big hole with good solid steel must feel like such a huge step and acomplishment. Keep going one step at a time!

[Viktor]

Not much progress on father's day weekend, but at least I managed to put the wheel arch in the right position. Some photos below:

 

I drilled the holes for the wheel arch, as I cannot use the spot welder on that area. At least not with the arms I have

 

 

 

I prepared the wheel arch, removing the black paint and applied zinc primer

 

 

Then I slided the wheel arch in position, from the front to the back. I out the closing panel to check aligment and moved it accordingly

 

 

 

All good at the rear

 

 

And from inside the boot. I still need to fold back again the stiffener.

 

 

I clamped at the rear, and it looks quite good

 

 

 

And unfortunately, I didn't have more time to do any welding, but in any case I would like to try the quarter panel first, before welding anything in place. 

 

Hopefuly next week I will have more time to spend on the project...

 

Victor

[Verderad]

Good decision on the spot welder. Saves so much time when you work out how to get good welds.  
as Bed advised, you can’t allow the arms to touch the body, I did and it left little ripples for Ben to fill and sand. 
 

I fixed this by making up some tips that extend forward of the arms.  Will get some pics tomorrow.  Copper purchased from eBay. 
 

good move to remove paint and apply weld through primer before trial fit, now when it’s in and looking good you can just weld it in place.  

[colinf1]

Yes, I agree with prepping the mating surfaces now, I had my front end 95% there today and had to start taking it all back apart to prep the edges. Wasn't planning on going that far with it, but if I had to have prepped it before hand, I could have got it mostly welded in place 🤦🏻‍♂️

[Viktor]

Good decision on the spot welder. Saves so much time when you work out how to get good welds.  
as Bed advised, you can’t allow the arms to touch the body, I did and it left little ripples for Ben to fill and sand. 
 

I fixed this by making up some tips that extend forward of the arms.  Will get some pics tomorrow.  Copper purchased from eBay. 
 

good move to remove paint and apply weld through primer before trial fit, now when it’s in and looking good you can just weld it in place.  

Cheers Darren, that would be great if you can.  Also if you remember where you bought the tips from (link would be superb!)

 

Thanks

[Viktor]

Yes, I agree with prepping the mating surfaces now, I had my front end 95% there today and had to start taking it all back apart to prep the edges. Wasn't planning on going that far with it, but if I had to have prepped it before hand, I could have got it mostly welded in place ‍♂

I know right? It happened to me before and it is so frustrating to get the panel aligned where it should be, and then you need to take it all apart to prep it!  I'm sure next time you will remember to prep it first ;)

[Gilles1000]

I took these:

https://www.ebay.de/itm/165295984211

They are some random copper bits, but fully OK for the job.

 

And bend them to have an "S" shape, and then filed the tip to have a smaller contact area.

You just have to measure what diameter yours are and order the same.

 

Here a picture to compare with the old ones:

 

 

Another thing:

before welding the rear quarter in, be sure to do the repairs on the waist rails!! it looks much easier like this as what I did!! Although my original rear quarters are still in place and will stay there :)

Edited by Gilles1000, 21 June 2022 - 12:06 PM.

[Viktor]

Quick visit to the garage this afternoon to try the quarter panel on.

 

 

 

It kind of fit okay, but there's a big gap at the back of the panel in the junction with the boot floor. The thing is that is aligned with the window, so not sure how to bring it a bit more down.

 

 

On the other side looks okay and it will fit perfectly once clamped on

 

 

 

Another question I have is about this closing panel. I have no clue about where and how it needs to be placed. Does it need to be welded in before the quarter panel, or can it be done after?

 

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Victor

[gaspen]

I would go for a nice fit at the edges in the circle first. When I replaced the quarter panel I've made a dummy rear quarter window to check its fitment. And you want a nice gap at the door opening also....nice task 

 

 VNa537c.jpg   63.59K   2 downloads

[Ben_O]

You will need to close that gap up by a combination of bringing the boot floor up to the quarter panel and lowering the quarter panel.
Don't rely in thr waist rail for your height, measure the window appetrue instead.

I'll get you a photo of how that other panel fits

[Ben_O]

And as above, you can see that the panel is too high as thr swages don't align