948 replies to this topic

[gaspen]

 

another idea from me is to extend the cross member with a piece that fills the gap

 

maybe you can weld three pieces to the three flanges (~1-2 cm each), then flatten the existing corner, and re-bend them to fit the sill

 

It is a little bit more work, but you don't have to cut

 

tBUOxkJ.jpg

 

Hi Gaspen, that is an excellent drawing, thanks for it. I think this is going to be too complicated for me.

 

Just a thought, I think you were missing the blue bit I have added, which will be welded to the inner sill.

 

 

Cheers.

 

Victor.

 

 

Yes I missed it but you understood what I talking about 

[pete l]

Victor,

 

I think you should trial fit the doors before going any further. 

 

The sides of your mini have obviously bowed out a little bit when you removed the floor. You need to place the doors on to see if they fit and that the door steps don't stick out too far.

[Viktor]

Hi Pete, yes indeed. I tried the door again (I did it at the time I fit the door step), and although I don't have the A-Panel or the quarter panel for reference, I think it fits quite well. Before removing the floor I braced the whole structure of the car, so it is quite unlikely the shell has distorted. However, that 8-10mm gap in the fitting of the cross member is coming from somewhere, but I have no clue where from.

 

 

 

 

 

Victor.

[Viktor]

I haven't cut the cross member yet. I have fabricated the extension piece and have everything ready. Just waiting for any other comments to see if there is an alternative to what I'm doing...

 

That is the extension piece.

 

 

And although it cannot be seen clearly, I have also used the edge setter / joggler tool to create the overlapping space for the spot welder.

 

 

 

So I parked this and jumped into the companion bin repair. I don't have any photos of the process, but I did the same as the other side. Spot welded along the overlapped lip and plug welded to the floor, leaving the gaps for drainage open.

 

 

 

 

I will return to the cross member tomorrow and proceed to cut it and add the extension piece, unless anyone has a better idea.

 

Thanks all.

 

Victor.

[pete l]

Those doors look OK to me. 

Edited by pete l, 27 December 2022 - 02:03 PM.

[Viktor]

Thanks Pete, I also think so. Cheers.

 

Victor.

[stuart bowes]

I can't see 8mm being a problem, what were the tolerances even like when they built these things, it's not like it was assembled by laser guided robots in those days lol

 

tolerances on each mini would be subject to how late in the day it was, whether the guy had a few extra beers the night before, if he had something to do that evening and just wanted to get home on time.. 

 

I've found a bit on mine where the two sides don't measure equally with a similar 8-10mm difference, and that's measuring factory fitted parts nothing to do with my work  

 

I guess the main thing is, have a 4 wheel alignment done at the end (which you obviously would anyway regardless) to make sure it drives straight, everything else is just cosmetic and you've shown us already the doors are fine 

Edited by stuart bowes, 27 December 2022 - 02:26 PM.

[Viktor]

Thanks Stuart, I totally agree! The gap is not really a big deal, it is annoying though! ;)

[stuart bowes]

you know what I've been looking again and actually I think Gaspen is right on this one:

 

 

it's all because of the angles

 

what you have is A, gap at the end

 

what I was suggesting and what you made so far is B, the end matches up but now the angled piece is trying to go through the floor (wont all butt up correctly)

 

what you want is C which keeps the angle and adds the piece where it needs to be 

 

added bits in green 

 

it's a trickier piece to make granted but I believe that would make it fit correctly

 

what I would suggest in this case (ignore what I said before!) is cut off the end flanges and about an inch of the main section to make welding easier (not trying to weld such a small piece) 

 

clamp or use weights to hold the main piece in, then use cardboard to trial and error a replacement piece

 

continue as before, including joggled edge / spot weld and mig weld

Edited by stuart bowes, 27 December 2022 - 02:58 PM.

[stuart bowes]

so the new end piece is like 

 

also the additional reason for adding at least an inch is as I'm sure you know - tidying up the weld with a grinder or power file close to an inside angle is a pain in the arse, you want to be doing that on a flat easy to get at surface

Edited by stuart bowes, 27 December 2022 - 03:20 PM.

[Viktor]

Hi Stuart,

 

Thanks for the message, and thanks for taking the time to draw that option up, it is greatly appreciated.

 

I think the previous picture that Gaspen used is a bit missleading (apologies for that), mainly because the panel was clamped to the floor. Without the clamp, the panel is sitting as per the picture below. Running in parallel to the floor panel with the same gap that is shown with the inner sill.

 

 

If I add the additional section as initially planned, the whole thing will move in parallel and sit perfectly in the floor and inner sill.

 

See below original and mark-up picture showing in red the line of the chamfer in the floor panel, in green the gap against the inner sill, and in blue the potential area for cutting the cross member.

 

 

 

I still believe this is the best solution to resolve the gap, as explained above. However, I might be missing something so let me know if you agree?

 

Cheers.

 

Victor.

[stuart bowes]

Ah I see

 

I was judging it by the 2nd picture where it looks like everything is aligned well apart from the end..  obviously it's hard to tell without seeing it in person I suppose

 

well anyway you can see what I meant about the angle, if you at least bear that in mind you can make the right decision as applicable to your situation..  I just wanted to get that in quick before you started cutting up the crossmember then cursing me haha

 

I suppose if you tack the end up and then find a small gap along the flat bottom part of the floor, you can always use a block of wood and a jack from underneath to gently close that gap up..

Edited by stuart bowes, 27 December 2022 - 03:35 PM.

[stuart bowes]

I've literally not found one panel yet, heritage OR aftermarket, that fits without needing to be chopped and resized

[Viktor]

Thanks Stuart, it is much appreciated the feedback and advice from you and the rest of the guys at TMF.

 

I have set out the cross panel, clamped it, and marked-up its position on the floor panel.

 

 

 

I have also marked-up where I intend to cut the cross member...

 

 

 

It is now completely dark, so I'm going to wait until tomorrow morning to cut the cross member. That should give me more chances of getting it right!

 

Victor.

[Viktor]

Today I managed to cut the cross member and extended it to fit in the car.

 

I cut the cross member and cleaned up the edges.

 

 

 

Then, I tried it on the car to verify that everything was okay. The exact dimension for the gap is 10mm.

 

 

Then I spot welded the extension piece to the long part of the cross member

 

 

 

I put the other end of the cross member and made sure the gap was consistent at 10mm.

 

 

 

Next, tried it on the car again to see if any adjustments were required. I'm proud to say that it fits perfectly! The floor panel would need to be pushed a bit up to weld the cross member.

 

 

 

Then I added a piece of metal in the gap extension, and spot welded to it.

 

 

 

Now it is ready for seam welding along all edges.

 

 

 

And after repeating this in all 3 sides, the cross member is finally ready.

 

 

 

 

Back to the car again for a final check.

 

 

Next will be to prepare the cross member to be welded to the floor. I would need to push the floor from below, as I cannot clamp it anyway.

 

The important thing here is that the cross member is very solid and structurally sound. That was my main concern when decided to cut it and extend it.

 

Victor.