8 replies to this topic

[keithi]

Hello,

I'm new to the forum so please forgive me if I've posted to the wrong place.

I've a 1999 Cooper sport in need of quite a bit of welding. I've had a few guys look at it but they are unwilling to take it on as requires 2-3 weeks of work and can't commit. Usual problem areas; boot floor, sills, bottom of 3/4 panels, rear subframe mounting points, footwell, wheel arch, plus odds and sods.

Anybody know of anyone in the Inverness ish area that might take it on?

Car currently stored in my garage, is stripped and ready for action.

Most bodywork specialists appear to only take on small jobs and restoration specialists are interested in e types and charge £80/hr.

Thanks for taking the time to read.
Keith

[sonscar]

Do you think £80 hr is expensive?Just asking,Steve..

[bpirie1000]

Depends how far you are prepared to travel.

Also have you tried ask8ng inverness miniacs. They will know who is mininfriendly or be able to assist your process..

I am aberdeen if i can assist.

[keithi]

Do you think £80 hr is expensive?Just asking,Steve..

Not for top end cars Steve such as jags and bugattis getting nut and bolt resto but I think it is for a mini. Makes it unaffordable. Typical bodywork rate seems to be around £60/hr but they can't commit to a large job as need the ramp space for the daily jobs

[keithi]

Depends how far you are prepared to travel.

Also have you tried ask8ng inverness miniacs. They will know who is mininfriendly or be able to assist your process..

I am aberdeen if i can assist.

Thanks for the advice and offer. I was thinking maybe an hour travel so that it's accessible but might have to go further to find someone.

I'll get in touch with the inverness miniacs. Might come back to you. Cheers

[sonscar]

What makes mini welding cheaper?Same tools,same skills,same expenses.The value of the car does not make it cheaper to work on.I am well aware of the cost/finished percieved value equation owning six low value classic clunkers for up to 40 years.Welding is an area of work where I find it difficult to manage customer expectations.I do not work on any cars other than my own.Just my experiences,others may differ.DIY is the route I took,I realise this is not always possible.Good luck with your quest,Steve..

[Ethel]

It does sound like a DIY job. If it's already in bits & you have a garage(with mains leccy???) - or try and find somebody who'll do the work at yours.

[stuart bowes]

This is probably why most people who commit to owning old cars as a hobby tend to end up learning to weld, and doing as much of the tweaking and tuning as they can themselves, it gets expensive if you just pay someone else to do it for you

 

Step one needs to be take pictures of all the rusty areas and post them up here (use https://imgbb.com/ and copy/paste the links) so people can actually see the problems 

 

outer sills and rear quarters you can certainly help to cut down the number of hours by removing the old panels, wire brushing, getting back to clean metal... if you do that and at least buy in the replacement panels then that's much easier and less time (less cost) for someone to come along and spot/plug welding it back together for you, doing a few patches to the floor pan / inner sills if necessary at the same time.   Same for A panel, front wings if necessary, etc 

 

most of that you can find youtube videos which help to show you what to cut and what not to cut

 

use all the suitable PPE and so on obviously don't lop off any fingers

 

boot floor and subframe mounts is the only thing I'd say best to just clean up as much as you can and ask someone to have a look before you do anything because you don't want any of that moving around by cutting too much out without bracing

 

and in the mean time pop over to minispares and start having a look at panel pricing, heritage is the one to go for when you have a choice if budget allows

Edited by stuart bowes, 11 April 2023 - 12:25 PM.

[daveg]

This thread got me thinking:-

 

3 x 40 hour weeks at £80ph = £9,600 - add in the cost of panels and a brand new heritage shell would be cheaper.

 

Estimating how long a restoration will take is very difficult - I have seen several projects where a few small jobs reveal much bigger problems when the paint and filler is removed.

 

Very few restorations make economic sense especially if you pay someone else to do the work. 

 

Unless you have a special association with a car needing a lot of work selling it and buying one that has been done is the way to go.

 

As Stuart mentioned could you do the prep work and even fit the new panels with eg pop rivets and get a mobile welder in to finish it?

 

If you go for the DIY route start a thread in the Projects forum - you will get plenty of support and advice.