776 replies to this topic

[mini93]

Haha, I love it too, but unfortunatly not as quick as your work
At least progress is progress!!

[mini93]

And panels ordered!!
Although apparently the sills are exceptional items (size I assume). so a postage quote is being sort before the order is processed. so will hopefully still be with me by next weekend!

[mini93]

My panels arrived today


What you see is, 2 genuine sills, o/s heel board repair pannel, n/s inner wing repair panel, n/s scuttle gusset (haha!) and turbo bulkhead.

Looking forward to the weekend now, can crack on with the chopping and the welding.
Im going to plate the un-used holes in the sills, such as the original jacking points and the end of the sill hole thingys.

Im considering replacing the o/s scuttle gusset (haha!) and doing the inner wing repair panel aswell, just as it will be a nicer finish to the other side (doing one, may aswell do the other... but will see how i get on)

[mini93]

Got a bit more done today, tackled the inner wing, a job I wasnt too sure about, but it didnt turn out to be too difficult.

 

Thats what it looked like after last weeks patching up, the new inner wing actualy needed me to chop out some of last weeks work

 

With the the panel removed and the scuttle gusset gone, I gave the post a quick blast of black, Doubt it will do a great deal for any rust protection but hey

 

And as if by magic, new panels fitted.

Iv not had chance to grind down the scuttle gusset yet, nor have I dressed the welds for the inner wing from inside the car.

 

Iv also decided to re-do the sill stands... Going to buy the kit, including swanky stands before i tackle the sills which is next on the list...or the new bulkhead, I havent decided yet haha

[1984mini25]

one tip before you go welding that heal board end, put a blob or two of weld on the back of the captive nuts. as I fitted one a few years ago, welded the new sill on and went to bolt up the subframe and both captive nuts pushed through, that and there metric m8.

Edited by 1984mini25, 27 April 2013 - 07:01 PM.

[mini93]

Oh lovely, there not even going to be the same thread as the ones on the other side?? Well there little point fitting that panel then as i refuse to have imperial one side and metric the other!!

 

Ill just tap the captive nuts to ensure that all 4 holes are using the same thread in that case! Save me a bunch of work anyway!

[mini93]

Think I need to spend a day cleaning up! Like a bomb has gone off!

 

Anywho... Chop chop. Moved onto the bulkhead today, I only spent a couple of hours to get it mostly completed

Just a quick before picture...

Im a bit unsure about the positioning, seems a bit far towards the n/s but its in now. Just need to do the angled section for the actuator clearance (not that ill be using a T3 turbo on this)

[mini93]

More bits arriving...

 

 

Thats the new sill stand kit, looks pretty swanky if i say so myself.

 

Im off to riv-run tomorrow but have a few days off next week so will likely crack on with finishing the n/s.

hopefully then i can flip it and start tacking the o/s.

 

 

Works massivly picking up again, so not likely to have any weekends free till the middle of next month At least the over time will pay for more bits!

[mini93]

So a few bits arrived before i headed to Riv run last week. I also got a couple of extra days off work as i was unsure if I was staying down south so decided to just use them as garage days instead of going back to work right away.

The shell was fitted with sill stands when i bought it. however when i took the sills off to replace them, i found that they werent fitted very well and the rear sill stands werent even welded to the inner sills.

So completly unhappy with it, I chopped these out to replace them and while they arent exactly on the scheme of lightening things, they make working on the car simpler, safer and lifts it to a good height to work under where required.
They came with the stands, tubes and bits.


I decided that the supplied plate, which usually goes on the outside of the sill was better placed on the inside of the sill to add strength. I will make another plate for the outter sill.


So to fitting the new tubes, checked and doubly double checked that the tubes were level in the car. (checking against a known level bar of the rollcage)
Bit of a pain getting weld on the full circomfrance of the tube, but its in place.


Both tubes on the N/s now fitted and only roughly chopped down. Decided to see how much space under the car the stands will provide. It should be quite comfortable under there!

So that is where its sitting at the moment.
Thinking towards the outter sills, fittment and getting holes I decided to grab a holesaw set.


Seems like a nice set from Titan. It will also help with the lightening fetish
So before the sills go on, I will patch up the original jacking point and the redundant holes, mark up and holesaw the sills to allow for the chassis stand tubes.

Im hoping I manage to get the sills on tomorrow, this will allow me to flip the car onto its other side and maybe even start chopping the o/s sill off.

Cheers!

 

[Artful Dodger]

nice8)    those big hole saws destroy drills!  cordless ones just blow up when they see them.  

[mini93]

Seemed to go quite alright earlier when i was using the drill. I only have a corded drill so its no problem there. Even for a halfords drill, its put up with a lot of stick iv given it over time and has so far lasted.

 

So I did a bit today, the near side is almost completed now, just a few more bits to do. pics will show over.

 

Started up by throwing a bit of paint on the inside of the sills, its probably not the most protective of jobs I could have done, but its better than just the plain ol' steel that was on there before.

Simple black up!

Black always seems to make some things neater

 

Then to prep the sills before fitting.

Welded up the redundant sill jack holes and the other odd original holes and also drill holes to allow me to plug weld the new sills on.

 

Then to fitting, clamped up, welded up and ground back

 

New inner wing post and sills, im adiquatly pleased with it. lol

 

 

Just to cover up the welds and see how neat the welds ground back, i threw some paint on the sills.

Thats just about it for the near side.

I still have to make and fit the plates for the outter sills to brace the sill stands and just a few smaller bits to weld up but its almost ready to flip over now which im looking forward to...oddly

Edited by mini93, 08 May 2013 - 09:31 PM.

[Tupers]

I do like sill stands on a Mini, nice work. 

[mini93]

Thanks tuppers, I like them too even simply to look at when its in the air it looks pretty swanky all about the looks!

 

Below it the timelapse video from when i was fitting the sill. Just experimenting with the ol' gopro

 

and battery ran out towards the end also i need to use change the image capture frequency as its a touch jumpy... still i was only dicking about haha

 

So today i went and bought the last of the new panels I hope i require, the o/s door post/inner arch repair and the scuttle closing panel.

 

After that I started off on the mini, I chopped out and plated the 2 final holes that were left on the floor, these were into the rollcage foot box sections. not really picture worthy, but with those done i moved onto finishing the sill stands up.

Made a plate for the outside of the sills using a bit of CAD (cardboard aided design) transfered to metal and bosh, welded up.

Its not the neatest job, i still find moving round a tube a bit tricky when welding continiously so I used the pulse weld method.

just needs a little tidying up with a die grinder when i have access to one as the space is too tight for the grinder to get into.

 

After that it was time to flip the mini back correct way up. but only for a short while. soon ill be flipping it back on its side to weld up the off side.

bulkhead still to finish off, but the majority of it is there now so shall crack on after the other sill etc is completed.

 

So, just as a show to the offside inner arch/door post

Its better than the near side was, but for the cost of the new panel, i may aswell change it

 

Oh and some of the fan-testicle welding on the rollcage foot well triangulation...expert...

 

And the scuttle closing plate, crustier than the other side.

 

Its getting there now though, glad at least 1 side is finished.

 

[kcchan]

Nice work, I did the sill tube mod on mine too. I found the bit closest to the seam a little difficult to weld neatly as well so I just settled for strength.

[mini93]

Yeah thats the one. I couldnt get the welding tip close to where i wanted to weld either so just had to butt it up against the seam and the tube and let the wire free fly into the joint. Quick lick with a die grinder should see it sitting pretty but i dont own a compressor, nor is space there to allow me to purchase one, so ill put it on the list for the paint prep folk to do (or buy the carbide burrs and hope my drill in man enough to spin them fast enough to work)