1658 replies to this topic

[1984mini25]

Ah but it’s better to spend as much time on the panel gaps now, rather than when the day come and our behind the wheel. Then you keep looking over it thinking that gaps not right or should have done this there and so on. Even though every one else will tell you it looks good, which it does.

Although you’re the only one that, as your doing it all your self that has touched every inch of the body, both welding and body prep/paint, so you know is something isn’t right.

[Deathrow]

That's very true Karlos.

That's one of the reasons I've not finished with the gaps around the driver side door, they're just a bit too big. We'll see what they're like when the door is reskinned.

Bodywork left to do:

• Finish reskinning doors
• Weld on a-panels
• Weld on wings/front panel
• Repair heelboard ends
• Repair center of scuttle (there was a bit of rot there, I have a piece to let in)
• Small repair on rear quater
• Weld on sills

That isn't the order in which they will be done, just what needs to be done, bodywork wise. She will return to the road this year. Ideally I'd like to be able to drive her in September, but if that's not possible, then as soon as possible after that. I definitly want the bodywork finished in the next 7 weeks, that includes paint.

[Deathrow]

Update!


Bad bit of the door chopped out.


New steel let in.


Another small bad bit.


Welded up.


Ground back.


The rear.


Protected.

While I was doing the slow welding on the door and letting it cool inbetween welding I was sanding my wheels and generally preping them ready for painting.


After giving them all a good sanding.


Applied some filler to the one area of one wheel that needed it.


Filler sanded back and rim given a quick prime and quick spray to make sure I couldn't see any imperfections where I'd been working.

Now that the driver side door frame is ready for the new skin going on, tomorrows job will be repeating the procedure with the passenger door, which I fear may be slightly more rust damaged! We shall see though!

Thanks for looking .

[analogue_radio]

Tidy tidy!

What thickness steel do you use for your repair patches Adam?

[Deathrow]

The repairs for the doors were cut out of the remains of some repair panels from Mini Spares, I imagine it's 0.8/1.0, standard sort of thickness for bodywork repairs.

You've reminded me, I need to get some thicker material for the heel board.

[Deathrow]

Not been to the garage today because of the dismal weather.

Here is the work I did yesterday.


The door to be attacked this time!


Up on the "bench".


All the bits and bobs stripped off.


Three extra holes in the striker plate side of the door :/.


More random holes from central locking kits :/.


And four additional holes on the hinge side of the door >:/.


Skin edges ground out.


Lip split.


Three spot welds ground out.


Mmmm, looking tasty.


But all was good, the bottom area needs replacing but that's expected.


The rest of the door is fine.

Then it started to rain! The plan was to go today and repair the door frame, but naturally that was put back by the weather. It's supposed to be sunny tomorrow, if it is I'll go at a decent time and try and catch up! If I can get that passenger door frame repaired tomorrow, test fit both the skins real quick. Then I'll prep both frames and both skins ready for primer and paint so they're ready to put together on Friday/Saturday if possible.

Basically, I'd like to have the doors ready to go back on the car for next week because next weeks job is correctly install the a-panels and get the front end welded on!

Thanks for looking.

[tedmcedd]

looking good! i have a door skin tool if you want to borrow...

Ed

[Deathrow]

looking good! i have a door skin tool if you want to borrow...

Ed

There's a tool for it? I thought it was just hammer and dolly action?!

You got a picture Ed?

[sonikk4]

If the E coat is difficult to remove then i would leave it alone but the way i do it is to take a wire cup on a grinder to it and if it comes off easily then it all comes off. What manufacturer did your skins come from?? i had to skins from SC parts in Crawley and although they looked good when i finished fitting them i had a bow at the top (could well have been my fault) so we have bitten the bullet and gone for Heritage ones which seem to be much thicker and stronger along the top lip.

Nice work so far, if you are worried about the gaps then use some welding rod welded to the door edges where you have gaps and then trim back until you are happy. This is the route i am going with project Erm, another member used this method and the finished result is spot on.

[Deathrow]

Well the e-coat is pretty thick! I had a well used 80 grit soft pad on it and even that was taking a quite a while to get through and the e-coat was getting everywhere.

I'll have a go at them with the wire knot wheel on the angle grinder, if it's going to come off, that'll do it!

They're Magnum door skins, they're pretty thick and the reinforcement at the top is pretty hardcore, I can't see them bowing. However, if they do I'm going to go the same route as you and just buy herritage, I'm pretty tired of messing about with poorly fitting pattern panels but I'd already bought these quite a while ago!

I'm hoping that it won't come to that but it's a good tip if it's required, cheers .

[vaughn1]

looks like your making some good progress, i am re-skinning my passenger door, drivers to be done aswell, using magnum skins at the minute so will be watching this closely.

i used nitromors, sandpaper and alot of elbow grease to get the e-coat of the inside of the panel.

good luck and keep the pictures coming

[Deathrow]

good luck and keep the pictures coming

Funny you should say that! I've been to the garage today and forgot my camera, doh.

Anyway basically all I got done before the weather started acting up was repair the daft holes the previous owner of the doors put in to the passenger door frame, they're all welded up and ground back now. I've cut out the rot at the bottom of the frame and need to make up some repair sections to let in tomorrow.

After that, I'll be prepping the frames and skins for primer and paint. Then on Saturday I can mate the skins to the frames.

I had a quick check today and can confirm that so far the magnum skins seem like they're going to fit very well.

[bamby]

Looking good! Thugs got magnum skins and they fit lovely keep it up

[Deathrow]

Looking good! Thugs got magnum skins and they fit lovely keep it up

Good to hear!

When I first offered it up to the frame it looked like the swage line in the door was about a cm too high, I almost cried. But once the skin is actually pulled to the door correctly, it all looks good.

I think I'll need to grind the tops down a bit though as the excess material that the chrome window strips clip to is uneven along the length of the skin, that's no biggy though.

[tedmcedd]

Ill get a picture of it tomorrow Adam...