83 replies to this topic

[mini_in_progress]

well i got her today after buying her blind and it dont look too bad....... lol


excuse the poor camera phone pictures



















well as you can see a previous owner has named her jerry. its had work done on its floor, a new wing badly fitted so and a fiberglass bonnet i dont like think its getting a flip front on after mot. or on the full rebuild in winter

apparently has new subframes on but dont look too new but not rotten so maybe,

its got a new exhaust. runs and drives nice knocks a little as the top engine steady bush has gone

as you can see it needs a little welding to both lower rear quarters..... anyone know what would make them go in the same place both sides or it it one of those mini things lol?

had a quick look over the car and need to find where the bullet conectors fit for the passenger side headlight and indicator. need to get the horn and wipers working altho this maybe the fuse i found thats blow.... the third one down on the bulkhead,

all in all not too bad hopefully use her through summer before a full resto in winter



cheers, Dave

[mini_in_progress]

oh yea the amazing bonnet i mentioned.....

[mini_in_progress]

well i had an hour on Jerry today and think i need some advise on this sill/quarter repair..

so i cut the main of the rust off roughly and pealled the rotten sill down to reveal this...



after a quick clean to remove rust the suport disintergrated and a pice fell from somewhere.... is it part of the subframe mount? :'(



what came out the sill...



this is what i wondered about... subframe mount?......



i knocked this up as a rear quarter repair ....



then i decided id spray some watered down phosoric acid in there to eat some rust and leave it for the weekend.....

so i set about the boot with some phosphoric acid and a scotch pad, i forgot a befor pic but after it looked like this



not perfect but will stop anything eating its way through soon so i gave it a quick prime.. oops pic blurred





so if anyone can shed some light on the bit in my sill and how i should continue? lol


cheers, dave

[rich2]

Great start! Not really sure where that bushing thing has come from, but the disintegrated support thing is the jacking point. I read that minis rust out in the quarter panels because of moisture collecting in the companion bins. Definitely one of those mini things. How much work are you planning to do before getting it MOT'd?

[mini_in_progress]

I was just going to patch the sill and rear quarter and stick it in for an mot then come winter do a full rebuild. but if that bush is part of what holds the rear subframe in it May need more work :'-( i been looking at new rear panels the subframe bolts to and they have what just looks like riv nuts in them not big bushes like what's fell out mine??

[mini_in_progress]

well i removed the interior and sound proofing.... i got a carryer bag full and it weights about the same as the car.... lol

all washed dow with white spirit ill need a few small repairs to the front footwells and in the corners where it meets the arches ..only 3-4 small holes really might weld the bung holes up too....

this wek me and dad got a sealy 150amp mig gas tips wire etc im ordering all panels to do one side of the car tomorrow see how i get on......

anyone use the same welder? what settings are best for plug and seam welding thin metals? it will be my 2nd attempt at welding lol


cheers Dave

[mini_in_progress]

well not a great deal happened still, i was hoping to have been driving it around now and prepairing to put some new panels on her but one thing and another and being parked on a mates drive limited to times with electricity.... bla bla bla excuses... lol

so a crap update realy of me ripping parts off without the need of a grinder and attempting a full rear quarter repair as my first ever attemp at body work...

in my last post i told you i had removed the sound proofing on the floors like so.....

deadning off


clean with white spirit...


as you can see i think new inner sills are required or a few patches....



so first of all you can see above how bad the quarter panel was rotten so i bought a new one to fit as you guys make iy look so easy!...

so i chopped out the rear quarter.... took forever to do but its done!... small patch welded up in the bin where the wheel arch meets and the the new panel lined up....... we sorta after lots of banging and swearing.... looks like a brand new panel newed a little filler tho
cutt out

clamped

welded in



next i thought id prod a little hole in the front drivers footwell in the wheel arch.... well that all fell out..... booooo...
so i will be putting a new panel on there when i chop the front off in favor of a 2 pc fiberglass item but i want it moted before then so a few patches of scrap in there for now for the mot man! so my first proper-ish weld ever, but forgot to take that picture!......... well it holds!!

then i see the valance is hanging off......

little pull it just falls off....

and i thought the boot floor was solid.... it was actually filler and metal glued onto it...







now i painted the sides where was bare with ali-zinc primer and black rattle can ... also i thought id see how it looked black, lol........think im going with my original thought of gloss black roof bright white car..




i have a fw panels to go on i have
o/s door stepand sill
half rear boot floor, hinge panel valance and closing ends

thats where were upto at the moment, awaiting to move to a location i can work on it, im looking for a house with a garage as we speak,

Edited by mini_in_progress, 03 January 2012 - 04:39 PM.

[olds_kool_lews]

welded in



welding looks a little industrial mate, but good project non the less! good luck with it!

[mini_in_progress]

cheers bud, my first attempt and it was windy and a pathetic little gas bottle! and i had to slit the panel and poke it under the other one as the swage was in the wrong place....horrid fit ...but will be getting a propper bottle next and running a bead of weld inside and grinding and filling that profile there!!

[olds_kool_lews]

for a 1st attempt thats not to bad! as the saying goes, practice makes perfect! at least your having a go at it, some people never lift a welding torch or are just plain scared to incase something goes wrong, so fair play on that!

[grahama]

hi,

well done for having a go, the welding will definately get better with practice, I am living proof of that !! As with minis I have found, the more you poke, the more bodges and rust you find, but better find it now rather than later. Having to redo parts is a right pain.

Keep the pics comming, what are your engine plans, out or work round it??

Graham

[mini_in_progress]

cheers, il get there i hope guys haha getting a big bottle soon as it might have the power to flow gas out to the work.... lol

the way im looking at it is if i mess up ill cut it out and do it again!

if im honest i wanted a turbo or supercharged 1380 engine in the front but im unsure at the min i just want to drive it so might pull the 998 out and paint it or just clean it up? i really wanted to be driving it now and today my focus stopped working and after changing the fuel pump, sender unit filters etc its the ******* same lol so today would of been great to jump in the mini

so all in all i want to get it solid legal and use it as i do other things to it over weekends etc....

[matty1303]

looking good mate, I have the same thing will my sill although not as rusty there is two brackets of some sort with a nut or thread but doesnt seem like anything has been bolted in for a while, there is one beside where the rear subframe bolts in and one at the front. I might be being really stupid but I didnt take anything off there so dont know what it is for?

[mini_in_progress]

cheers mate, yea i dont know what it was but it fell out my sill.... unless someone thought it were funny to stick nuts in to make it rattle... someone did that to my old uno wheel trims as they bolt on with the wheel.........funny aint it.... lmfao! :)

[matty1303]

some people hay! If it makes you feel better I dont have a clue