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Is It Worth Buying More Expensive Panels E.g Heritage Front End Over Magnum Panels


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#1 Jewson16

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Posted 18 March 2020 - 03:37 PM

I'm a 17 year old who's restoring my 1979 mini round nose and I need a new front end and I'm on a low budget and was just wondering if its worth forking out the extra cash for the heritage panels or are magnums okay?

Thanks in advance ?

#2 Quinlan minor

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Posted 18 March 2020 - 04:28 PM

If you're doing it yourself and the additional hours of labour time getting them to fit right doesn't cost you money, the you can save on panels. If you're paying someone to fit them, buy the best. It's cheaper.



#3 humph

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Posted 18 March 2020 - 04:43 PM

Jason at the minirestoration company has just finished the body of my Elf, we used heritage & M-machine panels for better fit. However having ordered heritage A panels he found that the driver's side one was 10-15mm too short! When we rang around the different suppliers to find a correct heritage replacement they all reported back that there stock were short too. Obviously a bad batch, but there are obviously some issues.


Edited by humph, 18 March 2020 - 04:44 PM.


#4 sonscar

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Posted 18 March 2020 - 05:52 PM

I used the cheapest front end I could find sold as a complete a panel wing and front panel for both sides from an eBay seller.They fitted OK and seeing as the car had already had replacement wings and a panels and inner wing repairs in the past I did not consider paying more.If you have to cut or hit a panel once you may as well hit it lots of times.I am not a bodger but neither am I a perfectionist so your needs and results may be different.Just my experience,Steve..

#5 mercenary62

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Posted 18 March 2020 - 06:17 PM

m machine all day long mate



#6 Ben_O

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Posted 18 March 2020 - 07:07 PM

All depends on the fit and finish you are hoping to achieve.

 

Heritage panels tend to go on easier and have a nicer finish so everything is that bit crisper.

 

I find that non genuine front ends for example can look slightly odd and the one time I tried to use one, the front panel was so badly pressed that it went in favor of genuine.

 

As a restorer myself, I try to use heritage as much as possible to save the time involved in adapting non genuine items to fit.

As has been said, M machine stuff is good but their complete floor pans are a patchwork quilt of lots of separate panels spot welded together which is fine if you don't mind that but personally, I would prefer to use a one piece panel.

 

Always worth remembering that a lot of magnum and hadrian stuff are 'repair panels' which usually means that they are designed to fit over the top of whats there so are oversized to allow this.

 

Avoid wide cover sills. I cannot stress that enough.

 

Avoid non genuine scuttle panels, again this is worth remembering as they are pressed badly so the windscreen may not seal correctly.

 

I would also avoid non genuine bonnets and boot lids if you need those?

 

If you are on a budget and just want to weld your Mini up to make it solid, cheap panels are ok but if you want everything spot on, save your time and buy genuine.

I would say that the non gen stuff can be made to fit nicely but it can be a long and frustrating process particularly if it doesn't fit at all as this causes issues trying to work out if the problem is with the panel or with the car, especially if panels have been replaced before.

Having said that and backing up what has already been said in other replies, Heritage panels can have their issues too but it's less frequent.

 

I restored a Mini pickup recently and had a lot of head scratching using non genuine door jamb panels and steps (all that was available) as nothing including the doors fitted anywhere near where where they were supposed to.

The issue turned out to be caused by a previous bad repair which meant that the A posts had sagged and the non gen replacement panels to A LOT of time was needed to work it out and achieve a nice fit.

 

Good luck

Ben


Edited by Ben_O, 18 March 2020 - 07:10 PM.


#7 absx2

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Posted 18 March 2020 - 07:09 PM

I would go along with M Machine as well i as although the heritage panels are E coated and of a decent thickness they only fit 1990`s minis quite well.

This is due to the presses being progressively worn out and that was the official comment when I rejected half a dozen wings a while back.

EVERY heritage saloon wing I have ever fitted has needed re profiling where the wing should follow the curve of the bonnet as the folded seam is really quite shocking and it is apparently common knowledge that the n/s wing is 6mm longer than the o/s

If you are lucky enough to see an original wing from the 60`s 70`s and early 80`s you will notice how smooth and neat the profile is so in my opinion it seems daft to spend twice as much as you need to only to have to chop it around anyway.

That said I would use heritage panels on a 90`s car as they were built crap to start with so they will fit very well.

No disrespect to 90`s mini owners as I am one myself but they really were just chucked together i`m afraid   



#8 Wizzalong

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Posted 18 March 2020 - 08:08 PM

Attached File  mini cooper 020.JPG   43.89K   11 downloads

 

This is what I had to do to mine! Heritage too.



#9 DeadSquare

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Posted 18 March 2020 - 08:21 PM

attachicon.gif mini cooper 020.JPG

 

This is what I had to do to mine! Heritage too.

 

 

I wonder what "Heritage" shells are made from ?



#10 toromod

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Posted 18 March 2020 - 11:00 PM

I'm restoring a Riley Elf Mk 3 and have used panels mostly from Somerford Mini, although I started off with cheaper panels. The welder immediately commented on the better quality panels from Somerford which fitted better and made his job so much easier and also more satisfying to work with so I would say if you can afford the better quality panels, go for it, even if it's only for certain panels which are more visible on the finished article.



#11 sc-em

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Posted 20 March 2020 - 10:18 PM

Minispares is just down the road from me, but are M Machine still a better option. I need boot repairs panels, rear hinges etc in the first instance.



#12 sonikk4

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Posted 20 March 2020 - 10:56 PM

Heritage panels on a 80's mini fit really well, Wills Mini Special. The whole front end went on extremely well with very little fettling.

 

My clubby, 1974 apart from the quality issues with the bonnet and me being a picky bugger everything went on well. All of the external panels other than the sills were Heritage.

 

The thing is the forms they use are wearing out, things are not quite as crisp as there were originally. The quality can be hit or miss. My clubby bonnet was shocking and had to be returned. 

 

M Machine sell three different manufacturers, Magnum, Heritage and of course their own. I have found with some of their own panels they take a chunk of work to fit. Companion bin and arch closeout to name two. 



#13 Jewson16

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Posted 21 March 2020 - 07:44 PM

Thank you everyone for your reply I've decided to buy my panels from Leacy Classics I've head they're good quality but also very reliable ?

#14 sonikk4

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Posted 21 March 2020 - 08:20 PM

Thank you everyone for your reply I've decided to buy my panels from Leacy Classics I've head they're good quality but also very reliable

 

Just to make you aware they only supply and do not make panels. So what you see on their website will either be Magnum (the prices will be considerably cheaper) and Heritage and what i see is mainly Magnum.



#15 Jewson16

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Posted 21 March 2020 - 08:50 PM

[quote name="sonikk4" post="3638539" timestamp="1584822018"][quote name="Jewson16" post="3638531" timestamp="

Thank you everyone for your reply I've decided to buy my panels from Leacy Classics I've head they're good quality but also very reliable[/quote]
Just to make you aware they only supply and do not make panels. So what you see on their website will either be Magnum (the prices will be considerably cheaper) and Heritage and what i see is mainly Magnum.[/quote]

Would you still recommend?

Edited by Jewson16, 21 March 2020 - 08:52 PM.





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