5 replies to this topic

[thewormman]

Just introducing my project 97 MPI.

 

Bought it blind off ebay in December (I never buy anything without checking it out thoroughly usually!) Was bought to use as a second car and for my sons to learn how to drive in. Messaged the lady who owned it the night before the auction ended and she said it just has a hole in the floor at the front and one at the back but runs ok. Yeah right!

 

So broke my rule and just bid on it and no-one else did! First pictures are what was on ebay.

 

Doesn't look to bad on the outside but started to poke around, Oh dear... Project time...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some lovely person has put cover sills over the rusty original ones then covered the rust in filler, mastic and painted them.

 

So will be outer half floors, inner sills, outer sills, heel board, one rear wheel inner arch, boot corners and rear valance. The front wings and front panel are actually new and look like they were fitted properly!

[jamesquintin]

Do yourself a favour and get a full replacement floor with the sills and everything attached. I know its expensive, but you will save yourself SO MUCH time. I believe it also includes the studs for the fuel lines

Q

[thewormman]

Hi James, I've been reading your build thread and it is mega!

 

I've already bought the panels unfortunately, really from the second groove inwards the floor is really solid, no rust at all so I'll stick with what I have, I know it will be more welding but to late now.

[thewormman]

Made a start, need to drop the rear subframe as the heelboard mounts and one corner of the boot had gone

 

 

Started stripping, more rot

 

 

 

Petrol tank out

 

 

Crappy previous repairs

 

 

Subframe out

 

 

Heel board mounts gone through

 

 

 

I noticed a lot of people cut out all the mounting points for the rear subframe in one go. I'm a bit worried about it all not lining up and the car ending up crabbing down the road. So I am going to use the subframe as a jig to position the new panels in place by using three location points at a time. 

 

I stripped down the subframe to make it more manageable then cut out the rear of the boot floor one side. I then bolted the frame back in on the two heelboard points and the other side of the boot floor. This gave me the position for the repair on the other side of the boot floor to bolt into place.

 

I will use the same three reference point technique to do the heel board locations, one at a time.

 

 

 

 

Braced the door gap. Subframe off again, inside bin out, then that part of the heelboard end out.

 

 

 

Next job will be bolting the subframe back in with the heelboard repair panel bolted to it and start to cut all the floor and sill out on this side to position the repair sections.

 

[thewormman]

Been off doing the Mini for a while as I had an angle grinder disc and backing pad explode and hit me in the face, almost lost an eye. Suitable PPE now purchased.

 

Did some stuff before that and starting to get back to it now, here's the pics.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just welding the new half floor/inner sill/outer sill on now will update when its in

[thewormman]

Got the rear part of the floor all welded ground down and crossmember welded back in. Put a bit of zinc paint on it. Will finish front tomorrow