Finally Got My New Project Home. 93 Cooper Spi.

Got my A post cut out and cut n shut with a section from my magnum panel and ground back and after getting fed up of trapping the cables and water pipe for the washer bottle I decided to make a few cable retainers so they didn’t get melted or trapped when fitting the frame. I had to replace the washer pipe anyway as is was melted from when I started! I had a roll of VW stuff from when I had my Transporter facelifted so fitted that at the same time.

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I borrowed a spot welder from a mate, got a few tacks on the frame and test fitted the door. All gaps look good so tomorrow I will complete the door frame install.

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Cut a piece to take up the gap in the lower B-pillar before welding it in. Got my rear arch to door repair welded in and dressed back, had an issue when shaping the lip around the curve where there was too much metal to made a relief cut and beat the excess into the void then welded it up.






















Made a start spot welding the roof gutter and tidied a few welds up. Distortion is minimal. May have gone overboard on the spots though

Been putting this job off so haven’t been in the garage since getting home from work. Been stressing on if I should strip the subframes out and turn it over on a spit.
Decided to flatten the lips on the rearmost end of the sill to allow it to sit under the rear subframe which means I can re-attach the new sills on the floor. Maybe when theres more strength in the shell I can rotate it, so started cutting out along the floor. My door brace is still attached to the crossmember so nothing has moved.

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That’s a lot of rot gone. Also scored a win on a secondhand exhaust for £50. Turned out to be a stainless

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Removed the subframe bolts of which both of them snapped! Cut the subframe mount panel out back to good metal with various tools in the confined space under the seat pan. Then I pushed the snapped bolts thru the new repair panel and copied the shape then cut and welded in place but only after positioning it with the subframe bolts through the subframe mount.

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Next a few spot welds all on the doorstep to check the fit of the door (door skin is shot so it looks worse than it is).

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Trying to work out where to cut the floor to allow me to butt weld it in I marked a point 60mm in from the inboard edge of the sill with a steel rule and transferred that mark back 60mm on top of the floor, held my breath and cut out with a grinder at 45 degrees Fitzee style, this allowed me then to chop a wooden wedge 140mm high and block up the inboard end of the sill until it was flush and tack welded along its length. Not finished yet but not too much to do on the sill itself and the integrity of the shell is almost as it should be.

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Got my SH spot welder from a member on here who had emptied a body shop and this was surplus to requirements. It’s a Clarke CSW6T and I got it for £300 which is ok as they seem to fetch reasonable money so I don’t think I’d lose too much on it.

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Also started welding up the seam in the floor and grinding it back. Just gonna give the underside a flash over with a grinder and seam seal then Gravitex stonechip. Then I cut out the door brace followed by the seat crossmember. Just in the process of welding up where the crossmember was.

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Edited by exuptoy, 23 October 2020 - 07:36 PM.

Prepped the crossmember to stop it rusting and welded it in and gave it all a coat of etch primer to stop it flash rusting.
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Edited by exuptoy, 23 October 2020 - 04:05 PM.

Continuing with the sill/floor repair, got a little more welded towards the front then tried to offer up my m-machine inner arch repair. Not sure what was going on as it was nowhere near, would probably have been better making it myself. However it’s what I had so straightened it out, drew on a few lines and reshaped it until it fit. Also placed a swage line down the centre to try and make it look like it was meant to be. Not perfect but not too bad. Once it’s fully welded I’ll use a hammer and dolly to dress it’s shape a little.

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Edited by exuptoy, 24 October 2020 - 07:33 PM.

Been back on it guys.
I did finish the quarter floor repair to fitch panel once I repaired my welder.

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So this week I cleaned up the scuttle area and got it all clamped and lined up.

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Then after mulling over removing the ears from the front panel and being left with scared original paper thin inner wings, I thought I’d cut out the crap and replace it.

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Productive day yesterday.
Got my NS lower inner wing repair completed.

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Next up was 2x small repairs to the upper fitch before fitting the scuttle closing panel.

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Welded the OS repair before seam sealing then painting with Bonda zinc rich primer.

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And following my question regarding the front mounts, I thought I’d add a pic for anyone asking.

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And temp mounting of the front and wing.

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Starting to take shape now.

Edited by exuptoy, 13 May 2022 - 08:56 AM.

Yesterdays work.

Looks a good project, are you back on it to push it to a finish now?

Another few jobs ticked off the list. Well done.

More time spent on it now means less time in the future..

Keep up the good work.

Cheers guys.
Yeah, back on it as I’m fed up looking at it in the garage looking so sorry for itself.
The good thing is now I’m back on with it I’m enjoying the work and the more it progresses the more I want to finish it.

Big milestone today. Front panel bolted up solid and gaps checked to ensure everything is lined up.
Scotched the rear of the wing and primed it and linished the seams back to bare metal before plug welding to the inner wing and a few spot welds along the surface of the seams to hold it all in place until I can set up my spot welder to do the backside of the front panel seams tomorrow.
Spot welds around the scuttle linished back below level so a nice bead of sikaflex should finish off the seam nicely.

Edited by exuptoy, 18 May 2022 - 05:12 PM.

Anyone have a recommendation for an overpaintable flexible product to use in the wing to scuttle joint? Was thinking maybe Sikaflex that I’ve been using for seam sealer. Anything better out there?