8 replies to this topic

[minimissions]

Hi guys i am putting a new front valance or front panel on my brothers mini 30 however i have never fitted one be for. I have herd that there is wiring running through the slam panel, so to watch that when taking the old one off and that its has two bolts on the bottom that are on the subby.

Fitting the new one, do i bolt in at the bottom and weld the top bits in then do i weld fron behind to fix the rest of the panel to the car?

Help Needed! Hope someone can help?

Step by Step

Minimissions

[lrostoke]

Only ever done it once but seemed to work this way



First we cut out as close to all the seams as we could, this gave access to the two sections on the inner wing its welded to. We just ground away the spot welds and pulled off the old brackets.



Then tidied up all the areas around the wing with a grinding disk and 60 grit sanding disk.



Bolted new front end in place and checked alignment before welding.
Our local mini shop mentioned they now weld the seam fully between wing and front panel so thats what we did from behind.
Then painted it from behind forcing paint into the seams.
Finally an probably not for purists we filled the seam with filler before adding a fake groove , figured less chance of water finding its way in there.

Edited by lrostoke, 18 April 2010 - 01:22 PM.

[sonikk4]

To add to the previous post check what E coat has been sprayed on the panel. If its shiney you should be ok but if its a dull grey/black colour strip it off. Its a rubbish coating and will come off very easily

I have just fitted one to Project Erm, i fully stripped its E coat etch primed primed and top coated all of the flanges that were to be welded. It was then clamped in place and spot welded in position. Once done i then went over all of the flanges with more primer and paint. Before the car goes off for paint i will use a paintable sealant in all of the grooves on the outside of the car and seal all of the edges where possible in the front arches. Again these will be painted again then stone chipped and guess what more paint.

[lrostoke]

good point on the etch priming and painting, we did actually do that to the rear before fitting. We've since removed the black coating its a pattern front end and seems most people reckon the black is cack so we stripped it off.

[SolarB]

It's important to make sure the panel gaps are correct. The bonnet needs to be fitted to align with the wings and obtain the correct shut lines. Use lots of clamps and make sure you're 100% happy with the fit before welding. I wouldn't worry too much about the subframe mounts, if they accurately align with the holes in the front panel when it's clamped and ready for welding that's fine. If not, the front end of a mini has quite a bit of flex in it and you can certainly persuade it to move a few mm after welding without too much effort.

[minimissions]

Thanks guys for your help is there any wires in the way because i dont want to cut through them. other than that i think i might be able to do it now cheers wish me luck.

[lrostoke]

Shouldn't be any along the bottom edge, but watch out for that brake pipe you can see it running across the subframe.
Top edge is were the wires are so make sure you avoid those.

[Pauly]

Theres lots of wires under the slam panel for the lights and indicator units, these will need pulling away into the engine bay before you start cutting.

[minimissions]

Thanks guys i am going it next week as i have a day off, i will let you nom how its goes a maybe some pictures if i new how to put pictures on here