30 replies to this topic

[Puddings]

I'm yet to see a fiberglass front end that looked right on a road car.

well thats a load of bull you been walking around with your eyes closed

[Ethel]

An MoT Tester is likely to insist on brace bars. I suppose you could have both and discuss it with the tester. I'd be surprised if you get any grief for removing the inner wings.

thanks for all the replies guys, i think ill go ahead and fit the 1 piece front end, i wont be making it a flip front, just removeable. i think that way its less hassle perhaps. i might change my mind on that though. so if i leave the inner wings alone and not cut them right down to the damper brackers or thereabouts, will i still require the pair of brace bars?

[mk3 Cooper S]

I'm yet to see a fiberglass front end that looked right on a road car.

well thats a load of bull you been walking around with your eyes closed

Maybe a generalisation but there are a lot of really badly fitted ones out there.IMO

[blackbelt1990]

Fit the brace bars yeah, they aren't expensive

[Puddings]

I'm yet to see a fiberglass front end that looked right on a road car.

well thats a load of bull you been walking around with your eyes closed

Maybe a generalisation but there are a lot of really badly fitted ones out there.IMO

mine looks mint cant tell its a flip front apart from the fasteners down the sides and they are discreet

[asmith88]

If its going to be fiberglass spend a little extra on a two piece, this way you can just lift the bonnet for silly things like topping up oil/water, I always wory paint etc will get damaged more easily if our constantly whipping the hole thing on/off!

I have mot next week in Northern Ireland and i'll ask the guy then what he thinks. (Northern ireland mot's are twice as strict as english ones so should give a good precident.)

[mk3cortina]

i would want to fit the brace bars anyway, so with regards to fitting it, do i just need to add a tab onto both of the A panel pieces, but how should i mount it at the front? and what options do i hae for fastners, just bonnet pins? or could i use those retro bonnet straps.

[mk3 Cooper S]

I'm yet to see a fiberglass front end that looked right on a road car.

well thats a load of bull you been walking around with your eyes closed

Maybe a generalisation but there are a lot of really badly fitted ones out there.IMO

mine looks mint cant tell its a flip front apart from the fasteners down the sides and they are discreet

Not what you said in your build thread http://www.theminifo...x...7881&st=135

Maybe yours looks good because if was fitted by your bodyshop man Dave ?

[kez_19]

i had one but i couldn't get it to fit as i am a welder by trade i prefer metal so for me it was a no brainer so i now have a one piece flip up front in metal

you can see mine by clicking on the link to my page at the bottom here somewhere

[analogue_radio]

I'm going to do anything and everything to get mine to fit perfectly, I don't care how long it takes!

Last thing I want are horrible big gaps that make it obvious that I'm running a flippy front.

I've got the American style hinges so the front will flip upwards, rather than the most common way of being forwards. I'm not going to have any visible fixings, everything will be inside the front.

& I'll add bits on like a bonnet strap to make it more convincing (its a 1 piece)

& don't believe anything you read on this forum about IVA tests, or anything similar. Go straight to the DVLA and ask yourself.

[blackbelt1990]

i would want to fit the brace bars anyway, so with regards to fitting it, do i just need to add a tab onto both of the A panel pieces, but how should i mount it at the front? and what options do i hae for fastners, just bonnet pins? or could i use those retro bonnet straps.

Mines bolted on the A-Seam with tiny nuts and bolts, as the front I bought has a seam to it. The seam cover just had a few notches cut out of it and then goes over like normal.
Then it's fastened to the inner wings across the tops (like original spot welds) with Riv-Nuts

I don't have anything on the front, it's very strong as is, I've pulled the car up the garage with my hands through the headlamp holes when I was fitting it to test

[aceadvice]

Hi, I've been asked to pop over and answer some queries re the flip front issue.

In the eyes of VOSA the use of a GRP flip front is acceptable but ONLY if the inner flitch is kept. There was a VOSA test case and ruling re this some 25 odd years ago re Minis and Anglias in particular. Their view ( and it's THEIR view that actually counts ) is that the wings and front panel are not part of the monococque but the flitch is . However on a car where the front inner wing meets the front outer creating a bowl a flip front would not be acceptable .

Re going straight to DVLA ...it's a waste of time unless you speak to the right person. The DVLA is a Civil service department and as such knowledge is distributed in layers . The person anawering the phone is on the bottom rung. To get an answer you have to speak to Policy Division who often clarify with VOSA the technical aspect. That's why ACE spend their time getting the CORRECT information and putting it on our site ( www.the-ace.org.uk ).

We spend our time liaising with both DVLA Policy and VOSA Tech to get the FACTS of the matter

Regardless of the fact that Monis have subframes it is classed as a monococque by DVLA and those rules apply.

If you rebody a Mini into a new GRP shell that is a Amateur Kit Built and woudl need to go for BIVA.

You can legally rebody into a NEW steel shell ( with receipt from Manufacturer / Dealer to that effect ) and it would be inspected and normally allowed to keep it's old registration.

Rebody into a secondhand shell and it woud be sent for BIVA if/when found out if you haven't notified them as per legal requirements and would receive a mandatory Q due to secondand monococque.

Edited by aceadvice, 13 May 2010 - 04:47 PM.

[mini93]

I'm yet to see a fiberglass front end that looked right on a road car.

well thats a load of bull you been walking around with your eyes closed

maybe its one of those points they can look rather good and because of it he hasnt noticed

[leadly]

I should be going down this route. I'm looking at getting a 2 peice carbon fibre front end as opposed to a fibre glass one. With experience of working with both composite materials I much prefer carbon fibre.

Got my brace bars from a guy on here for £25 delivered. They do seem to come up in the classifieds once in a while.

I think i'm going to get mine with bonded on A panles just to get rid of another panel to go rusty and just weld a few tabs on the fitch panels (i think thats right) to secure it and then at the bottom obviously bolt it through the subframe mount.

Also wanting to get some carbon fibre doors, anyone had any experience with these? sorry to hi-jack!

[GW]

thanks ace for coming over - often people post their opinions on what should be allowed, but the facts really help.

Its good to know that the fibreglass front on its own does not require BIVA, but not sure waht you meant by 'bowl flip' front?

If I were to go for FG, i would go two piece, with the wings/front panel piece fixed in place and the inner wings uncut with brace bars for the front subframe, which should be ok yes?