1006 replies to this topic

[AndyMiniMad.]

Man but you have some patience!! I dont think I would have put that much effort into getting the bonnet gaps so nice..In fact I didnt...but its a fantastic finnish and well worth the time you spent...Top man. We are all learning some good tips and working practices by reading this thread..Well I am!!

[hughJ]

Graham you are good (too good!). In fact that is understating it. An amazing bit of work on your bonnet. You are so careful in the work you do. I just botch along. I am majorly impressed with the fitting of your front.

I wish I was 6 foot 1!! I'm vertically challenged at 5 foot 9.

Good to see you at the body work. I've followed for a while now and always am impressed.

Hugh

[grahama]

Hi all, (said in a dejected voice) !!

yes a crappy day in mini corner !! All about door fit and how to go from pretty good to bl**&y s*&t !! As I mentioned the other day the doors require a reskin as the drv has quite a bit of rust along the bottom and the pass is, after investigating, fillered to death !! So started the deskinning of the drv door to see how bad things were.









Glad I decided to do this job too as 6 months down the line I will not want to be redoing bits and the rusty crud along the bottom needed sorting. Off fairly easily but ground off the strengthener inside the door without knowing.





I used the old skin to reposition but still not sure it is in the right position but time will tell and not too bad a job to move. Then the fun / frustration started.

I used my diy metal bender to fols a strip of steel for a patch along the bottom of the door frame. Just the table legs again, some clamps and a large impact tool !!









I offered it up and due to the bulge outwards in the door orriginally I moved the patch in at the mid point to 'pull' in the door at the bottom. (hope that makes sense ! )
A couple of tacks and all was going well, crud out, patch in, looking good, NOT !!

I slathered on the seam sealant behind the drv A panel lip and bent it over before fitting the door for positioning and trimming of the bottom edge.





It now fits like a bag of sh*^e at the back as you can see. I tried shims, tightening the hinge bolts, twisting the door, nothing worked, the door has dropped back and down. Hopefully it is just a loss of rigidity on the part of the door but I am very concearned. Can't believe it has gone soo far out on the fit just by taling the skin off.





and before



What to do, I am for a change at a loss and quite down beat, I thought this would be an easy task, but it has set me back loads. I also noticed the hinges moving too. Wehn I reconditioned them, I filed a small amount off the mating faces of the two halves and there is now some movement in the hinge itself. Don't know how critical this is, may be new hinge time too ??

Still there is cold beer in the fridge which I am consoling myself with at the mo !!!

Graham

Edited by grahama, 01 April 2012 - 06:04 PM.

[benjy_18]

ive just commented on the post in the technicals section about the door fit. hopefully its not as bad as you fear

but to let you know, if you buy a genuin door skin it comes with the strengthener with it. so no need to worry about that one.

its coming along great now! keep it up

Ben

[grahama]

Thanks for that Ben, may just take it off tomoz then !!

[minimuk]

a bit of fetling and tweeking all will sit good, just keep the doorskin tight when offering the door.

[Brams96]

Now you've got the skin off the door it would be a good time to weld in your own side impact bar like in the later mpi's. I'll be doing this when time comes around to reskinning my doors.

[grahama]

I have no idea how to do that effectively, what steel to use or where it should go. I think I will leave that one as done incorrectly it is probably not going to work, but opinions welcome.

[AndyMiniMad.]

Side impact protection...Mmmm, Nope I woudnt bother..I would say that Mini's are so week in a side impact that it wont make that much difference....and anyway I personally would rather it was a quick death!!

Edited by AndyMiniMad., 02 April 2012 - 03:17 PM.

[grahama]

Hi all,

a brighter day today, not the weather, just on the door front. I went to a panel supplier near me and got a good old Magnum door skin. This is going to hurt I thought, but a surprisingly good fit. The door handle hole lined up and it was fine round the edges. So this is how it went







I clamped the top of the skin into position, according to the handle screw hole and the surround and turned a couple of corners over so it held in place for a trial fit into the door apperture. I turned the metal flanges over and clamped tight so I could see how the door flexed with a skin on.

Result was not too bad at all. The skin does indeed add tons of rigidity to the door and it didn't sag as per yesterday's efforts. I also made some hinge backplates to strengthen the rear of the flitch.











The door didn't flex at all really, but the hinges did wobble still so that maybe where my problems lay. Quite pleased with the gaps around the door, the bottom has a 1/8th gap along the bottom although it still sticks out. May have to adjust the frame further. The rear corner at the bottom is ok too and the panel lines all line up at the top. So, I will take apart, finish the welding and paint it inside before a final fix.

The only problem I can forsee is where the top of the skin finishes. One side is nearly level with the inside skin and the other is about 1cm higher, is this normal??





I could just grind down the top a touch but will wait till it's back on the car to look at it along the side front to back.



Feeling happier now,

Graham

Edited by grahama, 02 April 2012 - 05:33 PM.

[benjy_18]

this will be my job for the weekend i think!

im glad it turned out that the skin was the main problem, hopefully mine will be the same

[minimuk]

sexy door fit that one, can you open thedoor easely, not scraping a-panel, with paint on it?

[mini danny]

Looking good I've always looked at this but never commented my door on my project was a he'll of alto off look at my project the 79 clubby estate and you will see


Dan

[hughJ]

Graham - I'm glad you are happier. I knew you would sort it somehow. I go down like a stone when things go badly. Can't help you with door skin advice! I'm leaving well alone! My doors are OK. I've just been cleaning the last traces of bitumen with white spirit - so boring I'm not updating my page. Will need another day at it. Yours is exciting!

Go there Graham

Hugh

[grahama]

Thanks fellas,

I am going to leave the side impact bars as I just don't know how to do it. I can always keep an eye out for 2nd hand later doors.

Ben, very relieved to be honest, thought the door was buggered, but your thoughts proved right, hope yours goes well. The Magnum panel also has the lip strengthener which is why I didn't spring for a proper one !!

Muk, think I will be ok A panel side, I have a bit of slack in the skin to take in so the gap should be a nice 1/8 in.

Dan, I remember the door scenario when you were doing it, and yes it looked very much like mine. I however didn't replace the A post and thought I'd just ruined my door deskinning it. All come right though.

Hugh, last bit for a week or so, then I will need a couple of days to finish off the bodywork, except for a bit of grinding back here and there. Still thinking about the floor holes, it is eating away at me, lol !! I will get excited when the paint brush is in my hand !!

Graham

Edited by grahama, 02 April 2012 - 07:45 PM.