18 replies to this topic

[suziwong]

Hi

I wish to roll my 74' Mini onto its side to give it a decent weld on the underside of the floor panels i have just replaced and can't seem to get a decent weld on the underside with the mig im using (i can't get on with up-side-down welding as it is lol)

This will be carried out on my driveway as i'm not lucky enough to have use of a garage and i wish to have the welding done and back on its wheels within a weekend

I can get tyres and the use of a van with tailift that can assist in rolling it over

I'm just wondering if anyone else has done this method and any tips too please.

I'm assuming the engine needs to come out as i noticed the bulkhead subframe bolts are missing over the weekend and it don't seem very secure in the bay either so the van will help here too lol

Thanks in advance

[nickcooper]

ive seen people choc the front wheels, then get a few people to lift the back up and prop it up with wood on the subframe to weld before. although it didnt look very safe, and thinking about it i dont think they had front ends which could hit the floor lol.

maybe you could do the same but sideways, i can lift mine on its side on my own, but then i have no engine and interior in lol

i would always make sure its safe tho, not worth damagaing your car or yourself.

you can always get frames like spitroasts to turn them over, but you can only do it with shells.

hope this helps, ive gotta do welding under mine soon so would begood to see what others say.


cheers nick

[Cooperman]

For on-event servicing rally Minis are often tipped onto their sides with tyres under the gutter. You need a good bit of help to tip it gently and tyres not-on-wheels are best, plus some blankets to help stop paintwork damage. It's quite easy and can be done with or without the engine in.

[suziwong]

Lifting it won't be a problem, i'll use the tailift on the van for that. The car is partially striped although the glass, subframes and engine are still fitted

The spit set-up wouldn't be any use being in my front driveway because someone would probably take it or the car lol

The next problem will be putting it back onto its wheels lol

[nickcooper]

i would probably go with the tyres, just make sure there on a part that is strong like cooperman says, just make sure you got plenty of people helping and be carefull.
as i say i can lift mine over on my own, but then i got no engine, glass, interior lol

nick

[AndyMiniMad.]

I rolled mine over onto an old mattress. perfect for this type of job. Just make sure you dont set fire to it when your welding. I can tell you they burn quite well. LOL.

[suziwong]

I'm not scared of the fire thing, i've already set fire to the left over fibres i couldn't remove from the front wheel wells, oh and myself lol

[jay30]

Does rolling the car onto its side not damage the panels?

[1984mini25]

The way I’ve always done and I’ve done this on a few now is.

Strip the mini of as much weight and glass as possible, front, rear and engine out, the lighter it is the better.

Sit the mini on 4 tyres, with two on the side to be tipped so the sill will fall onto them.
Get a mate and with a person at each end tip the mini over gently, once it’s on its point of balance quickly shift the two spare tyres over the other side. One so its in line with the a pillar/roof seam and the other in the same place at the back.

[bmcecosse]

Easy to do - needs 3 or 4 people. Have done it on rallies to change broken driveshafts - and in one case to change a clutch plate, in a snowstorm at a Cadwell rallycross. No need to remove the engine etc - but watch out for fuel and acid spillage.

[mk3cortina]

theres a good point, probably an idea to remove the fuel tank if your tipping it onto the nearside, or empty it of fuel. when i replaced the chassis rails on my cortina (a much bigger and heavier monster than a mini!) i used my high lift jack and just tipped it onto its side as much as i could (im in a single garage at home so the roof would touch the wall if it tipped it all the way) then chocked it up with lengths of wood. not the best idea for 2 tons of steel but i left the jack under there and a load of wheels and tyres just in case.

with a mini though a high lift jack will nigh on tip it i reckon, just take it easy.

[1984mini25]

Just found the pick of when i tipped the Mayfair.

Rolled it out of the garage, tipped it onto 4 tyres then was lifted and a pallet fitted with 4 large casters slid under. Supported the roof gutter with some wood to keep the side up off the quarter panel and then just wheeled it back into the garage to be worked on.

[attachment=101333:HPIM0036.jpg]
[attachment=101334:HPIM0329.jpg]

[suziwong]

Thats a neat idea with the pallet and casters

[1984mini25]

You would be surprised at the amount of extra room you can gain buy having it a trolley and being able to easily move it around.

[leadly]

Ah, well for once i haven't had to trawl through pages and pages of old threads for the answer I was looking for.

Sorry to hi-jack....

i'v got my mini currently on a peice on 3 x 3.5 ft 3/4inch ply wood with castors attached to the bottom.

Yesterday, I spent some of my birthday down my local scrapper picking up some large tyres, got two 17 inch and two 16 inch tyres.

Now my plan was to make a frame out of square tube measuring at 5ft x 5ft, which i was then going to bolt to my dolley and then bolt the tyres to the frame.

I just hope this will be stable enough to get in and out of the garage as my (well my parents, where the mini lives) drive is very un-even and would hate my mini to topple over.

or alternately shall I just roll my mini out on it's dolley as I normally do and just flip it onto the tyres as and when I need to access the underside? only thing is that I cannot flip it in the gargae due to space, so this would have to be done outside, so fair weather flipping would come into this and i don't fancy welding on the drive-way as people complained about my neighbour welding up his gate a few months ago.

or.......do you think I could get away with just flipping my mini straight onto the dolley? i just dont want to damage the body work.

Sorry again for the hi-jack, but i'v got the rest of the week off and need to see whats lurking underneath so I can finish compiling my panel list for MITP!