4 replies to this topic

[flite]

Was hoping to get a few words of advice on how best to proceed with my current situation!

The car was in an accident some 30+ years ago and was VERY poorly repaired. The inner wing was badly damaged beyond repair, and all of the flanges on the inner/outer wings were mangled. On the outside the replacement wing they had put on was in good shape, but it had to be sacrificed in order to repair the dangerous way it was mounted as well as to allow access for other repairs and not destroy the other flanges. Aside from neglecting to repair the inner wing properly and botching up the entire situation by using miserable welds, they layered bondo over an inch(!!!) thick on the corner of the windscreen/scuttle panel (which you can see in the photo.) Underneath the bondo it was heavily dented and I believe beyond repair.

Prior to making any cuts I welded pipe from the firewall to the rear of the front panel in order to prevent flexing and throwing off the alignment... so that's what that is if you're curious from the photo.

My plans were to pick up the half RH inner-wing panel and a new RH wing but I'm not positive which panel to get for the windscreen/scuttle. I'm thinking the following won't be enough, but I don't want to replace the whole thing:

http://minispares.co...px|Back to shop

Can I get away with taking this part from a parts car or should I really be buying this new? Also, once I replace this, is it safe to assume I should also pick up the following:

http://minispares.co...px|Back to shop

Any other items you can think of or advice you could offer would be greatly appreciated. Here's a picture for reference:



Thanks

[crazypainter]

pictures?

[sonikk4]

First thing before you buy anything else is to strip off the paint / underseal from the rest of the inner wing.

The reason why i say this is to see if there is any other rust lurking. Looking at your picture i would have a serious poke at the metal behind the shock absorber mount as that looks suspect.

How does the A panel look as well as this is a good time to replace it. If this has been replaced as part of the accident damage i would take it off to see if there are any issues with the A post flange. They rust in between the flanges due to lack of paint.

Now with this all off and there is rust there and on the remainder of the inner wing i would seriously consider replacing the whole inner wing.

Whats the scuttle like on the other corner?? strip the paint off along the length of the scuttle especially along the windscreen aperture. If this is rough or rusty consider changing the whole scuttle.

Now if you find no other nasties hiding then the two repair panels you have listed will be what you need, The scuttle end repair panels are not the best and will need some fettling.

If you refit the subframe you will not need to have that brace there for the front panel. Its better to use the subframe as the support as this gives you the alignment for you front panel and wing.

[flite]

Thanks for the very helpful response.

I cut away the damaged portion of the scuttle and will be walnut blasting the shell shortly to remove all surface rust and paint. I took the wirewheel to the inner wing and confirmed that there was nothing more than surface rust... so got lucky there.

The A panel looks good, and I do not believe was replaced as part of the accident damage. Once I'm done with blasting this weekend I will know for sure, but the scuttle on the other side looks to be in great shape. I do not believe I should have to replace the entire scuttle.

I was planning on getting a genuine wing and a m-machine patch for the inner wing, but from everything I've read people say I should really be going genuine for the scuttle too. Given that I'm trying not to replace the entire thing though, I don't see how that would be possible. Also, the normal repair patch is too small for me, so I am looking to purchase the entire right side of the scuttle. I don't mind tons of work and fettling to get things to fit... but I just want to make sure that the quality of the metal is good. Do you think I'd be ok with an m-machine or aftermarket scuttle patch, or do I really need to fork out the cash for the genuine part and just take what I need from there?

[sonikk4]

Personally i would use a Heritage panel. I know you are trying not to replace the whole scuttle but normally the rust starts internally so what may look good at the moment may in a few months time sprout rust bubbles.

Its a harsh reality with mini's as they do rust from the inside out.

You can see from the removal of the scuttle close out panel that there is rust there and it will soon eat its way through. Do you really want to take the chance??