86 replies to this topic

[DiscoDarren]

great skills you are showing off there! wish my welds were as clean as that to start off with

Think I was just having a good day there, the quality does vary greatly trust me! Nice to get a pat on the back on an occasion when it does turn out tidy tho, so many thanks

[DiscoDarren]

Well it seems like ages since I managed to find time to come on the forum, let alone do any work on the mini. I have had a couple of hours tonight tho and managed to make some progress albeit only little. I'm pleased to say tho, it more or less finishes the welding underneath on the n/s rear end.

I forget when, but some time in the last 2weeks, I have had a trial fit of the rear subframe. I wanted to make sure it still fitted ok since doing the closing panel. I also wanted to mark the last couple of holes needed for the rear mounts through my new boot floor. I had drilled one each side back when I fitted the floor, using the old floor as a template, prior to chopping it out. Anyway all is well on that score, it fits in ok, final holes drilled and subframe removed once again.

So tonight onto the rear valance closing panel. The one I bought includes the strengthening pieces for the floor where the subframe bolts up, hence why I wanted to get the floor drilled. I drilled loads of holes in the new panel for plug welding and gave the closing faces of the area to be welded a spray of zinc primer. I've got some thinners now so cleaning the e coat off prior to spraying is heck of a lot easier. The welding didn't seem to take long either. I always seem to struggle to get things clamped up properly tho, and tonight was no exception. I resorted to drilling and using self tappers to pull it all up tight, but there's got to be and easier way. I think I will have to invest in some cleco's. Here's a pic of tonight's effort. Still needs the welds tidying up with the grinder, but it was getting a bit late for that noise



The only other thing to report is a few bits I've done to the front end on the n/s in ready ness for fitting the fitch repair panel. I've cut away the scuttle panel end and had a rough cut out of the fitch area. The hinge panel/a post is pretty good in general, but I have a small repair to make near the bottom hinge holes so that piece is cut out too. I would have had that little patch done last week but it appears to be slightly thicker metal than any I've got. Think it's 1.2mm so I will have to find some from somewhere before I can go any further.

That it for now, but hopefully it won't be too long before I can report some more progress. Thanks for reading.

[rally515]

You've got lucky there with the Flitch being ok mate, I don't think i've seen a project thread have decent flitches before

[DiscoDarren]

Well I've had the afternoon on the mini and managed to get a bit more done. I started by grinding up the welds on the work I did last time on the rear valance closing panel. Then a blast of primer.

Then it was on to the nearside A post/hinge panel. On the whole it's in pretty good shape considering how bad the flitch was, but I decided to chop out and replace a section around the bottom hinges holes. It was quite deeply pitted here so our with the old and in with the new.



Then after a quick tidy up with the grinder



Just the hinge holes to redrill, but luckily I remembered to make a template prior to chopping the rust out.

Next job was to mark out for my fitch repair panel and clean up the edges ready for welding.



I stripped the e coat from the panel and gave the inside a spray of zinc primer. I also sprayed all the mating surfaces and drilled out for some plug welds. Being a bit cautious I had a trial fit of the door. Just as well because the holes I had made for the bottom hinge were slightly out. Easily taken care of tho because I had only drilled a pilot hole. Just enlarged it with the step drill biased in the right direction to correct my error. With the door now fitting correctly and bolted through the repair panel, I clamped and tacked the butt joint.



Then played join the dots with the seam weld




I was quite pleased with how this turned out. I hope the other side hoes as well when I come to it. With the whole thing cleaned up , including the plug welds on the hinge pillar it looked like this.



And finally with a quick coat of primer on that's how I left it for now.



Next instalment will be doing the step. I'm a bit worried that I should have done it first but it's too late now. Lol

[deepee71]

Steady progress,  I have stalled a bit with mine. The daily driver has been in need of repairs, could not avoid the strange noises coming from the front suspension any longer.  What are the Magnum wheelarches like for fit?....need to replace the drivers side on my MK3 shortly..

 

Andy

[DiscoDarren]

Steady progress,  I have stalled a bit with mine. The daily driver has been in need of repairs, could not avoid the strange noises coming from the front suspension any longer.  What are the Magnum wheelarches like for fit?....need to replace the drivers side on my MK3 shortly..
 
Andy

I found it a bit of a daunting task at first to be honest, doing something as major as that, and it was made even more so by the poor fit of the magnum arch. Having said that tho once I made a start, clamping a bit, welding a bit, etc, etc. it seemed to pull it into shape and the end result isn't too bad. The magnum boot floor repair panel was an appalling fit, their sills I've used were fine. I think tho if I take on another project like this I'd try the m machine panels, everybody seems to praise them. Not sure how much more expensive their arches are but might be worth it to save time and for a better end result.

[JonnyAlpha]

Darren;

 

Excellent progress, you seem to be doing everything that I have and am doing at the moment.

Welding is coming on great (says me like I'm a Pro )

 

Just posted a question about holding the Rear Arch to Boot Floor Brackets and Rear Valance Closing Panels in place as I will be doing these in the next few days.

 

Nice job on the Heelboard and an even nicer job on the Wheel Arches

 

I have just fitted a couple of Magnum Outer Arches, they fitted OK but are very roughly made where they meet the Inner Arch however once welded in place they clean up OK. As I was fitting them to the existing Inner Arches which are pretty beaten up anyway they were fine.

 

I have also just fitted the LH Heelboard and have just started the RH one, I ended up ordering 2 x Heelboard Repair Panels from M-Machine, I found them excellent to deal with and the panels are well made, didn't realise I could have used my TMF discount DOH!!! 

 

Missed two dealines so far IMM and MITP next target is having a rolling chassis by Tues

 

Keep at it.

 

 

[DiscoDarren]

Darren;
 
Excellent progress, you seem to be doing everything that I have and am doing at the moment.
Welding is coming on great (says me like I'm a Pro )
 
Just posted a question about holding the Rear Arch to Boot Floor Brackets and Rear Valance Closing Panels in place as I will be doing these in the next few days.
 
Nice job on the Heelboard and an even nicer job on the Wheel Arches
 
I have just fitted a couple of Magnum Outer Arches, they fitted OK but are very roughly made where they meet the Inner Arch however once welded in place they clean up OK. As I was fitting them to the existing Inner Arches which are pretty beaten up anyway they were fine.
 
I have also just fitted the LH Heelboard and have just started the RH one, I ended up ordering 2 x Heelboard Repair Panels from M-Machine, I found them excellent to deal with and the panels are well made, didn't realise I could have used my TMF discount DOH!!! 
 
Missed two dealines so far IMM and MITP next target is having a rolling chassis by Tues
 
Keep at it.

Thanks for checking in jonny. I've not rewelded those brackets yet, I intend doing them when I roll the car back the right way up. I must admit I've been finding it a struggle sometimes to get things clamped up as tightly as I'd like. It seems to make a massive difference to the quality of the weld. I'll be reading your thread with interest

I too have missed my original deadline which was skeg mini fest weekend of the 19- 20 July. With a bit of luck it might be spring next year now, because there's loads more work than I realised at first. I'll just keep plodding on, slowly but surely and as funds allow. If I've had her back on the road long enough to iron out any teething troubles I'd love to do next years London to Brighton.

[Ben_O]

It's coming on a treat Darren!

[DiscoDarren]

It's coming on a treat Darren!

Thanks Ben, I just hope I can keep the momentum going.

[Ben_O]

A little bit here and there should be enough to keep it going.

 

I haven't been near mine for months now and really miss the work. I can't wait to get back to it!

 

Ben

[DiscoDarren]

Well it’s been nearly 6 years since I did any work on the mini, it’s been sat in the garage with loads of stuff piled on top. The Coronavirus lockdown has meant I’ve had time to clear the garage in an effort to get some more done on the min. So as I write this I’ve had a couple of hours revisiting my project, mainly to see where i’d got up to, this build thread has helped loads with that too. I did fire up the mig to make sure it still works. It’s fine, I’ve had to buy a new mask tho - I presume the non replaceable battery has failed through lack of use. My new welding mask arrived yesterday and I decided to have a go, to say I struggled is an understatement. Seems everything I previously learned about welding needs relearning. Decided to step away and have a go another time, (my patience was running out) instead I spent ages on eBay ordering a load of stuff to move the project on. Spot weld drills, cleco pins, zinc primer, brushable seam sealer to name but a few. I will try and get some photos later to bring anybody reading this up to date, will also serve me as a good reminder if Idecide to take another 6 year break at some point. Lol.

PS just read this years L2B is postponed till 11th October, being nearly 6 months away in theory I could have the mini done in time to take part. I very much doubt it but it’s good to dream:)