25 replies to this topic

[kenyon]

This is the first of a project thread which I hope will keep a good record of what we do.

 

My son and I recently purchased a 'started project' which you can see from the video is not the worst but also has an awful lot of little bits missing.

 

The video is the best intro for now and I will be updating as we go.

 

https://youtu.be/fAZfoFVKGhA

 

 

[kenyon]

Having stripped some pretty much the rest of the car we found some holes!!  The underneath has been completely done they said!!

 

https://youtu.be/scZoZBc5kXQ

 

I think you will see from this video, still some to do.

[Homersimpson]

I'm afraid whoever welded that up should cut their tools in half so they fit better in the bin, you are going to need to do a fair bit to put it right but at least once done you will know its solid.

 

I'm sure others will be along to say the same, the sills really need to be changed for the correct short type to avoid future rusting problems and also retain the strength of the shell.  Given the standard of the other work you don't know what is under the sills and they might have left the old rusty ones on so getting them off will ensure thaty you don't have any future issues.

 

Fortunatly the poor welding will make removing them easier, a flap wheel in an angle grinder and some thin cut discs will make short work of it.

 

Best of luck, its going to be a great project.

[bpirie1000]

Looks a cracker.. enjoy boys...

[sonscar]

I bought a welder so now I am a welder.You are safe in the knowledge that you are not damaging anything of value when you dig in.Enjoy your time working on this project together,priceless memories can be made.Steve..

[PiG]

Ours started as father son project, he was around 10 years old. You'll really enjoy this and cherished memories made. Thanks to this he's Now a classic vehicle restoration apprentice at Bicester Heritage Skills academy and working at an Austin 7 restoration specialists. He now has a midget and Austin 7 of his own projects, our mini still is not finished😂

Edited by PiG, 27 March 2022 - 12:11 PM.

[Ethel]

But did they say it had been done well? 

 

Doesn't look a bad effort at trying to weld steel to rust - who would do that? 

[kenyon]

I'm afraid whoever welded that up should cut their tools in half so they fit better in the bin, you are going to need to do a fair bit to put it right but at least once done you will know its solid.

 

I'm sure others will be along to say the same, the sills really need to be changed for the correct short type to avoid future rusting problems and also retain the strength of the shell.  Given the standard of the other work you don't know what is under the sills and they might have left the old rusty ones on so getting them off will ensure thaty you don't have any future issues.

 

Fortunatly the poor welding will make removing them easier, a flap wheel in an angle grinder and some thin cut discs will make short work of it.

 

Best of luck, its going to be a great project.

Hi, I hadn't noticed the sills were the wrong ones, as I am very inexperienced with minis, what do you mean by the 'short type'??

Thanks

Nige

[bpirie1000]

Shortsills have a half dome. Long sills come with full dome. Half dome allows for air to flow and full dome does not, allowing for rust to build up.. traps water and rust builds up if you know what i mean.. all part of learning curve..

Bash it with a hammer.. if solid.. do not panic... being solid on the sills is half the battle.

Edited by bpirie1000, 28 March 2022 - 08:38 AM.

[kenyon]

Shortsills have a half dome. Long sills come with full dome. Half dome allows for air to flow and full dome does not, allowing for rust to build up.. traps water and rust builds up if you know what i mean.. all part of learning curve..

Bash it with a hammer.. if solid.. do not panic... being solid on the sills is half the battle.

So if you fit the short sills does that not allow more access for water to get in there?  It seems a bit counter intuitive to allow water in? I understand you will get more air flow so would you recommend changing them for the long term benefit?

Thanks

[Ethel]

Originally the floor was one piece all the way up to the door aperture with the sill attached on the outside forming a box section to the bottom of those pressed in square protrusions. They were open at the bottom for drainage. Those repair sills (aka oversills) were made to give a cheap repair solution because, if the sill was rotten, it was likely the metal it was attached to was too. 

 

They are functional, but they're often a sign the underlying rot wasn't properly addressed. If there's no drainage, there's likely 2 layers of sheet steel at the edge of the floor with a small gap between them that will stay permanently wet.

[sonscar]

There is a thread on here about the virtue or lack of virtue from fitting oversills,it may sway your thinking one way or the other.Do them now whilst you can,it is likely the easiest welding job on a Mini with the easiest structural and visual reward.Steve..(one time oversill owner)..

[Homersimpson]

 

Shortsills have a half dome. Long sills come with full dome. Half dome allows for air to flow and full dome does not, allowing for rust to build up.. traps water and rust builds up if you know what i mean.. all part of learning curve..

Bash it with a hammer.. if solid.. do not panic... being solid on the sills is half the battle.

So if you fit the short sills does that not allow more access for water to get in there?  It seems a bit counter intuitive to allow water in? I understand you will get more air flow so would you recommend changing them for the long term benefit?

Thanks

 

You allow the water in but you also allow it out again, with the oversills you get water in from the door pillars and general condensation and then it can't get out.

 

Next the weld line to the floor starts to rust and before you know it you need to repair the floor as well as the sill.

 

Oversills were just a cheap way of keeping a car on the road for a few more years before it was scrapped and weren't designed with any thought as to what the long term effect of them would be.

 

The only good thing you can say about them is that they kept the car going for a bit longer for some to survive for us to restore

[bpirie1000]

Technology has moved on so far from 1959 and there are many rust treatments available and options for weld through primers before painting the inner sills and loads of treatments for expelling water..

Just see what budget allows really.. any preventative is good preventative whrn rust comes to the topic..

[Ethel]

It's obviously your call  on how much effort & cost to put in to it.

 

I wouldn't worry about patching it up as best you can for now. There's all sorts of options now available to replace the lot in one go when the time comes from complete floor assemblies to inner/outer sill combos with a strip of floor