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Post by Stu on Dec 21, 2015 22:32:58 GMT
Cheers Simon. I have the shell on a rollover jig so it makes everything much easier. I mark and cut the old floorpan out from the inside first then lay in the new floorpan a little oversized (by around 15mm) into the hole lining up the lap to the front bulkhead and the flutes with the existing floorpan flutes. Once I'm happy with the position I fix the new pan in place by drilling through both panels on the overlap and clamping on the four corners with skin pins. From underneath you can then mark out the cut lines for the new pan. Remove and cut the new pan to fit. Final fit and then secure the panel in place with butt welding clamps to give 1mm gap around the three butt perimeters after dilling out the plug weld holes for the front bulkhead overlap. Secure the front bulkhead lip to the bulkhead with skin pins. Then its just a case of tack welding the new panel to the existing sill edges and floor, plug welding the bulkhead overlap and finally fully butt welding the perimeters. Its useful to clamp a flattened section of copper pipe to the inside of the floorpan and butt weld from the outside (easier grinding down the outside). Just make sure you have good penetration into both leaves. Grind down the excess weld from the outside. I dont take the welds all the way down, just close enough to give a reasonable finish. This is the new pan finshed with two coats of zinc primer. The gap between the new floorpan and the old sill / floor is there because I'll be replacing the entire outer sill, inner sill and floor section with a new one which goes to the first flute of the floor so its pointless welding this up yet. Hope that helps a bit Simon. It certainly makes life easier with a rollover jig, but not impossible to do without one. Slow and steady wins the race and all that! If you need any help just shout up
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Post by Stu on Dec 31, 2015 14:32:44 GMT
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Post by Stu on May 28, 2016 21:36:45 GMT
I didn't realise it's been 6 months since my last update, but I haven't got much done to my Minis, mainly because of my Austin A30 purchase which needed some mechanical and electrical work doing. It's getting there now but the interior re-fit will need to wait until later. So I've resumed the bodywork on Molly now the weathers getting warmer and have started stripping the rear to prep for paint. I'll probarbly strip and prepare the remaining near side and spray the whole lot in one go and do the roof last. That'll leave the doors and boot lid to do. I found out the valance was screwed on with 4 screws and had a load of filler slapped in the lip gaps. The boot & rear panel lips are also a bit bent. I'll need to straighten them out and possibly seam weld the edge if my spot welder wont fuse them together (proably not). The valance is in good condition so I see some dolly and hammer work to make all the lips good and straight. It's amazing how much you sweep up after removing just a small valance. So now that's off I need to drain and remove the fuel tank. take off the passenger door, remove the quarter glass and begin machine sanding the panels back. I hope to be posting plently now as I plan to be working back on the cars for the foreseable future
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Post by kalkat on Jun 2, 2016 20:40:43 GMT
I see you're also missing the valence closers If you can get the flanges of the valence and the body/boot floor lip clean, there's no reason your spot welder shouldn't work. You will need to clean the top of the lip off and weld through where the original spots are though Emma
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Post by Stu on Jun 3, 2016 15:48:56 GMT
Yes I don't know why they were omitted. Interestingly there's no corrosion damage to the boot floor behind the arch either. I'll give my spot welder a go, but it's the mating faces of the flanges I can't get access to clean that may cause spot welding issues. Anyway it might work so I'll try it first before firing up the Mig. Thanks for the positive comments Emma
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Post by limby2000 on Jun 3, 2016 19:35:43 GMT
I did try using a spot welder when I put the valance on mine, but after about half a dozen , I deemed the welds not safe so I plug welded in the end. Just a pain drilling out the holes unless you have a punch.
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Post by Stu on Jun 4, 2016 18:46:52 GMT
Depends on the capability of the spot welder. mine goes up to 4mm so it might be ok on full power. We'll see ......
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Post by Stu on Jun 11, 2016 20:51:23 GMT
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Post by limby2000 on Jun 12, 2016 7:59:52 GMT
I,m well jell, they did,nt come out the factory with gaps that small. I spent a weekend adding 3.2 mm welding rod to bottom and one side just to get the gap down to pound coin size. Lucky you Stu.
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Post by limby2000 on Jun 12, 2016 9:29:58 GMT
Also had the added fun of giving me heat warped panels I had to sort out. I picked up a couple of reskinned doors cheap. Tbh, I wish i,d done em myself.
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Post by Stu on Jun 12, 2016 15:58:39 GMT
Good skills there. Must have had to be patient to do that Terry eh ?
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Post by Stu on Jun 12, 2016 16:04:31 GMT
I fired up my grinder this morning to cut out the corroded passenger sill. It came out fairly easilly considering, most probably due to the lack of spot welds on the previous repair. The seatbelt reinforcing plate was also poorly welded to the inner sill. Staring to cut out. Drilling out spot welds. Door step removed to expose sill cavity. Suprisingly sound bearing in mind the outer sills are oversills and have been on for at least 10 years. The cavitys well covered in waxoyl so its proof it works if allpied regularly.
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Post by limby2000 on Jun 12, 2016 17:56:00 GMT
Yeah them 1mm cutting disc,s are the bee,s knee,s. Someone told me about heatsoak putty, have you ever used it Stu?.
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Post by Stu on Jun 12, 2016 21:48:22 GMT
No, I just use extreme patience. Weld, cool, weld, cool. Takes ages but I've learnt my lessons not to be impatient with mig welding
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Post by Stu on Jun 15, 2016 15:50:19 GMT
I got a bit more fettling done at the weekend. Got the replacement door step panel to fit in place. and the joins dont seem too bad considering its a Magnum section. It always amazes me how many tools I end up getting out to do a simple job The door gaps are ok too with the new section clamped in position. I'll be sorting that huge door to A panel gap soon I also need to go back on my work and sort this out too at some point. It seems the thin filler I put in to rectify some uneveness has de-bonded from the sub strata. I pay close attention to keying of surfaces so dont know how this has happened but I'll just have to go back over it again ! Thats all for now. I'll update once I've made some more progress.
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Post by limby2000 on Jun 15, 2016 19:12:00 GMT
The gaps on mini,s don't make sense. I picked up a mint condition door from a mid 80,s mini which had never seen paint or filler. When I bolted it on mine which also had original panels that side, the gaps were terrible. I ended up putting a new bottom on my original door.
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Post by firept on Jun 15, 2016 19:40:24 GMT
If you see a mini with perfect door gaps its been fettled!! I was getting paranoia about the gaps on mine and I went to the Classic car show at Shepton Mallet a couple of years ago and there was a "new" Mini, it had done about 60miles from new ex Gaydon display apparently in the auction. I took one look at the door gaps and thought mine are perfect so providing they dont leak it is fine. The boot lids were "aligned" by putting your knee in to them and bending, see the last Mini built video! All said and done it is nice to see them all fitting perfectly....but for how long! Dont forget Bristol classic car show at Shepton Mallet this weekend coming 18th and 19th. Paul.
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Post by Stu on Jun 15, 2016 21:25:31 GMT
Bit far for me Paul. I live up north in East Yorkshire. I was in Bristol and Gloucester with work on Monday / Tuesday though
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Post by Stu on Jan 8, 2017 20:49:56 GMT
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Post by limby2000 on Jan 8, 2017 21:38:42 GMT
Very nice Stu,was the small foam pieces to take the place of the 2x large sound deadening pads?.
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Post by Stu on Jan 8, 2017 22:06:59 GMT
Yes mate. I just used what I had around, and it worked well to keep the rails in place while I stuck the lining around the perimeter.
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