are these bodge panels?

[ADRay]

Bought these for the repair job of the boot floor behind the wheel wells. They look to me like they're meant to fit over where the fender-to-floor bracket is welded to the floor. what do you think?

[skmini]

I think that's right, they're meant to be welded on top of the rusty panels.  It's too bad they don't make that more obvious in the descriptions for these repair panels that aren't meant to replace the old panel.

[ADRay]

thanks for your input.

I'd actually like to find Heritage panels, but it looks like I can only get a whole floor. Not finding much else in replacement panels that are the right shape.

[MiniDave]

The panels in your pics look like they cover the bad areas in your pic, you might need to do a little light cutting here and there but they look like they'll work. Unless I'm not seeing where your concern is?

[skmini]

Yeah, I don't think there's a Heritage partial boot floor panel.  I think M-Machine makes some partial ones that would be what you're looking for, take a look at "side repair, boot panel" 11.41.00.27 and 11.41.00.28 in the M-Machine catalog, picture below.

[skmini]

Assuming the plan is to cut out that section of the boot floor and replace it with a repair panel, there's a bit of work required to use the Magnum repair panel.

The boot floor panel goes under the subframe mount reinforcements but the Magnum repair panel has a hole for that reinforcement to go through and is meant to be welded on top of it, so you would either have to keep that part of your current floor or fill that in with a different piece of metal.  The boot floor is sandwiched between the rear valence and the rear panel, but the Magnum repair panel has a flange to weld it to the rear panel instead, which would require some sort of transition from the remaining boot floor that's still sandwiched and the repair panel.  The flange on the boot floor that gets welded to the wheel arch points down, but on the Magnum panel it points up.  You might be able to bend it over the "correct" way.  At some point, you would be using the Magnum panel as a piece of sheetmetal that's roughly the right size and it might be easier to just start with a piece of sheetmetal that you cut to size/shape.

[ADRay]

I was operating under the assumption that I couldn't use them because I need to replace the parts of the floor. I was less than enthusiastic about using them because they'd be the only non Heritage panels. so I'm probably not going to try to use them.

That said, I also don't think I need to chop out my entire boot floor. Would it be crazy for me to get a whole floor and cut it to the shapes I need to replace? Would it be good to be able to fit up one U shaped piece that will span the rear of the car and tack up with the bumper seam?

[MiniDave]

I think you can buy just that back piece as a repair panel

http://www.minispares.com/product/Classic/Body/Panel/Floor/MS54.aspx?030707&ReturnUrl=/search/classic/boot%20floor.aspx|Back%20to%20search

[skmini]

I don't think it's crazy to get a whole floor and cut it up.  I think I remember a thread where Dan mentioned replacing just the back half of that panel, basically the whole boot floor, by cutting a Heritage panel in half at that spot.   The advantage with doing the join there is that it should be easier to weld at that point (where the seat back meets the boot floor) than doing a butt-weld in the middle of the boot floor.  It's also easier than having to separate the back seat pan part of that panel from the subframe mount panel, closing panels and companion bins to replace the whole panel.  On the other hand, you will have to deal with the reinforcement between the wheel well, seat back and floor as well as the seat belt mount reinforcements.

Depending on the year of your Mini, the Heritage floor might need modifying too, since it has the larger hole for the later fuel-injection fuel lines.

[ADRay]

I think you can buy just that back piece as a repair panel

http://www.minispares.com/product/Classic/Body/Panel/Floor/MS54.aspx?030707&ReturnUrl=/search/classic/boot%20floor.aspx|Back%20to%20search

something like that would work great if it was about 6" wider.

Looking like I'll be making my own out of a full floor. Also, since yesterday I chipped away a little more and found that almost half of the back edge of the floor is separated (rotted away) from the spot welded tab.

skmini, excellent point regarding aligning the subframe mounting points.

[ADRay]

Update: after pricing out full floors (ouch), I decided to continue to look for replacement panels, but apparently they don't exist. I thought I'd found them based on online pics and conversations with professional parts dealers, but what was sent was another pair of Magnums. looking at what I have again, I think I can cut them to the shape I need, and I'll also swap the left for right and right for left, in order for the little rolled 1/4" lip to face downward (as needed). Will update as it happens

[94touring]

 Nothing wrong with the magnum floor patch panels. Use them all the time.

[gr8kornholio]

Until the grooves don't line up cause it's some odd ball only for 3 years floor from down under.  ;D

[94touring]

Until the grooves don't line up cause it's some odd ball only for 3 years floor from down under.  ;D

Well there is that.