My first mini disaster: Project BondoRocket

Started by Merlin, July 07, 2014, 10:14:09 PM

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94touring

Sometimes heritage don't fit great either.  Ask me how I know.

Merlin

They can't possibly fit as shitty as these shitty panels. Money saved, labor burned.
I need to contact my supplier and chew his ass out on these.


DAN!!! WHAT D FUCK! I bet it was the bird shit that shrunk 'em.
Engineering the Impossible

94touring

Ha.  Yeah pretty much any metal work on minis needs a little massaging.  The heritage front end metal I used on one mini was less square than the knockoffs.  Never forget these are cheaply made British cars assembled by hand.  My biggest complaint on the knockoffs I've used was the boot lids had the handle bracket mounts off about a quarter inch, requiring me to cut the section out and shift it over.  The rumor is the factory workers when faced with a poor fitting door would just bend the crap out of them till they fit right, and I must confess I found myself doing it once too.

Merlin

Well the battery box is in. Cut and reshaped it, then bashed the floor in to get it to fit. At least the battery box cover still works.



Also did a little work on the tubs.




Engineering the Impossible

Merlin

Engineering the Impossible


Merlin

So I have got both wheel tubs in and now I am looking to putting the rear valance in as well as the closing panels. I know that the angle of the wheel arch has changed, but how exactly are these suppose to fit? Are they suppose to be flush with the wheel well rear extensions or should I cut the extensions down?

Do the seal plates need to be on the outside flush with the valance? Since I have no original holes for the rear subframe, Should I bolt the subframe in and use it to set the plates?



Engineering the Impossible

94touring

You have the closing plates with the subby holes pre drilled correct?  Fit the subby when fitting them if that's the case.  The closing plate face sits flush to the valance.  Then there is a lip that sticks into the wheel well area. 

Merlin

Should I cut off the lip that the wheel well makes and beat that closing plate lip over and lap weld it or do I need to dress the closing plate lip and spot weld it to the existing wheel well lip?

I would prefer to cut off the wheel well lip flush with the boot floor and then hammer over the closing plate lip as it is getting ugly in that spot. I also think that will strengthen it a little more.
Engineering the Impossible

94touring

Technically the factory lip where it meets the adjoining lip would add strength, but if you modify it and make it pretty it's doubtful it will take much if any away.  Kinda like the premise behind deseaming a mini.  You're just deseaming the closing plate.  Half of the minis I've worked on that area was completely rotted away to begin with, and the subframe wasn't falling off the car...

MiniDave

I'm glad to see you making progress again......I remember going thru this on my old Jag, I replaced so much sheet metal, sometimes I think it would have been easier and cheaper to buy a whole new shell!

Mine wasn't "Project Binky" bad, but not far from it!
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad