Where is the best advice regarding panel replacement. I have badly rusted toe board, sills and front floor panels. I've read to do sills first, then floor panels, then toe board. I don't want a twisted car. I am working in limited space, I'm in over my head for sure but willing to push on. Start in the middle, then work forward?

 

Go to Restoration-Mini.com and post up there......

 

Thanks, I will.

 

Full selection of panels here!

http://www.minimania.com/ss/panels

Great restoration articles here:

http://www.minimania.com/Search_Resu...ation/Articles

Rust and Classic Minis here:

http://www.minimania.com/Rust_and_Classic_Minis



18% Off Classic Mini Parts now! Hope this helps!

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are you planning to do this work yourself?

you know how to weld and have welding equipment you are familiar with?



if the answers to both are yes then I'd mention

1. Be careful about how much you cut out at one time .... consider welding in temporary supports to maintain the body form. Example .... putting a brace in the door frame if cutting out sills (the supports can be wood btw)

2. Quality of parts matters .... some sites will offer two grades of replacement panels. Did you know that by US law, a fender stamping is copywritten? For Mini parts, "Heritage" has the original stamps and anything else is a lil off so as to not violate the copyright ... you'll see the price dif'. (Super simplified here but ....). You might also see 'original Rover' for later years

3. shortly after paying for my first welding repair on my 79, I took classes in body repair and welding and bought a GOOD MIG weld system as I felt I'd been violated by what I was charged .... it was a year before I took the MIG head towards the car, but in the years that have passed I think I did good. I found EXCELLENT adult education classes that helped a BUNCH. A few dollars got me access to HS votec auto shop facilities including a decent paint booth

feel free to PM

 

A friend of mine and a fellow journalist recently completed restoration of a Lotus Europa. He took body classes at the local community college, did all the prep work himself, then had the final paint professionally done. Saved himself a ton of money. Local continuing education can really help.

Drive Hard. Drive Safe. Keep Grinning.

 

Thanks for the replies. I worked a couple of years as a welder. However that was stick welding. Is 1/8 rod too hot? I have run some pretty cool 1/8 inch rod. I'll do all that I can, working on disassembly, bagging, boxing, labeling. Do have a vo-tec school here that may do some work. I'm trying to get it ready for cleaning.

 

Stick is probably the worst way to weld sheet metal, you need to Mig or Tig them, Mig is probably the easiest but if you use one be sure to use gas, the welds will be clean and slag free.

 

certainly a lot of repairs were made with 'rod' back in the day. But the body work was of much heavier stuff then too. I don't think I've ever seen anyone even try stick welding on a body in the time I've been playing this game. But I'm no expert ... I just have something that works for me.

my suggestion would be to buy a small sheet of steel, 22g or thinner and see how that rod works (a few bucks at Home despots)

I've got a brand new "genuine Rover" sill panel in the garage and with the paint that comes on it, it's 22g - metal alone probably 23 which is typical of the Mini panels I've played with.

and as Dave says ... that bead or spot that needs minimal or no cleaning by using a fluxless system saves a lot of time and effort

++++++++++++++++++

ya know, if you already know the basics of welding with stick, a MIG system is a piece of cake. You know the basics of forming a bead etc so I'd bet watching a few videos (youtube) and playing with some scrap and you'd have the basics of MIG down pat.

You don't need a big system for auto work ... a decent brand 110v system will typically handle anything in the auto world short of full frame pieces on trucks ... and you can often find units like this at pawn shops. They can be gasless - which requires a flux core wire - and means you need to clean the residue just like in stick welding .... or gas systems which eliminate the need for the flux and results in a clean weld.

I would avoid Harbor Freight for this item despite what looks like a great price. I'd recommend Miller, Lincoln or Hobart brand .... with these brands you can easily buy parts if needed. I've a Miller myself. The EASTWOOD products look well built as well but I've not had my hands on one .... but I've bought a lot from Eastwood and nothing was junk.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Lincoln-E...14-1/100670934

http://www.eastwood.com/mig-welder-1...5a-output.html

 

Actually, the most common way of welding body panels back in the day was gas, not arc - but you're right that the metal was much thicker and could stand the extra heat without warping.


With today's sheet metal you need to not try and weld a bead, rather just do spots not next to each other either, then go back and fill in the open areas with more spots till it's done...... moving around a lot and letting the heat dissipate before doing more. It's time consuming but then so is trying to shrink and straighten warped metal.


I agree a 110V welder is perfect for this kind of work, I have a Clarke that I've had for 25 years, still works perfectly and it was the equivalent of the HF in it's day. But if you can get one of the brands Capt mentions, you'll be better off in the long run - and it's worth the extra money for parts availability and the much better duty cycle.

 

Thanks for the sound advice, Ill get my hands in a mig welder. Next would you give recommendation on small grinder, I have a lot of surface rust as well. What grade/grit pad? Need electric.

 

I've got a pretty simple and low cost grinder .... nothing too special here.

Once again I'll warn about Harbor Freight tho ... I bought a variable speed buffer from them (Chicago Electric) which is nothing more than a variable speed version of a simple grinder .... the variable speed function is crap. For my grinder I bought the cheapest one they had at Lowes and it has worked fine for 10+ years with grinding wheels, 'flappers' and cut off wheels ..... I have a lot of HF tools .... but don't recommend for most electric stuff and esp'ly not for something like a welder. OTOH I get my welding wire there, welding gloves, welding blankets, air hoses, air fittings, jack stands ....

Surface rust is a big discussion of its own. If you try to grind it all off you can lose so much metal that the structure is weak so BE CAREFUL. Look at the 3m type wheels rather than simple sand paper.
here's something new ... http://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-contour-sct.html

but as I said, if you have pitting you want to also consider chemical systems to neutralize or "convert" rust so you can paint over without sanding down to the lowest level. Again EASTWOOD has products and I'm a BIG fan of the POR system
http://www.por15.com/

I often use a vibrating sander to get the surface stuff off & smooth then go chemical to deal with the pits. I have an air DA sander but even with it, I find it TOO easy to take off too much metal chasing a pit if using sand paper. There's a lil more forgiveness with a 3m wheel.

I clean off surface rust, chemically convert and seal to deal with pits, then use a high built two part primer ...... or POR depending on where I'm working.

 

this POR-15, it really works? Could save a lot of time and money. What is the catch?

 

I have never had rust reappear where I've used POR and I started using it over 10 years ago. BUT:

1. You've got to follow the full process ... if you short cut them I have had the coating LIFT ... in a sheet!

2. I don't use it as a primer under something that will get 'color painted' like body work. You CAN, but I don't. In places that don't show however I love it ... under the carpet for the floors, underbody, wheel wells .... when fully dry this stuff is HARD as nails. BUT NOT color fast ... the basic black will develop a haze due to sun so it must be topcoated if used where it will get full sun.

3. I only brush apply ... you can spray it but I don't . This stuff does NOT come off once dry unless you can grind it off ... this applies to skin and anything else. It is only removable with their own thinner/solvent when still wet. Once dry forgetaboutit. If it sets up in a spray gun, bye bye spray gun! It goes down amazingly well by brush .... the brush marks disappear IME.

they sell a sampler kit. That's what I bought first time and I was hooked.

4. It isn't cheap .....

5. Under an exterior surface I use their 'metal-prep' to 'convert' the rust then cover with a good two part primer coat (sprayed) then color normally. In all honesty their metal-prep is just a phosphoric acid based solution which can be had in many forms from many places .... naval jelly, eastwood has one, actually Coke has the same acid in it but the sugar is a problem cleaning up!

 

I'm very interested in this product line. POR-15 may be an answer to several issues. My concern is in the rinsing process.

 

Couldn't help but let you guys know: now through Monday 25% off Classic Mini Parts. http://www.minimania.com/home.cfm

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get this

http://www.por15.com/POR-15-Super-St...lack_p_11.html

$22 and ships free ... give it a try ....

a sponge bath has worked for the rinse when I was working on the body ... small pieces of course I just take to the sink/tub

 

I am thinking about the floor pan. My garage space is only spot heated without drain. Thinking about standing water I guess shop vac would do it then use a handheld paint stripper heat gun for drying. Small pieces I could take in the house. Thanks for the input.

 

http://www.por15.com/POR-15-Floor-Pa...-Kit_p_61.html

POR-15® Floor Pan & Trunk Kit

worked GREAT for me. I read somewhere that the silver POR has a higher metal content then the black making it especially good in this application (probably was the instructions in the kit ... or maybe in the printed catalog). When combined with the mesh you get a STRONG finish.

BTW if you haven't read the details, getting things perfectly dry b4 application of POR is not required .. or even the best idea .... " Most paints dry through evaporation, but POR-15® Rust Preventive Coating dries faster when moisture is present. " Same thing with heat - altho there is a temp' range. What is important is good ventilation.

 

A long time ago I was taught brazing for lower stress areas. Less heat less distortion still plenty strong, newer equipment makes it bit moot but its still my favorite trick for the right spots