I hit a hole, right side at about 40 mph. Getting off at an exit in West Virginia. Felt like . All I was concerned about was the 17" S-lite. Transfered rubber, about 4 inches onto white rim. Everything else seemed fine. No pulling. Got back home and I dont know why, Found horror stories about the mushrooming here. Went and checked mine. . So I checked all of the posts here. I was going to do it. I came up with this softer way with a slug, homemade plate, long bolt, nut and some spacers. It was too easy. No rough play with hammers, till setup was installed. Then controlled square hits with a block of wood relaxed all surfaces flat as Nebraska. Check out these Pic's here. P.S. Sorry pic's are not in order. http://www.flickr.com/photos/mini05s/

Good job - what upper strut mounts did you use? I assume they were cracked.

I ordered a new one from my dealer. The studs angled outward. Rubber OK. I believe if this piece is the only part to go, a guy should be happy compaired to knocking his tower up. I'm disappointed with this prospect.

When this happens to mine and you know it will. I will be in contact with you. That solution seems to be less hard on the MINI.
great job

Jim

Great solution. I've been looking for way to repair the shock tower without the banging!! One question though, ow hard was it to torque the bolt down to get it flat against the plate?

John

It was too easy. 5/8 coarse bolt with oil. Like squishing a grape. I wish it was harder. It would have made you thought it was substancial. Anti-climatic. But satisfying.

I guess that's soft the shock tower is!! I'll give it a go. Thanks!

John

ricky,

From the pictures and captions, I sort of get the gist of what you did, but I am not clear on a number of the details. How much of the assembly was taken apart? What was home-made? I'm afraid the only picture I completely understand is the first one. I like to do things myself, but tbe first time I make an attempt I need a bit of clear guidance. I thank you muchly if you're up to a description of each picture.

Without taking anything away from ricky (he thought about it and posted first), the basic concept in body repair is to have an anvil-like surface behind the sheetmetal to absorb the force from a hammer that is pounding the dent out of sheetmetal. The problem with the traditional approach is that there is no precise control over how much force gets applied. Being able to use a bolt and nut gives almost total control over the application of force.

Explanation of ricky's photos:

1. Finish. This is kind of self-explanatory.

2. Setup. This is a shot of the clamp that ricky fabricated. The anvil piece appears to be cut from a 1/4" piece of sheet steel.

3. Hammer and wood block. Is used to flatten any mushrooming of the sheetmetal that is not pressed back from the center. Use of wood avoids thinning of the sheetmetal.

4. Top side with adapter. Shows the top piece bolted to the anvil ready for tightening.

5. Plate in position. View from underneath showing how to position the anvil.

6. Making underside plate. Shows how ricky used the M7 strut plate as a pattern of sorts for the anvil.

7.Mushroom Tower with slug. View of the mushroomed strut tower with the top piece in place for fitment purposes.

One thought - you might want to use a washer to center the slug part while clamping down on the tower sheetmetal.

The idea is a really good one. It avoids the risk of overdoing the hammering back in place. Thanks to ricky for sharing.

And here it is with the photos for easy viewing:

Without taking anything away from ricky (he thought about it and posted first), the basic concept in body repair is to have an anvil-like surface behind the sheetmetal to absorb the force from a hammer that is pounding the dent out of sheetmetal. The problem with the traditional approach is that there is no precise control over how much force gets applied. Being able to use a bolt and nut gives almost total control over the application of force.

Explanation of ricky's photos:

1. Finish. This is kind of self-explanatory.

2. Setup. This is a shot of the clamp that ricky fabricated. The anvil piece appears to be cut from a 1/4" piece of sheet steel.

3. Hammer and wood block. Is used to flatten any mushrooming of the sheetmetal that is not pressed back from the center. Use of wood avoids thinning of the sheetmetal.

4. Top side with adapter. Shows the top piece bolted to the anvil ready for tightening.

5. Plate in position. View from underneath showing how to position the anvil.

6. Making underside plate. Shows how ricky used the M7 strut plate as a pattern of sorts for the anvil.

7.Mushroom Tower with slug. View of the mushroomed strut tower with the top piece in place for fitment purposes.

One thought - you might want to use a washer to center the slug part while clamping down on the tower sheetmetal.

The idea is a really good one. It avoids the risk of overdoing the hammering back in place. Thanks to ricky for sharing.

Eric, how did you link to ricky's photos? Great thought to put text with photos.

Thanks guys! The link is at the top of this thread.

I forgot. The M7 plate is much to big for a pattern. Best is to use a piece of thin cardboard with a scizzors. Lay down on the ground and look up underneath. Cut to fit. There are some angles on the corners of strut tower to be aware of. Mark the stud holes on cardboard for guiding your pattern.

Any thoughts on loaning your "tool" to other members? :-)

Smarter yet, refine the product, clean up the torch marks, etc. and sell it for a fair price. You should make a profit, just not a home run on each one

It is something that every Mini owner doesn't need but, I'd bet a lot of the local Mini Clubs will get one to loan out to their members. Especially if reasonably priced.

Wish I could. I heard this one time and it fits here. " I have the inclination, the maturity, and the wherewithal. Unfortunately, I dont have the time.
Anybody enterprising out there is welcome to do it. Two machined pieces. With a 5/8 bolt and nut.

Well, there you go guys. Randy Webb, Out Motoring, M-7, Helix.... Anyone want to step up to the plate on this one?

How did you make, or where did you find the right size slug for the top of the strut tower?
Thanks.
- Craig

The top piece was an old sleeve installer I had on my service truck, from where I dont know. It just happened to fit perfectly thru the diameter and over the rolled up portion of strut tower. As easy as it pulls back down with bolt, I think anything round, slightly bigger than hole, strong enough not to flex and with a hole drilled in center for bolt, would be fine. Knowing a mechanic with a torch, ,or gas ax, and has dudads laying around is a big help.

That would indeed be a handy tool to have!

Nice repair process. I helped a friend fix his Schrooms this afternoon and it worked perfectly , thanks !

I've been thinking about this for awhile now. I think it would work. Maybe for some it would be easier to access wood tools. Say cut out a piece of 3/4 oak or some other hard wood for the bottom and top. Drill a hole through and use a half inch bolt, nut and some washers. Oak is strong and would not flex.

mine are shrromed BAD! and i was looking for ways to get them out and this seems to be the best so far. great post!

I mushroomed my strut tower supports pretty good when I hit a major pothole and bent the strut. I made a cardboard template and gave it to a local welding shop to fabricate the tool. Everything squished back into place perfectly. I then installed the M7 reinforcement plates and replaced the bent strut.