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jamesd1972
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 2,833
Club RR Member Number: 40
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WELDING HELP - Please!jamesd1972
@jamesd1972
Club Retro Rides Member 40
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Sept 28, 2021 15:32:29 GMT
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That looks pretty bad really. Everything is savable with lots of work but that's going to need a big chunk of hours and panels. How deep are your pockets I suppose. The ultimate option would be a mini heritage shell. Depends very much on if you would get your money back on the finished car ? Others on here might give a view on value of repaired Vs re-shell. James
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Sept 28, 2021 15:38:01 GMT
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We did a Mini recently which was much worse than that, but it wasn't cheap to sort.
You need to learn the full extent of it before anything else. If you want to keep labour prices down then the more you can do yourself the better. That doesn't necessarily mean doing any welding etc. Just strip it down to a bare shell, carefully, so you know how to rebuild it yourself. It's not a huge job on a Mini. Then get the shell and all the panels (unless they're obviously beyond economical repair) blast cleaned.
Then you know exactly where you stand and take it from there. If you want the best price possible, then just let the professionals do exactly what you need them to and nothing more.
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Specialist Bodyshop & Fabrication Classic, Retro, Prestige & Custom Small Repairs to Concours Restorations Mechanical Work Vintage to Modern
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Paul Y
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,948
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Sept 28, 2021 16:01:06 GMT
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If that is ALL of the rot then it is not a bad job to do. I did the floor on one of my sons friends mini's a few years back, its not that difficult to do yourself. If you can weld 2 bits of sheet metal together then you can do do the work. Question is, how attached are you to the car and how much money do you want to spend? I can point you in the direction of a guy I trust based on Canvey but I doubt he will be cheap. Drop me a DM if you want details. P.
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Sept 28, 2021 16:02:20 GMT
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MK1 son did a van that was waassy worse than that, think 5 floors welded on top of each other, and so many rear corners we lost count. Have you thought about a welding course, or is there a restoration college evening course near you? I used to attend one in WGC, worth its weight in gold, and very satisfying to do it yourself. Only other thing I'd say is don't buy cheap panels, they fit like a pri@£ in a bucket
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Sept 28, 2021 16:40:53 GMT
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I would be having a crack at that myself. Once you can weld a bit yourself, it becomes somewhat addictive. Bear in mind that a Professional that doesn't know Minis might not use the right bits (see my comment below about Cover Sills for example), and that a decent Mini Specialist won't be cheap. It all depends on your budget. A decent rebuild at a specialist could reach 5 figures depending on how much work is needed as Minis rot for fun and are usually worse than they look. Another thing to consider is a rollover jig which will save countless hours of crawling around under the shell. Someone often sells one after a rebuild and I believe you can buy them new but I don't know from who or where. They are often on Ebay. It's worth reading a few of the rebuild threads on the Mini Forum to get an idea of what is usually required www.theminiforum.co.uk/forums/forum/60-mini-saloons/ Also, the user Ben_O on there works at a body shop on the Isle of Wight and is always happy to answer questions re body work. As for Panels, you can get pretty much anything; best places for DECENT panels are Mini Spares, Heritage, Somerford and M Machine. There are entire floor pans available (which can save you a whole world of hurt, but they are not cheap), boot floors, wings, side panels, bonnets, boots etc. If you're cutting out more than a single floor panel, it's best to brace the shell to keep it square. And please please please, whatever you do, don't fit what are known as Cover Sills or Over Sills. You can read all about that here: www.theminiforum.co.uk/forums/topic/290598-oversills-what-they-are-and-why-you-want-to-avoid-them/
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Sept 28, 2021 16:47:43 GMT
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It's a time consuming job doing all the prep, if you can do most, if not all of that it will save you a small fortune. If you're committed to it then buy a welder and learn to stick some thin gauge steel together.
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Sept 28, 2021 17:09:17 GMT
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I've taken on a project mini, the shell is rusty but not crazy, still waaaaaay beyond my capabilities!! It's beyond your capabilities at the moment. If you have the time and inclination, you can definitely repair this yourself. There are plenty of panels available, lots of knowledge and many who will help you along the way. I'd say just buy yourself a welder and try. Watch a few YouTube videos to see the basics, but you can't learn it from a book or a video, you have to jump in and do it. You'll be terrible at first but you'll also be surprised at how quickly you get the hang of it (well, good enough to pass an MoT, anyway!). Take it steady, do a little bit at a time and try to section the job into smaller packages to avoid getting overwhelmed. Once you've got the hang of it, you'll have a real skill that will save you a lot of money. Good luck!
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Sept 28, 2021 17:14:55 GMT
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To me that look bad but that's what most of them are like.
Looks like it needs a complete floor by the time you mess around with repairs it's not worth it .
Inner and outer sills each side , plus a posts. Complete boot floor with battery box , rear side panel repair . Wheel Wells most likely as well as front wheel Wells. Then a lot of smaller panels probably under where the subframe is. The trouble with minis is that most are a mot away from needing a huge amount of work that no one wants to pay for.
You can do the minimum to get it moted but you will be welding it every year somewhere else. I would say you had a high quote because to do it properly they would be replacing 60% of the cars metal .
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Sept 28, 2021 17:22:39 GMT
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that needs major surgery,think of a price then threbble it and add more
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Sept 28, 2021 19:05:02 GMT
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I cut my teeth welding up minis and in my view that looks fairly simple to sort out, you can either repair the floor or buy complete new inner and outer sill assemblies to the first floor flute which gets rid of all the grot.
As mentioned above consider having a go a welding yourself, its not difficult and just requires a bit of practice.
A good secondhand welder can be had for not much money and then just get some sheet steel and start practicing welding bits together.
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Sept 28, 2021 19:21:43 GMT
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What I will say is that once you start digging the holes will get bigger! If there is this much rot you can see there will probably be lots more you can't. To do it properly, like others have mentioned, it really needs stripping to a bare shell. You need to ask yourself is this the amount of work (and cost) you want to take on. Antony
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bstardchild
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 14,882
Club RR Member Number: 71
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WELDING HELP - Please!bstardchild
@bstardchild
Club Retro Rides Member 71
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Sept 28, 2021 20:22:17 GMT
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My Nephew bought one that looked better than that
We replaced
Both outer sills (several skin sills underneath patches) Floor pans Rear seat base Boot floor and battery tray Front scuttle Flitch panels Bottom of both doors Rear Valance Lower rear corners both sides Heel Board Inner wings behind the suspension mounts
And just when I thought I'd reached the end the roof skin was replaced.................
I never want to see another classic Mini
My advice save up and buy a heritage body shell - not cheap but actually good value compared to how much time a rotten mini will suck up (this is money if you are paying someone else to do the work)
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Dez
Club Retro Rides Member
And I won't sit down. And I won't shut up. And most of all I will not grow up.
Posts: 11,712
Club RR Member Number: 34
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WELDING HELP - Please!Dez
@dez
Club Retro Rides Member 34
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Sept 28, 2021 20:22:41 GMT
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Some advice- Any prospective customer who dismisses the prices of professionals as ‘wacky quotes’ and asks to find someone who is willing to do it for less than the job is worth is not a person who anyone who is actually any good will work for. It wouldn’t wash in any other profession, and doing it makes you look like a d1ck. The only people who will entertain you are those who are either low on experience, or just not very good at it.
It’s skilled work that not everyone can do, that requires a lot of experience, and a lot of expensive equipment and space. Starting any conversion regarding it with ‘I want you to do this for less than I know it should cost’ will get many doors slammed in your face. Same with expecting people to do it for £10 a hour.
If you can’t afford it (and it sounds like you know you can’t) your options are get shut and forget about it until you’re in a better place financially, or get learning. If it’s your first go you will probably ruin the car unless you have exceptional hidden talent, and you will buy lots of cheap tools that are cr4p and end up costing you twice, cos you don’t have any money to spend. but a few cars down the line after you’ve made a lot of mistakes and replaced all the rubbish tools you wasted your money on, it’ll start to pay off.
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Last Edit: Sept 28, 2021 20:24:22 GMT by Dez
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Sept 28, 2021 20:42:47 GMT
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My Nephew bought one that looked better than that We replaced Both outer sills (several skin sills underneath patches) Floor pans Rear seat base Boot floor and battery tray Front scuttle Flitch panels Bottom of both doors Rear Valance Lower rear corners both sides Heel Board Inner wings behind the suspension mounts And just when I thought I'd reached the end the roof skin was replaced................. I never want to see another classic Mini My advice save up and buy a heritage body shell - not cheap but actually good value compared to how much time a rotten mini will suck up (this is money if you are paying someone else to do the work) Although a heritage shell sounds tempting at first if you actually look at them the quality is not very good as a lot of the tooiling is starting to wear out and they aren't overly fussy when putting them together. I've seen a quite a few and one was actually sent back to BHM to sort out the problems with it. Unless your shell is really bad the heritage route isn't all its cracked up to be.
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bstardchild
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 14,882
Club RR Member Number: 71
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WELDING HELP - Please!bstardchild
@bstardchild
Club Retro Rides Member 71
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Sept 28, 2021 21:14:58 GMT
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My Nephew bought one that looked better than that We replaced Both outer sills (several skin sills underneath patches) Floor pans Rear seat base Boot floor and battery tray Front scuttle Flitch panels Bottom of both doors Rear Valance Lower rear corners both sides Heel Board Inner wings behind the suspension mounts And just when I thought I'd reached the end the roof skin was replaced................. I never want to see another classic Mini My advice save up and buy a heritage body shell - not cheap but actually good value compared to how much time a rotten mini will suck up (this is money if you are paying someone else to do the work) Although a heritage shell sounds tempting at first if you actually look at them the quality is not very good as a lot of the tooiling is starting to wear out and they aren't overly fussy when putting them together. I've seen a quite a few and one was actually sent back to BHM to sort out the problems with it. Unless your shell is really bad the heritage route isn't all its cracked up to be. I'd rather have a rust free body shell that I could build up from than lose another 5 years of my life
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Sept 28, 2021 21:34:33 GMT
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Although a heritage shell sounds tempting at first if you actually look at them the quality is not very good as a lot of the tooiling is starting to wear out and they aren't overly fussy when putting them together. I've seen a quite a few and one was actually sent back to BHM to sort out the problems with it. Unless your shell is really bad the heritage route isn't all its cracked up to be. I'd rather have a rust free body shell that I could build up from than lose another 5 years of my life I can see that but at 8K for a shell plus the rectification work its an expensive option that a lot of people can't afford.
Welding in a few panels on the other hand is well within the ability of a lot of DIY restorers. Its horses for courses really depending on your level of skill and the depth of your pockets.
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ClemRusty
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 165
Club RR Member Number: 50
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WELDING HELP - Please!ClemRusty
@127yeti
Club Retro Rides Member 50
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Sept 28, 2021 21:40:37 GMT
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Some advice- Any prospective customer who dismisses the prices of professionals as ‘wacky quotes’ and asks to find someone who is willing to do it for less than the job is worth is not a person who anyone who is actually any good will work for. It wouldn’t wash in any other profession, and doing it makes you look like a d1ck. The only people who will entertain you are those who are either low on experience, or just not very good at it. It’s skilled work that not everyone can do, that requires a lot of experience, and a lot of expensive equipment and space. Starting any conversion regarding it with ‘I want you to do this for less than I know it should cost’ will get many doors slammed in your face. Same with expecting people to do it for £10 a hour. If you can’t afford it (and it sounds like you know you can’t) your options are get shut and forget about it until you’re in a better place financially, or get learning. If it’s your first go you will probably ruin the car unless you have exceptional hidden talent, and you will buy lots of cheap tools that are cr4p and end up costing you twice, cos you don’t have any money to spend. but a few cars down the line after you’ve made a lot of mistakes and replaced all the rubbish tools you wasted your money on, it’ll start to pay off. I appreciate everyone’s advice, I really really do!! I totally get what you’re saying, when I said wacky quotes I wasn’t trying to diminish the skill needed to get the job done, I’ve had quotes ranging from £2000- £10000 and it was hard gauge as a non professional exactly what I should be paying! I think I better get learning to weld as I can’t afford to pay those prices but that’s not to say I wouldn’t pay those prices if I could afford it!
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