philsford
Part of things
Posts: 733
Club RR Member Number: 100
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WELDING HELP - Please!philsford
@philsford
Club Retro Rides Member 100
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Sept 28, 2021 23:33:00 GMT
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I would say put it back together and make it look complete. Then sell it and buy a better one. To restore a mini it costs the same kind of money to restore a GT/Cooper than it does to sidewalk but the value at the end will be different. Unless you have some attchment to the car sell it then add what you wanted to spend and buy a better car.
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Sept 29, 2021 13:55:52 GMT
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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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Sept 29, 2021 14:45:32 GMT
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First rule of car restoration; They're ALWAYS worse than they first appear....😳
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Sept 29, 2021 15:29:27 GMT
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First rule of car restoration; They're ALWAYS worse than they first appear....😳 You do get the odd pleasant surprise, but in 99% of cases, yes!
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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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Sept 30, 2021 11:39:00 GMT
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First rule of car restoration; They're ALWAYS worse than they first appear....😳 Inevitably true in my experience. However, it’s also worth considering that when panels are available (as they pretty much all are for the Mini) the size of the hole makes little odds, only the number of panels involved. If you want to learn how to do this sort of thing then the Mini is a great first project being small, fairly simple structurally and with such great panel availability is almost cheating - though as already pointed out, you do need to buy the decent panels to stand a hope of it coming out right. Dez’s comments about tool quality are also spot on. Nick
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1967 Triumph Vitesse convertible (old friend) 1996 Audi A6 2.5 TDI Avant (still durability testing) 1972 GT6 Mk3 (Restored after loong rest & getting the hang of being a car again)
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Sept 30, 2021 14:24:08 GMT
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Also meant to add that almost the first major resto I got involved with, back in 1987, was a ‘63 mk 1 Mini. Purchased with just one week MoT (and probably not an honest one at that), it gave our MoT man a good laugh when presented.
While it’s owner was off doing some raft race, two of us investigated the rust with our bare hands and a vacuum cleaner. By the time he returned, the only things holding the front and back together were the roof panel and the transmission tunnel. The rear subframe fell out complete with large chunks of the sills and a piece of boot floor after we undid (snapped) a couple of the bolts. How it hadn’t just disintegrated in flight, we’ll never know. The owner did go a bit white when he saw it. It is not known whether it was the realisation of how near death he’d come or the impending expense. More likely the latter.
We did rebuild it. Three near-novices with a Clarke 100E mig, an angle grinder, lots of cheap vice grips and some hammers. It was madness, it was rotten almost everywhere. Luckily his sister had a much better Mini and that provided a vital reference for construction methods and dimensions totally gone from our project.
That car was used for many years afterwards, both on the road and as a successful speed hill-climber. It’s since been restored again, rather better by the sound of it. Just goes to show what can be done. Pretty much cured me of Minis though!
Nick
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Last Edit: Sept 30, 2021 14:27:59 GMT by vitesseefi
1967 Triumph Vitesse convertible (old friend) 1996 Audi A6 2.5 TDI Avant (still durability testing) 1972 GT6 Mk3 (Restored after loong rest & getting the hang of being a car again)
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Before you even start welding or cutting the car get some half decent gear and your work area sussed out.
what kit / work area have you got?
Try to get the best kit you can afford, don't be afraid to get decent second hand stuff.
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Take the Next slot right coming up on the left.
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tofufi
South West
Posts: 1,449
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Good advice above. Re the difference in costs, I'm no mini expert but I got to £500 worth of (better quality) panels just with floors, sills, A pillars. It's possible to get a bargain, but someone who is at the £2k end of the quotes is far more likely to just weld some sheet steel in, possibly over the existing rot, rather than cutting it all out and doing invisible repairs. If you're going to pay someone else to do it, you need to be clear on what you want, in terms of the quality of work. Plating over rust will need doing again quickly. Cutting the rot out and plating will last longer, but the end car won't be worth as much as one repaired using proper panels. Using proper panels and getting them welded in to a decent standard will cost the most, but add the most value to the car. With DIY you can take your time and know it's been done to a standard you're happy with. I started aged 16 with a thoroughly rotten VW Beetle. Everyone suggested I should scrap it and get a better one - but I persevered and got it back on the road. A few years later I took it off the road to restore, spent 10 years welding, getting it painted and reassembling it, and have it 16 years on
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Last Edit: Oct 5, 2021 11:39:45 GMT by tofufi
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