Studio Restoration
Turbo Mini Forums

You may recall the so-called "Free Mini" that I aquired last year.

http://www.turbominis.co.uk/forums/index.php?p=vt&tid=176007

Well, finally got round to the restoration. It's not turbo yet, but I'm sure it will get the forced induction treatment someday.

As if i have not got enough to do!


















Please, please no more welding.

Edited by Paul S on 6th Nov, 2008.

Saul Bellow - "A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep."
Stephen Hawking - "The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge."

I've seen worse Paul! I know what you mean about the wleding though - nother better than getting to thr point it is all done!

where does your money come from man!!!

im almost getting close to finishing my bodywork welding, not quite there yet. i know how you feel!!

Actually quite a bit more welding to do.

There are the front panels to fit, a rear valance and two rear inner wings to replace.

It's very time consuming, but with new shells now £3900 it's very worthwhile.

We are still on budget to get it on the road for less than £1000.

I'm currently rebuilding a new rear subframe. The front brakes and hubs have already been done.

Saul Bellow - "A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep."
Stephen Hawking - "The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge."

Good work mate! keep it up!

Build Thread Click Here

Bit more done this weekend.

First, this weeks big expense:


Fitted an A panel so far, then the lads all disappeared, so no further body work.


Got on with the rear subframe instead:


Getting there :)

Saul Bellow - "A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep."
Stephen Hawking - "The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge."

Nice going Paul - what motors destined for this one?

K

If Carling made Mini engines
it would probably be like this one!

Nice! hows the welder then?

just a quick one while there is picture there to remind me!
on the rear subframe, you have the heelboard mounts yeah? ive been strugling like hell to get mine off!! any tips? they are bugging the hell out of me!

Saul Bellow - "A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep."
Stephen Hawking - "The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge."

Edited by Paul S on 16th Nov, 2008.

Saul Bellow - "A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep."
Stephen Hawking - "The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge."

Hmmm,

BOC in your area are still supplying the cylinders with the "tap" for a valve ??? ......

I'm back to using the cylinders with a key - my depot said that the "taps" were considered a consumer failure.....

Looking good otherwise.

Schrödinger's cat - so which one am I ???

our BOC dealer has a mix of tab and key. its abit luck of the draw over here!

I run a supercharger and I don't care the TB is on the wrong side.
VEMS + 12 PSI + Liquid Intercooler = Small Bore FUN!

Saul Bellow - "A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep."
Stephen Hawking - "The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge."

That's just what the guys at my depot said.....

They also said it was probably better for them (BOC) for people to overtighten the key valve, than put a large adjustable spanner on the wings of the "tap" !!!!

Schrödinger's cat - so which one am I ???

Looks good, I'm suprised Paul with all the Minis you're on with that you haven't invested in a spot welder, makes super quick and neat work of welding such as a sill on for example.

Saul Bellow - "A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep."
Stephen Hawking - "The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge."

technically, a replacement panel only has to be spot welded but a patch repair has to be seam welded.

however, knowing the thread you are talking about, i completly agree!!

I can see the logic behind letting a repair piece into something, but I'd have thought for example a replacement sill spot welded on correctly is just as strong as standard?

Saul Bellow - "A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep."
Stephen Hawking - "The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge."

Proper spot welding (ie with a proper resistance spot welder, not just "plugs" with MIG) is just as strong as from the factory and, if done right, is a lot stronger than seam welding along a load line that wasn't meant to be the load path.

Take an ordinary sill (it's even worse with an "oversill") and "seam" weld it and draw a cross section of the "box" you have created compared to the box of a spot welded sill..........

Standard is very, very strong...

Have you ever seen crash photos of the standard spot welds failed ???

All crash photos I have seen of weld failures of any car have been bad repairs failed, never original spot welds.

Schrödinger's cat - so which one am I ???

This is the thread to the pictures of the spot welds popping.

http://www.16vminiclub.com/forums/viewtopi...p=112148#112148

Probably a poor repair.

The sill and the floor form a closed box structure that adds substantial strength to the car structure. However, that strength is in bending under which conditions the spot welds are perfectly adequate.

Use that box structure in compression, as happened in that crash, and the spot welds pop.

Saul Bellow - "A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep."
Stephen Hawking - "The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge."

I think re-plug and weld people get carried away with grinding. And basically remove to much material. Exposing a rarther thin joint. Unlike a proper spot weld were no thickness of material is removed. Hence strong joint. IMO.

Si

I drill holes in everything..!

Yes, I've seen that thread elsewhere and if you look closely they are clearly not the factory, nor proper replacement, spot welds.

The original spot welds are nowhere near that close to the edge of the sill/body flange for a start, so the originals would never break "outwards".

The best (worst) they would do is pull a "tear drop" shape in one of the panels.

My point really is, if you take that particular joint as an example....

1 - Do proper spot welds half way across the two flanges....

or,

2 - Run a seam weld along the two protruding lips of the flanges (only place you can do a seam weld)....

Option (1), both flanges are pulled together by the weld shrinkage leaving a nice tight joint.

Option (2), both flanges are twisted apart as the seam weld on the outer edge cools and shrinks.

Box section shape and loads change accordingly...


Now for the sill to body.

As above except additionally there is a nice line of undercut along the floorpan increasing stress and corossion in that location.

Also the lack of weld induced compression on that particular joint just encourages moisture and corrosion.


Sorry, hobby horse of mine..... I say do not replace spot welds with seam welds if you have the option of proper spot weld replacements.

I invested in a spot welder years ago for that reason....

But it's just my personal opinion, it would take a lot of FE to prove or disprove me !!!!!

Schrödinger's cat - so which one am I ???

Starting to look like a Mini again.



I've had three days solid in the barn working on the K100 engine and this car. Quite pleased with progresss.

Bl@@dy cold out there today. Sturgeo and me were getting too cold and having to come in after about an hour for another cup of tea by the fire.

Meanwhile, the future user of this car was living up at his girlfriends 18th !

Saul Bellow - "A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep."
Stephen Hawking - "The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge."