Bodywork advice needed please.
Turbo Mini Forums

Any adice would be realy apreciated please

Last week i removed the rear pockets and lip on the back seat but after cleaning it up found a few holes as pictured





The panel under the seat where the subframe mounts to has a few holes in it and the closing panels that attach to the rear wheel arches are both shot so i ordered a new healboard, closing panels and seat repair panels.

I havnt done too much body work before so wanted some advice before i start cutting the old panels out. What would be the best order to replace these panels or just cut out the old ones and replace them all at the same time?

What id do is chop it all out, Weld a patch in the corner of the floor pan, then do the heel board then do the bit between arch and heelboard from inside the car. Not an easy task to do it properly and neatly but thats minis for ya!

All very easy repairs (especially as you have no rear pockets) once you've taken the rear subframe and outer sill off, and got the shell up at 45-degrees or on its side.

I'd say repair what you have. That is a pretty easy repair, just a little more time required that's all.

Been in the garage most of the day and managed to take out the closing panels and the rotton bits of the rear seat, the new panels fit pretty well so hopefully if i get chance this week will get them fitted ready to remove the heelboard.

The subframe is now fullt rebuit/reconditioned ready to fit once all the body work is done.

Both sides are now cut out at last and new panels cut to size

The welding on this should should be interesting as not too much is left on the bottom of the wheel arch so im going to have to cut a section out and fit a new plate in before welding in the closing panel and seat repair panel



New panels are welded in on this side and fit nicely, just got to clean it all up , camera died though so no pics of the repair yet

Just some updated pics of some of the bodywork ive been sorting over the last few weeks :). Seems to be going pretty well considering i havnt done any body work for a long long time.

.

Edited by Bodge Job on 31st Mar, 2007.

It was all painted with anti rust primer before i started with the filler and was then painted again with normal primer once i was happy with the finish.

also, you can spray it all with zinc primer before you do any welding. it improves conductivity making a better weld and wont burn off and will protect the bare metal that you cant paint once its welded together.

J

Pictures here >>> Photobucket

Build diary, No turbo... yet...,here on TMF >>> TMF - My project

As you can see from the last pic the rear end of the mini is currently supported along the back of thr rear floorpan by a large plank of wood on 2 axel stands.

Im now ready to cut out the healboard and replace the panel but am unsure where would be the best place to move the supports to? I though maybe support the car somehow where the rear shock mounts are in the wheel arches????

Any suggestions

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Thats the way! whole panels at a time is much easyer

looking good :)

Its getting the lips on the old panel off thats proving to be the tricky bit where the healboard lip sits under the floor pan, not easy

Careful with the alignment when refitting the heal borad or else it'll never drive straight again.

I have in the past made up an X shaped brace which mounts to all four of the rear subframe mounting points and also to the heal board via the front four bolts. This makes it much easier to get everything square as the front edge can be supported, back edge bolted up and heal board tacked lightly into place.

Once tacked I check the diagonal, lateral alignment along with the effective wheelbase which will result. You can tweak theheal board into place easily enough of the light tacks and if necessary break them and do it again.

It's a pain to do and slow but it is worht it to get an often better than factory drive.

Every day is a school day ...........

How fast and how expensive ...... the same question...

The plan was to use a fully built subframe with heal board attached via the front mounts and bolt the subframe in using the mounts in the boot. Once offered up check the alignment between front and rear wheels to ensure the frame sits true before welding it in place.

That approach is good but you might find that it's all a little on the heavy and difficult to control side, hence why I may up a frame that was much lighter and easier to work with.

Just a suggestion and what you suggest is ok ..... it's the care that is the important thing really.

Good luck

Every day is a school day ...........

How fast and how expensive ...... the same question...

Its gonna be interesting which ever route i take and think ill be needing some good luck lol

well the subframe is now is place and bolted into the boot mounts and onto the heel board, everything lines up quite nicely (so it seems anyway) so just got to check all the positioning and get the heel board fixed in place

Not an easy job offering up a fully built subframe into place on your own :- but i some how managed it

On 17th of Dec, 2006 at 12:31pm Minimad69 said:

Not an easy job offering up a fully built subframe into place on your own :- but i some how managed it

Every day is a school day ...........

How fast and how expensive ...... the same question...

didnt have the metal to hand to make up a frame so had to do it the difficult way but got there in the end.

think ive had about 20 cups of t today, too cold outside so had to stop every half hour lol

Anyway heres the latest pics

I'd personally seam weld that heelboard in all the way across from the inside, also make sure that the tags onto the inner sills either end are fixed to something solid and also fully seam welded.

i plan on seam welding both ends of the heelboard where the subframe mounts are inside and outside to give it as much strength as possible, also where the tunnel is in the middle.

As for the tags on either end, they will be spot welded onto the new floor pan in several places as the outer sills arent coming off so i wont be able to seam weld them

Made a nice job of that fella ..... A+

Every day is a school day ...........

How fast and how expensive ...... the same question...

cheers Roger. Only prob i had really was that the heelboard i bought didnt fit the profile in the floor pan properly

The raised bit on the heelbord either side of the tunnel down the middle was larger on the right hand side than the left so i had to slightly modify the floor pan on the right hand side as you can ses in the pic.