Dooders car getting some bodywork

Started by 94touring, September 30, 2012, 08:14:11 AM

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94touring

Not sure when we're gona do it, but Dean ordered a few panels that need replaced on his mini.  I know that they arrived the other day.  I'm wrapping up my year end "day job and condo extravaganza" thats kept me so busy.  Time to get cracking on the minis again   20.gif    Updates as I get em. 

MiniGene


94touring

The inner and outter A-panels on the left side and the corner panels on the back end, forward of the wheels on both sides. 

AcesLow

Hey Touring, please take a ton of pictures if you can of the inner and outer panels being replaced. I'm on the fence of redoing mine as I'm not entirely sure I did mine correctly... Doors however line up however the panels are minutely flared outwards. and tend to flex when the doors open. I am toying with the option of putting a flip front on and I don't think they should flex at all.


94touring

Will do!  We're shooting for end of next month. 

94touring


94touring

#6
Dean showed up last night and this morning we took the mini to the shop.  I began cutting into it shortly after...

Left rear corner, they glued in a piece of tin! 



New panel put into place.



Right rear corner, a lot of rot and a ton of bondo.  They didn't exactly do a great job of getting their patch flush with the body.








I would have had the replacement panel in place but the subby attach panel was toast.  So thats something we'll be ordering to replace.  Dropped the subframe out of the way to have it ready. 



Now for the Apanels everyones interested in.  Heres a shot of the inner in place.



I cut it out, but left in the part that welds up flush with the inner wheel well for illistration.



Here it is completely removed, sand blasted, and ready for primer.  So this is what it should like like before putting in a new inner A panel. 



Test fitments, should slide right in.  I didn't need the top part that goes under the scuttle, so cut that off.





I went on to primer and paint the A panels.  Tomorrow once the paint is dry I'll weld them in and that will be that. 


deanwilhite

This is very exciting. Littlebit is finally getting the star treatment.

94touring

Moving along.  A panels final fitments and welded up.





Probing the floor and cutting out a big section.  We have a new pan on the way. 





And for the fun right rear corner I cut out all the major rot and fabricated all new.  All we are waiting on now is the new subframe panel and I can close this up. 











Also on the bit of cill I had to cut out, I layed my fabbed piece over the existing cill and hammered in the pressed metal part. 



Ok, back to my day job.  Hopefully the other panels we need come in by next week and I can wrap up the metal work. 


snack

Great job Dan!  Thanks for the pics.  Does the outer A panel get tacked to the inner some where, or does it just get welded up over the inner?

Steve

94touring

It simply gets welded along the seam and over the lip of the door frame, as well as the top and bottom where it meets the body.  I spray grease between the two before welding up after its been painted.  Figured can't hurt.  These had been replaced on his car at one point, the welds were a bit tricky to break on the seam and a lot of sealer along the door frame.  The backside of the panels appeared only to have old primer.  Ten minutes of paint would probably prevented the current rust on them.  The tricky part is getting the inner panel far enough up from my experience.  The top tends to get snagged up on surrounded metal and requires slight bending and or trimming on the tip. 

94touring

#11
Ok updates for the day.  Still no panels but I had a couple patches that needed to be made in the wheel well areas and valance close off plate work to be done...which turned into a lot of work. 



Hit this with the sandblaster, primed, painted, and put back together.



You can see where I had to do some final patches and welds.





This right side is all the fun!





Just too far gone..





Fabbed up a new boot floor for the section I had cut out and the corner leading into the arch needed a piece fitted.





Then I decided to make a valance by hand, and it turned out good as gold.  Need to grind some of the welds where I put on the lips and clean it up a bit still.  I ran out of steam before making closing panels on the back side.  Tomorrow I will have it done.





Gutter prep work, removed lots of flakey paint and excess seam sealer was cracking and seperating.  Needs some wire wheel action to finish it off.



And last but not least began removing everything.


MiniGene

Nice work, Dan.  Is a full respray in the works?

94touring

Yep getting a full respray   4.gif

Ok todays work I finished up the valence. 





A little seam sealer and all wrapped up here.



Noticed that the right rear plate for the bump stop was rotted up, so made a new plate.  The other side needed minor welding where it was cracking from the floor. 







Till next week...

Mudhen

Awesome!!

Did you have to trial fit the door a bunch before welding that 'A' panel in place?

Learned a few more things - thanks again for taking the time to stop and take pics during the work!

Pat

94touring

Thanks!  Only one door trial fitment required actually.  By time I had the lip that adjoins into the wing aligned, there wasn't a whole lot left to adjust.  That part took probably half a dozen fitments untill I had it where it would slide all the way up.   

94touring

Finished up the metal work today, next is prepping for paint.



Thought we were done back here but still a section of rot left to fix.







Dean did some masking.



Finished up the floor and that was all we did for today.  Shooting to have the roof painted black tomorrow.




joltfreak

check out the official website for updates!!!!! 


Mudhen

Is that the standard bump stop?  Holy crap..if I get some of those I'll never have to mess with my stupid hydrolastic suspension again!

94touring

Got the roof painted...

This paint booth took some effort.  Should have seen us fumbling with the pvc. 




94touring

Wrapping things up after another long day.  Our hopes that the door hinges were salvagable didn't work as planned, so new hinges on the way to remount the door.  Decided to replace a few seam covers too, but those items will be quick to paint and have on the  car.  In the meantime I gotta go back to work, so in two weeks we'll have it put back on the road after some color sanding and buffing. 









Heres the proud owner.  Probably thrilled all this work is over.    130.gif






Mudhen

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Guess you don't spend a lot of time sitting around watching tv...lol.

Is the paint dry in those pics?  Is that the way it looks when it's done, prior to the color sanding/buffing you said was next?

94touring

Haha, not a lot of tv is right.  That's it dried and ready to be color sanded.  Once we buff it up and get it in some daylight I'll toss up more pics.

MiniGene

Looking sweet!  I can't wait to see it all cut and buffed out.  When I had my red mini I always wanted to get the roof painted black, an awesome look I think.

batman1usa

aH This is Awesome ! ! !  Looks like a red car I once almost owned....  50.gif

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fast as you doing this the green machine should be no challenge.

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