The Alternative Italian Job - A Classic Mini Build
Discussion
Once the Panoramic roof was in it looked ok, but from certain angles where the roundness of the classic Mini roof meets that flatter curve of the R53 Mini glass/metalwork it didn't look quite right.
Out with the grinder,
A thin strip was added, this gave the back of the roof a bit more of a curve, which smoothed the transition between the old Mini roof and the R53 Panoramic glass.
I'll probably come back to this at a later date as it still needs some work before I'm happy with it.
As the Panoramic glass and mechanism are quite a hefty lump, it needed some internal brace to support the extra weight,
Some 0.8mm sheet was cut, beadrolled for strength and welded into place,
And that's the roof done (for the time being, until I revisit the bits I'm not 100% with)
That's all for now. Onto the front end next.
Out with the grinder,
A thin strip was added, this gave the back of the roof a bit more of a curve, which smoothed the transition between the old Mini roof and the R53 Panoramic glass.
I'll probably come back to this at a later date as it still needs some work before I'm happy with it.
As the Panoramic glass and mechanism are quite a hefty lump, it needed some internal brace to support the extra weight,
Some 0.8mm sheet was cut, beadrolled for strength and welded into place,
And that's the roof done (for the time being, until I revisit the bits I'm not 100% with)
That's all for now. Onto the front end next.
What an epic thread. Can't believe I've only just found this!
I love what you've done with the sunroof. When I restored my mini last year I restored the webasto that came on it originally. If you have a read of my thread you'll see I was up against it with time, so it was the best thing for me to do. I did also consider a carbon panel but I'm really pleased I kept the webasto as it's wonderful in the summer.
I did consider doing the R53 panoramic roof also, but I just didn't have the time when doing my build as I only had 10 days to do the whole car. It suits the classic mini so well though and it's something I may do in a few years time. Seeing yours has reignited my desire for it now!
here's my 10 day build in case you're interested https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
I love what you've done with the sunroof. When I restored my mini last year I restored the webasto that came on it originally. If you have a read of my thread you'll see I was up against it with time, so it was the best thing for me to do. I did also consider a carbon panel but I'm really pleased I kept the webasto as it's wonderful in the summer.
I did consider doing the R53 panoramic roof also, but I just didn't have the time when doing my build as I only had 10 days to do the whole car. It suits the classic mini so well though and it's something I may do in a few years time. Seeing yours has reignited my desire for it now!
here's my 10 day build in case you're interested https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
croissant said:
What an epic thread. Can't believe I've only just found this!
I love what you've done with the sunroof. When I restored my mini last year I restored the webasto that came on it originally. If you have a read of my thread you'll see I was up against it with time, so it was the best thing for me to do. I did also consider a carbon panel but I'm really pleased I kept the webasto as it's wonderful in the summer.
I did consider doing the R53 panoramic roof also, but I just didn't have the time when doing my build as I only had 10 days to do the whole car. It suits the classic mini so well though and it's something I may do in a few years time. Seeing yours has reignited my desire for it now!
here's my 10 day build in case you're interested https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Thank you, I've just taken a look at your build thread. The fresh paint finish looks stunning at the end! I love what you've done with the sunroof. When I restored my mini last year I restored the webasto that came on it originally. If you have a read of my thread you'll see I was up against it with time, so it was the best thing for me to do. I did also consider a carbon panel but I'm really pleased I kept the webasto as it's wonderful in the summer.
I did consider doing the R53 panoramic roof also, but I just didn't have the time when doing my build as I only had 10 days to do the whole car. It suits the classic mini so well though and it's something I may do in a few years time. Seeing yours has reignited my desire for it now!
here's my 10 day build in case you're interested https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Onto the front,
There were a couple of little repairs that needed to be made on the floor, one in the drivers side foot well and another in the same position but on the passenger side.
A paper template was made, this was transfered to sheet steel and fabricated to form a replacement panel, with the same radius' as what it was replacing,
The rusty sections were cut out, and the new fabricated panels let in and fully TIG welded in place. All welds were welded cleaned back smooth,
The bulkhead,
This had quite a few unwanted holes, from either the fuse box, coolant hoses, wire clips and a few other additions it may of had in its past. These were no longer needed or would be relocated, the majority of the holes were able to be welded up relatively easy, but there were a few other holes where heat distortion would have been a problem and warp the panel. So two new panels were made, bead rolled and tacked into position,
Fully TIG welded into place and welds smoothed,
The Inner Wings,
These were much like the rest of the vehicle, crusty, rusty and in need of replacement. All the original spot welds were drilled out, an angle grinder was used where needs be to remove any tricky areas,
A relatively good condition second hand Subframe was purchased, this was from a later MPI model which have a few subtle differences, but where it is mounted to the body these are in the same position/location.
The Subframe was mounted to the car, from this the front panel could be mounted to help mock up the new inner wing panels,
The inner wings were lined up using the front panel, shock mounts and door hinge holes,
In the above picture you will notice the amount of holes in the inner wing, some for the fresh air vents (which always rust, badly) and others for fixings etc. The majority of the holes in the inner wings won't be needed, so again these were to be welded up.
Some infill panels were fabricated, and dimpled....for looks,
These infills were fully TIG welded in place, all welds where smoothed so it looks as factory as possible.
Once I was happy with the mock up of how the panels fitted on the car they were all taken off again, any areas of corrosion on the car were either cut out and replaced or treated to prevent any future problems.
All areas to be welded were then sprayed with a weld through primer, all the panels were placed back on and plug welded into place, again all the welds were ground back smooth, (this was done on both sides)
The scuttle panel,
This, again this is another problem with Mini's and are known for rusting away (what isn't).
The original panel was removed by drilling the spot welds and cutting the bottoms of the A- pillars. After a bit of small repair work to the car itself, the scuttle panel was carefully cut in so it matched the contours of the A-pillars and fitted perfectly, all areas were sprayed with a weld through primer and the scuttle panel was clamped into position with mole grips where ever possible, this was then puddle welded along the length of the windscreen and the A-pillars were TIG welded into place.
The closer panels which go under both ends of the scuttle and form a cavity once they are fitted, these again rust away (from either stone chips or condensation/water ingress inside the cavity). To help prevent this, all areas inside what would be the cavity where treated with POR15 to help future proof it, any areas to be welded were sprayed with a weld through primer. These were then puddle welded into position and all welds ground smooth,
All bare metal was primed,
And that will do for this update!
There were a couple of little repairs that needed to be made on the floor, one in the drivers side foot well and another in the same position but on the passenger side.
A paper template was made, this was transfered to sheet steel and fabricated to form a replacement panel, with the same radius' as what it was replacing,
The rusty sections were cut out, and the new fabricated panels let in and fully TIG welded in place. All welds were welded cleaned back smooth,
The bulkhead,
This had quite a few unwanted holes, from either the fuse box, coolant hoses, wire clips and a few other additions it may of had in its past. These were no longer needed or would be relocated, the majority of the holes were able to be welded up relatively easy, but there were a few other holes where heat distortion would have been a problem and warp the panel. So two new panels were made, bead rolled and tacked into position,
Fully TIG welded into place and welds smoothed,
The Inner Wings,
These were much like the rest of the vehicle, crusty, rusty and in need of replacement. All the original spot welds were drilled out, an angle grinder was used where needs be to remove any tricky areas,
A relatively good condition second hand Subframe was purchased, this was from a later MPI model which have a few subtle differences, but where it is mounted to the body these are in the same position/location.
The Subframe was mounted to the car, from this the front panel could be mounted to help mock up the new inner wing panels,
The inner wings were lined up using the front panel, shock mounts and door hinge holes,
In the above picture you will notice the amount of holes in the inner wing, some for the fresh air vents (which always rust, badly) and others for fixings etc. The majority of the holes in the inner wings won't be needed, so again these were to be welded up.
Some infill panels were fabricated, and dimpled....for looks,
These infills were fully TIG welded in place, all welds where smoothed so it looks as factory as possible.
Once I was happy with the mock up of how the panels fitted on the car they were all taken off again, any areas of corrosion on the car were either cut out and replaced or treated to prevent any future problems.
All areas to be welded were then sprayed with a weld through primer, all the panels were placed back on and plug welded into place, again all the welds were ground back smooth, (this was done on both sides)
The scuttle panel,
This, again this is another problem with Mini's and are known for rusting away (what isn't).
The original panel was removed by drilling the spot welds and cutting the bottoms of the A- pillars. After a bit of small repair work to the car itself, the scuttle panel was carefully cut in so it matched the contours of the A-pillars and fitted perfectly, all areas were sprayed with a weld through primer and the scuttle panel was clamped into position with mole grips where ever possible, this was then puddle welded along the length of the windscreen and the A-pillars were TIG welded into place.
The closer panels which go under both ends of the scuttle and form a cavity once they are fitted, these again rust away (from either stone chips or condensation/water ingress inside the cavity). To help prevent this, all areas inside what would be the cavity where treated with POR15 to help future proof it, any areas to be welded were sprayed with a weld through primer. These were then puddle welded into position and all welds ground smooth,
All bare metal was primed,
And that will do for this update!
Next up are the Doors, (2016-ish)
These needed new door skins/panels fitting as they were starting to bubble up at the bottoms. The skins are only welded at the tops, around the window frame and a spot weld near the handle (from memory). The sides and bottoms of the skin are just folded around the structure of the door (another water trap).
To remove the skins from the structure of the door, a grinder with a cutting disc was used to carefully cut next to the welds. To remove the sides and bottom, a grinder with a course sanding pad was used to grind back the very edge of the folded returns.
Once the skins were removed it was then possible to see the condition of the door structure itself. The majority of the door was fine, the bottoms weren't too bad but had some signs of pitting where corrosion had set in, I thought it was best to replace the bottoms with a new panel.
The bottoms of the doors were carefully marked out with a scriber for accuracy, and then chopped off with an angle grinder and cutting disc.
The new replacement panels were then mocked up to see how well the pressings matched the originals on the door, the replacement panels fitted like crap, and took quite a bit of work to get things to look right (seems to be common for replacement panels not to directly fit).
After a bit of manipulation to the ends of the replacement panels it was all tacked together,
You may also notice in the above picture I added some little pressings along the bottoms of the door, these then had holes drilled in them to help water drain out in the future.
These were then fully TIG welded into place, the welds were dressed flat to remove any distortion in the panels and then ground smooth,
The door skins were mocked up on the door frame and then tried on the car, Mini's aren't known for having great shut lines so this was next.
The door skin was taken off (only held on with one screw at this point). The vertical part of the window frame had its spot welds drilled out where it attached to the door structure, from this the door can be refitted and the frame pulled up to create a better shut line at the top of the door. The angled part of the window frame was cut, and 4mm packers were placed around the edge. This would form the spacing I wanted for the shut line,
The gap in the angled part of the window frame was then infilled and ground back smooth, the vertical part of the frame was then puddle welded into place.
Next the door skin was to be fitted permanently, everything was sprayed with a zinc primer to help future proof it. Once that was dry I used Tiger Seal and went around the edge of the door where the skin was to be hand formed/folded around the two sides and bottom, This isn't usually done and wasn't used to stick the door skin onto the frame, but to help stop any moisture/water ingress creeping into the seams in the future.
The return on the door skin was then very carefully beaten around the door frame making sure the door skin wasn't marked or damaged while doing it.
The tops of the skin were then TIG welded to the door structure.
The last shut line to do was the bit next to the handle, if you look at most Classic Mini's there always seems to be an uneven gap here,
Rather than running a bead of weld directly onto the skin itself which could distort the door panel, I decided to shape an over sized bit of 3mm sheet and tack it into place,
From this the heat would be spread into the 3mm plate and I could try and keep it cooled while I fully TIG'd it.
Using a very course sanding pad on a grinder (again, to keep the heat down) the newly added sheet was ground back to create the 4mm shut line, the edge was the radiused to match the existing hand beaten edge,
And this was the last part that I done, shortly after this I started my business and the Mini was lifted onto the mezzanine in the workshop where it sat for four years while I done business stuff.... and built the "Project Mpact" (thread on PistonHeads) which got a bit carried away.
I've recently started working on the Mini again which brings me to write this thread, more to come.....engine wise.
These needed new door skins/panels fitting as they were starting to bubble up at the bottoms. The skins are only welded at the tops, around the window frame and a spot weld near the handle (from memory). The sides and bottoms of the skin are just folded around the structure of the door (another water trap).
To remove the skins from the structure of the door, a grinder with a cutting disc was used to carefully cut next to the welds. To remove the sides and bottom, a grinder with a course sanding pad was used to grind back the very edge of the folded returns.
Once the skins were removed it was then possible to see the condition of the door structure itself. The majority of the door was fine, the bottoms weren't too bad but had some signs of pitting where corrosion had set in, I thought it was best to replace the bottoms with a new panel.
The bottoms of the doors were carefully marked out with a scriber for accuracy, and then chopped off with an angle grinder and cutting disc.
The new replacement panels were then mocked up to see how well the pressings matched the originals on the door, the replacement panels fitted like crap, and took quite a bit of work to get things to look right (seems to be common for replacement panels not to directly fit).
After a bit of manipulation to the ends of the replacement panels it was all tacked together,
You may also notice in the above picture I added some little pressings along the bottoms of the door, these then had holes drilled in them to help water drain out in the future.
These were then fully TIG welded into place, the welds were dressed flat to remove any distortion in the panels and then ground smooth,
The door skins were mocked up on the door frame and then tried on the car, Mini's aren't known for having great shut lines so this was next.
The door skin was taken off (only held on with one screw at this point). The vertical part of the window frame had its spot welds drilled out where it attached to the door structure, from this the door can be refitted and the frame pulled up to create a better shut line at the top of the door. The angled part of the window frame was cut, and 4mm packers were placed around the edge. This would form the spacing I wanted for the shut line,
The gap in the angled part of the window frame was then infilled and ground back smooth, the vertical part of the frame was then puddle welded into place.
Next the door skin was to be fitted permanently, everything was sprayed with a zinc primer to help future proof it. Once that was dry I used Tiger Seal and went around the edge of the door where the skin was to be hand formed/folded around the two sides and bottom, This isn't usually done and wasn't used to stick the door skin onto the frame, but to help stop any moisture/water ingress creeping into the seams in the future.
The return on the door skin was then very carefully beaten around the door frame making sure the door skin wasn't marked or damaged while doing it.
The tops of the skin were then TIG welded to the door structure.
The last shut line to do was the bit next to the handle, if you look at most Classic Mini's there always seems to be an uneven gap here,
Rather than running a bead of weld directly onto the skin itself which could distort the door panel, I decided to shape an over sized bit of 3mm sheet and tack it into place,
From this the heat would be spread into the 3mm plate and I could try and keep it cooled while I fully TIG'd it.
Using a very course sanding pad on a grinder (again, to keep the heat down) the newly added sheet was ground back to create the 4mm shut line, the edge was the radiused to match the existing hand beaten edge,
And this was the last part that I done, shortly after this I started my business and the Mini was lifted onto the mezzanine in the workshop where it sat for four years while I done business stuff.... and built the "Project Mpact" (thread on PistonHeads) which got a bit carried away.
I've recently started working on the Mini again which brings me to write this thread, more to come.....engine wise.
littlebasher said:
The door shut lines on the Minis always bugged me as well. Glad to see you took the time to do it properly, looks so much better for it.
Thanks! Another thing that bugs me is when a Mini's doors are shut, but the bottoms of the doors poke out and look like they are open 
Fast Bug said:
I get why the gap would annoy you. I've been into air cooled Beetles for years, and the amount of cars that have had rear quarters fitted and they don't line the gap up with the bottom of the door really annoys me. Lots of so called show cars f
k it up, it's just poor workmanship.
Unfortunately that seems to be quite common, most people can say that are capable of doing the work but everyone's standard of work differs, it's the small details that finish a job correctly. If something is done right it usually goes unnoticed. k it up, it's just poor workmanship.stichill99 said:
Do you use TIG for a particular reason instead of mig?
I do, yes. With TIG welding it's much neater, more controllable, no splatter, easier to hammer/dolly before grinding, less to grind off. Although it does take more time to prepare the welded joint, no uneven gaps, clean bright materials etc.I only tend to use MIG for plug/puddle welds on vehicles where I can't get the access for a spot welder, or on heavier thicker steel.
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