When is a Mini Shell........

[FWDRacer]

.....Beyond economic repair.

Have seen some herioc Body repair on PH - Rich's Efforts AKAGuro 1071 leave nothing but sheer admiration for the hard work and skill required to put historically significant shells back on the road.

The bottom line is that my humble K-Reg Mk5 upon being stripped is showing some fairly unhealthy signs already. I know all the panels are available etc but, when do you stop cutting and joining and start looking towards a replacement shell> Some of the recognised troublespots i.e the Bulkhead and sills/toeboard on my car appear good but the rear wheel arches are finished

Any advice happliy recieved. I'm going to maybe use this thread to blog how my car comes apart/goes back together.

Cheers.

G.

[Ben Magoo]

With the cheapness of panels at the mo you have to go along way before a shell is a total write off.

Having said that, there is the time versus effort versus skill levels equation to weigh up.

Also if you have to start replacing adjoining panels a jig may be required?

HTH

[vrooom]

roof, anything window bottom upward.

[Phil Hill]

Ben Magoo said:

With the cheapness of panels at the mo you have to go along way before a shell is a total write off.

Having said that, there is the time versus effort versus skill levels equation to weigh up.

Also if you have to start replacing adjoining panels a jig may be required?

HTH

Have you seen the prices of genuine panels recently ???? They seem to have increased in cost dramatically over the last few months. Not sure if it's the price of steel or what..........

Phil.

[Fatboy]

Phil Hill said:

Ben Magoo said:

With the cheapness of panels at the mo you have to go along way before a shell is a total write off.

Having said that, there is the time versus effort versus skill levels equation to weigh up.

Also if you have to start replacing adjoining panels a jig may be required?

HTH

Have you seen the prices of genuine panels recently ???? They seem to have increased in cost dramatically over the last few months. Not sure if it's the price of steel or what..........

Phil.

Steel has shot up recently...

[guru_1071]

FWDRacer said:

.....Beyond economic repair.

Have seen some herioc Body repair on PH - Rich's Efforts AKAGuro 1071 leave nothing but sheer admiration for the hard work and skill required to put historically significant shells back on the road.

The bottom line is that my humble K-Reg Mk5 upon being stripped is showing some fairly unhealthy signs already. I know all the panels are available etc but, when do you stop cutting and joining and start looking towards a replacement shell> Some of the recognised troublespots i.e the Bulkhead and sills/toeboard on my car appear good but the rear wheel arches are finished

Any advice happliy recieved. I'm going to maybe use this thread to blog how my car comes apart/goes back together.

Cheers.

G.

im just a self taught metal basher who is willing to have a go. i really admire the people who can take a bit of flat steel and form it in to any shape - that takes some real skill.

i would say that honestly, no mini shell is too bad to do - the limit is cost of panels and time - there just becomes a point where sheer bloody mindindness just isnt enough!. minis just arnt rare enough to really struggle - the moke i helped a mate do was the oposite - 12 floors welded one on top of each other in the front and so rotton that it took some serious working out just how it went back togther!, but english mk1 mokes dont turn up for a couple of hundred quid, so we had to see it through to the end.

i would say that the three main golden rules (which i always ignore!) are

1) a rotten un messed with car is best - at least you can cut back to clean steel with out the problems associated with previous bad welding and plating

2) straight is best - for a novice crash damage is a real problem as you have to get the car straight before you start

3) measure twice, cut once. you just cant go wrong with sitting back and thinking before you wade in all guns (or angle grinders) blazing!

the trouble im having with my current project is that i ignored all three, it was a rotten, badly repaired crashed car that i started to 'hack' up to build a dummy shell to make a set of jigs from to do a decent sprint - of course, as times gone on its got to the point where a bit of filler and some paint and it will do as a cheap car. ive had to spend days sorting out all rot and previous bad repairs, never mind the crash damage which reared its ugly head (and beleive me, finding the deseamed rear valance is 1" further back on one side is no joy on a fully deseamed 4" chopped car!!!)