a quick engine-out question... as my new project starts
Discussion
Just about to start on my 62 mk 1.... after not touching her years!
need to do both a-panels, and wings as well as a couple of other bits of bodywork - including one bit ahead of the rear arch.
engine needs to come out as the clutch is stuck... and she's going to get A+ power...
So the quick question is...
Should I leave the front subframe in to support the panels as I repair them?
this will make getting the engine out harder - i.e. need to drop just the engine, not the engine and subframe.
thoughts?
need to do both a-panels, and wings as well as a couple of other bits of bodywork - including one bit ahead of the rear arch.
engine needs to come out as the clutch is stuck... and she's going to get A+ power...
So the quick question is...
Should I leave the front subframe in to support the panels as I repair them?
this will make getting the engine out harder - i.e. need to drop just the engine, not the engine and subframe.
thoughts?
Edited by NDT on Wednesday 26th March 14:31
id leave the frame in tbh.
it gives you a solid base to rest the car on axel stands and ensures that the front panel doesnt move left or right.
doing the a panels on a mk1 can be quite a hellish job, so make sure you have a good measure of both sides first so that you have a set of dimensions written down - this becomes very handy just before you commit yourself to weld the new stuff on!
also, fit the a panels first without worrying too much about the wings. this is because the a panels dictate the door gaps and opening, so its vital to get this right.
the best method is to assemble the doors and a panels together using the hinges, this lets you roughly set the gap between them, you can then fit the door and clamp the a panel into place, tack it and test the fit of the door, once its tack and you are happy, remove the door and finish frying the a panel into place.
its a fairly easy task to make the wings fit whats left as its surprising how many little tweeks you can do to pull even the worse looking wing into the hole thats there!
once you start to fit the wings you will need the bonnet fitted so you can ensure that the gaps are all small and equal - if you need more advice on manipulating the wings just ask!
also, if your hinges are worn, sling them and buy a new alloy set, also buy a few sets of the paper gaskets so you can use them whilst you line everything up.
its a commen mistake to concentrate too much on the a panel ignoring what the door is doing, this is why so many external hinge cars have doors that 'kick -out' at the rear lower corner.
if you search back a few months i stuck a load of photos of a shell i was doing, it didnt show the final fitment of the a-panels, but does show the replacement of the panel work around the door post - this will give you an idea of what to expect once you chop all the crap out! - dont worry about bracing you shell like i did mine - mine was so rotten that i had to do it that way to stop every thing moving about!
i love panel work on minis...........
it gives you a solid base to rest the car on axel stands and ensures that the front panel doesnt move left or right.
doing the a panels on a mk1 can be quite a hellish job, so make sure you have a good measure of both sides first so that you have a set of dimensions written down - this becomes very handy just before you commit yourself to weld the new stuff on!
also, fit the a panels first without worrying too much about the wings. this is because the a panels dictate the door gaps and opening, so its vital to get this right.
the best method is to assemble the doors and a panels together using the hinges, this lets you roughly set the gap between them, you can then fit the door and clamp the a panel into place, tack it and test the fit of the door, once its tack and you are happy, remove the door and finish frying the a panel into place.
its a fairly easy task to make the wings fit whats left as its surprising how many little tweeks you can do to pull even the worse looking wing into the hole thats there!
once you start to fit the wings you will need the bonnet fitted so you can ensure that the gaps are all small and equal - if you need more advice on manipulating the wings just ask!
also, if your hinges are worn, sling them and buy a new alloy set, also buy a few sets of the paper gaskets so you can use them whilst you line everything up.
its a commen mistake to concentrate too much on the a panel ignoring what the door is doing, this is why so many external hinge cars have doors that 'kick -out' at the rear lower corner.
if you search back a few months i stuck a load of photos of a shell i was doing, it didnt show the final fitment of the a-panels, but does show the replacement of the panel work around the door post - this will give you an idea of what to expect once you chop all the crap out! - dont worry about bracing you shell like i did mine - mine was so rotten that i had to do it that way to stop every thing moving about!
i love panel work on minis...........
What 1071 says is good sense. I'm doing virtually the same on a 1966 car and we took the engine out on Sunday. The other tips are to do do one side at a time, unless the front panel is to be changed, and to set the bonnet shut lines before finally committing to welding. I usually stand the two wheels on one side onto a pair of crates so that the weight is on the wheels, particularly if I'm doing the sills (inner and/or outer) as this prevents distortion. Definately leave the sub-frames in untill all welding is finished.
guru_1071 said:
some helpful stuff
Actually on closer inspection it looks like the only panel that really needs doing is the offside A-panel.The front panel is OK.
Both wings have surface rust (and maybe more when I poke around), but look like they could be patched rather than replaced.
The nearside A-panel looks OK.
There is a bit of rust (a tiny hole) in the corner of the scuttle on both sides.
I have all the panels... so now I need to decide whether to just do one A-panel or bite the bullet and do the whole lot!
I'm tending to think I'll just do the essential A-panel first and clamp it to the wing but weld to the door post, then do the wing.
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