hI has anyone deseamed there mini I saw one and I liked the look of it and just wanted to know if it was hard[/img]

I bought a Mini Deluxe once that had been deseamed. Pity the guy didn't paint it instead of leaving it outside under a tree for 3 years! I kept the Contessa mags and MotoLita steering wheel, then sold it. It had all been gas welded on seams then bogged over.

It's a lot of work to do it properly and I think they look a bit strange when done.
My 2c..

_________________
DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

It is not easy to do properly yourself

Basically, the seams are what is holding the car together, and when you chop them off and weld up the gaps, you want to be dam sure your happy that the thing isn't going to split apart

Up this end of the country, the main roads want to see an engineers certificate to say the deseaming is done right........and there aren't any that are willing to write one!!!

I also have to agree with Dr Mini...................They look ugly if you completely deseam them

minimad

_________________
You can take the boy out of the racer.........but not the racer out of the boy!

i dont know where i read this, but you dont actually cut the seams off... you snip the seam every 5cm, so youve got a wide tooth comb
then starting from the end, bend it in one direction against the body, the next one the other direction and the third one back.
so your left with a pattern like when putting your hands together and crossing your fingers. these tabs are then welded into the body (MIG i think)
grind, weld, polish,
and youve got yourself a bald pre-pube(rty) voluptuous mini. thats how i see them anyway

_________________
Inconspicuously Conspicuous
Appreciation without Depreciation
forever chasing clearer skies...

Interesting outlook on the subject....

Seriously though, that's good info on deseaming, because I had no idea it can be done that way.

yeh i guess it would be the method to sustain the most stability in the car. welding creates residual compressive and deformative stresses within the metal that causes it to fail easily

_________________
Inconspicuously Conspicuous
Appreciation without Depreciation
forever chasing clearer skies...

You want to translate that into english for the rest of us

Do you mean when your finished it may look like a 120Y

_________________
You can take the boy out of the racer.........but not the racer out of the boy!

Usual method is to grind off 6", weld it, grind another 6" weld that,...blah blah. Some people put plates inside too. You finish off by beating it and adding a skim of filler.
So I've been told... I'm a fitter/machinist/welder/engineer, not a panelbeater..

_________________
DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

Is there anyone on here that has done this and is happy with it.

Oh.......I've done it, just like the doc says. Happy with it .....I don't think so

Very hard to get straight if you are not a panel beater. Can't regisiter the car.
..................How happy are you going to be with it when your done


Minimad

Ps. Did I mention that deseamed minis look like crap

_________________
You can take the boy out of the racer.........but not the racer out of the boy!

My Mini has been half deseamed. It looks as if the seam cover part (goes over the top with clips) has been removed and the seam has been smoothed. It's still there, just not as dominant. I think it looks great. It doesn't look weird like a completely deseamed Mini - some people take a while to notice at all. Well, I didn't notice it was different until somebody pointed it out to me.

Anto.

I wouldn't do the roof but I'm considering doing the the seams that go down the side of the screens (A pillar at the front and C pillar at the back? Can anybody answer this is a newbie question I've been meaning to ask) on my clubbie shell.

If what Minimad says about Qld Transport I will have to put more thought into it.

dewey

_________________
dwightgunning.com

means, in the simplest way: welding heats the metal and causes warping and uneven cooling. this will make it brittle in some places. less able to absorb vibrations and will crack because it is not as flexible and soft anymore.
thats why you need to bend the seam upon itself and then weld.


min13k please provide your website so we can check out your half deseamed roundnose.

_________________
Inconspicuously Conspicuous
Appreciation without Depreciation
forever chasing clearer skies...

Do you mean me?
http://www.angelfire.com/amiga/mini

But it is difficult to really see from the pics. Basically the seam is still there (so it doesn't look 'weird' like a deseamed Mini) but it isn't as substantial.

Anto.

haha no anto, i didnt mean you... you are Anto.
i was calling upon min13k... Makka. he's got a body deseamed in the front and back bumpers i think... the rest is still there.

_________________
Inconspicuously Conspicuous
Appreciation without Depreciation
forever chasing clearer skies...