these are the worst bits of rust i've got on my little fella

i'm having a look to see how much work will be involved in the body.

click to see a bigger version





what do the experts think?

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OUCH!!

Methinks a deseamed mini may be the way to go... get rid of the bloody rusty things... even more rusty things in your case

can't stand deseamed mini's

make's 'em look inflammed

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hmmmm......me thinks Cushy should invest in some BOG!

i got my own supply... just had lunch

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Good luck in fixing But i have seen worse that were repaired.

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I've Got One
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What Is It



A Bloody Mini

1970 Mini K, 1380cc, 1.75 HIF SU, 30 70 Cam, 2" Zorts
1969 Mini K, Stock Standard and Orginal. (Slow as Hell)

any ideas on how to tackle it...

cut off seam, cut out rust, stick a newy in?


i would've used the word bog, but it'd end up sounding like the spam song..


bog, bog, bog,bog, bog, bog,bog, bog, bog, seam and bog

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Cutting off the seams, cleaning up 2nd hand parts and welding them on, filling, primer, paint? Quite a bit of work as I'm finding out. Do you have a source of new panels? The rust may be just as bad in other spots... I mean I wouldn't have thought it was terminal, just a far bit of work and much less work with new panels - that seam is pretty bad and I can't believe you said "bog".

I found with my clubbie that as you remove panels, there's more under them. The roof join with the rear panel for example.

Cushy, i will take that mini off your hands for 300 bux... how does it sound

angus, thanks i guy that i've asked suggested using clubby seams as they might be galvanised..

willy, no chance get back into bed with ya sister.. it's the only bit of badish rust and I only paid 500 for it myself

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The proper way is to take the hoodlining out and cut and plate the inside then put a new seam on. By plating, I mean cut the rust out and weld a plate of steel the same size and shape as what you took out (even with a 90 degree bend if necessary). This you would probably only do if doing a full resto.

The seal trims are available new from Karcraft by the way. Seam finishing strip they are referred to I think.

The shortcut the pro's (and I) have used which is just feasable for the home resto guy is to use plastic filler rod. You can buy plastic filler from panelbeater supplies shops which are thin grey strips of plastic filler about 30 cms long and roughly 1cm thick. You heat it on the job with a heat gun 'til it is soft and pliable, then push it into the treated (dug out and de-rusted) hole or seam with a paint scraper, then roughly shape it to match the shape and let it harden. If you put too much on, you can shape it with a grating file while it is still "cheesy", but this is a practised art. After hardening, you coarse (that's coarse, not curse), and then fine file it and sandpaper it until it matches the original profile and is ready for priming/painting. If it is a really prominant spot you can spray putty it or high build primer and treat like a normal fill repair elsewhere.

The advantages should be obvious, but the lower heat, if you are careful will mean less paint damage to surrounding areas and the roof-lining may not go up in flames if you are lucky. The filler itself, sets like steel and will give a long-lasting, almost unnoticaeable repair, that provided the metal beneath it has been de-rusted and treated properly, will last until the body starts to rust elsewhere.

On a $500 car, if you are not considering turning it into a beast like Mutant Mini, that may be your best approach.

KB

that, 1310, is a fantastic answer

sounds like the way to go...

but is there a problem re strength/support using a plastic in place of the steel?

thanks heaps...

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