I've got a bit of paint missing from the rear drivers quarter. Its the result of a bump during the previous owners stewardship when the car was stolen for a year and recovered

Now I want to remove the bumps from the panel, and respray the area.
I can weld, and I can paint a little, but ripples are not my strength.

Anyway, I've buffed the paint back, to get rid of the fractured paint and surface rust.

Part of the buffed area has light ripples, but the paint below you may see in the image has a larger ripple. There's no creases thankfully.

How does one approach a job like this?

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SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

All garage work involves equal measures of enthusiasm, ingenuity and a fair degree of irresponsibility.

I'd have assumed it was a body filler and wide flat sander job?

is it just the photo, or does it have a flat spot around the wheel arch too? I'd love to know how to fix those....

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did I tell you that I won a trophy?

Its just paint over a once-flat panel. The ripple has happened after at some time. Whatever hit the car was soft.

There's no flat spot luckily around the arch. The paint was hidden by an arch which is now removed and the paint was less weathered behind it.

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SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

All garage work involves equal measures of enthusiasm, ingenuity and a fair degree of irresponsibility.

Hey mick just been through this with my deluxe. The problem you have is the metal has stretched and needs to be re shrunk.

There is a few options

heat shrink the area. Heat until cherry red then quench. Have to be good which im not.

use a shrinking hammer and dolly but will still have ripples just smaller ones.

And one I have just found out about but not tried is a stainless steel shrinking disc on the grinder. It supposably works really well but I havent tried yet.

probly havent helped you much but there is a few idead for you too look at.

Rodney

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The best part of fixing your mini is the test drive

Minis..

1976 van daily drive
1975 van
1968 deluxe in the shed
1967 deluxe high strung 1310
1959 austin healey sprite

I'm going through a few options online. Most use presses and dollies to massage the metal out. I have half a mind to start here, and move onto using heat from a butane bottle like you recommend above. I'm keen not to cause as many ripples as I remove however. Luckily where it is means I have open access to the other side.

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SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

All garage work involves equal measures of enthusiasm, ingenuity and a fair degree of irresponsibility.

Have a look for the stainless shrinking discs. Meant to be the best thing

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The best part of fixing your mini is the test drive

Minis..

1976 van daily drive
1975 van
1968 deluxe in the shed
1967 deluxe high strung 1310
1959 austin healey sprite

Not sure about a small ripple Mick, but I am about to find out how to get rid of a big arse ripple Bog around the arch didn't look promising as the paint was coming off



It looked even worse once the paint was all off......



Large ridge visible right across the top of the wheel arch, sits proud about 1/4 inch and has recessed the lip of the arch inwards probably just as far as well. Is going to be a bitch to get out, guess I am going to learn some new skills

Just love what you find under old paint and bog

CJ

Its always better to be honest with the damage one has to deal with I find. You feel better about the finished job.

How do those arch ripples come into being? I find it hard to accept that so many cars have had side swipes so neatly done to shift the arch in and cause the long depression in the side panel.

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SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

All garage work involves equal measures of enthusiasm, ingenuity and a fair degree of irresponsibility.

re the heat shrinking, you can do this with a carbon electrode + bracket, held in the MIG torch. More repeatable than using a gas torch.
I made one up for Simon K a while back, and gave him 1/2 my carbon too.
He may have a pic of it in use, I don't.

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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.

I have no idea how it got there, all I know is I won't be filling it with bog like the previous owner did.......... Talking to my instructor of all things beating of metal it will involve the application of heat and hammers to shrink it back, along with a healthy serving of cursing and lots of sweat was his advice. As for the specifics I guess I will find out in the next few weeks as I only get to work on my car one afternoon a week normally

One thing to keep in mind you could start chasing it when you hot shrink I would use a slapper and dolly first before I put heat on it

I have a dolly set, by a slapper do you mean the curved dollies?

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SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

All garage work involves equal measures of enthusiasm, ingenuity and a fair degree of irresponsibility.

Just google "slapper", what could go wrong.

Google highlights Goulburn nightlife Mick, is this what you meant?


I've gone at it with the curved dollies from behind, just held it in my palm and used the dolly so it matches the curve of the panel and it seems to have removed most of the ripples straight up..I might have over analyzed this...

I'm going to give it a few coats of spray putty and see how the panel sands up. I'll put some images up soon.

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SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

All garage work involves equal measures of enthusiasm, ingenuity and a fair degree of irresponsibility.

There is nightlife in Goulburn?? Oh, you must mean in the gaol...

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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.