over the last couple of weeks i have been thinking about stripping my mini down to parts and buying a rolling shell, or fixing my rust, i will post pics later on this evening, i have rust in the bottom sills, both left and right, and in the piller that sits near my foot and passenger, and in the part behind the roof lining near the driver head. i need other poeples pics to compare. i know there is a place that sells panels around, have no idea of who he is and his prices,

cheers
pics to come

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any parts for a 76 clubby pm me or ring 0405 329 326

http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=44717

You can see some of my rust and repairs here: http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=8515

Some other pics not in that thread:





I'd say do it if you enjoy the work. Don't underestimate the time it takes.

Otherwise there are a few decently priced shells around at the moment.

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"Life is not like a box of chocolates... it's more like a jar of jalapenos. Whatever you do today, may burn your arse tomorrow."

thats exactly what i wanted pics, i was thinking i should do it myself, i can weld better than my plumber, i nearly do it for a living, im a apprentice boat builder and some of the work we do is cut out the rust in a steel hull and weld in a new peice, cars are slightly off track they have more of a frame made into the body, where my rust is frame, im only realy conserned about one spot, near the drivers head, i peeled back the lining for the roof to take a picture, battery ran out but what i saw was more than last time, i could see where a frame used to be, can i weld in a thicker gauge steel for extra strength or is this going to stress other parts,

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any parts for a 76 clubby pm me or ring 0405 329 326

http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=44717

I would be quite comfortable welding in more steel - I don't think it would "pass on" the stress to any other part of the car. These old English cars weren't designed on computer with crash resistance in mind (For example, the roof is there to keep you dry rather than add stiffness to the shell ), and when they age, the steel gets thinner throughout, so more steel added is better. It's also what engineers will be looking for, and they'd rather see new steel welded in than body filler...

It makes me wonder sometimes - if you get rust holes, surely the car must have a lot less strength overall and the holes are just symptomatic of this decline. Patching one area is okay, but the overall chassis is getting weaker. That's why I don't particularly trust my Mini to protect my kids and why they are restricted to small drives around the neighbourhood.

In my experience thicker steel is ok for floors and corners. Welding thicker steel into larger flat panels causes buckling and warping of the panel.

But yeah, show us some pictures of your rust.

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"Life is not like a box of chocolates... it's more like a jar of jalapenos. Whatever you do today, may burn your arse tomorrow."

hey zizzle
how did you clean the underside of your car
what the best thing to use to strip the underside down with
what did you roll your mini over onto

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Cheers Dan

FIRST COMES THE MONEY, THEN COMES THE POWER, THEN COMES THE WOMEN.!!

For removing the tar, get a scraper or and old chisel. My was quite hard & brittle and chipped off where is was thick. Some people recommend a heat gun, but I reckon cold and brittle makes it easier. Then Wire wheel in an angle grinder.

I rolled my mini over onto it's own wheel, but if doing it all again would build a rotisserie.

The shell it quite light. I'm only a little bloke but can roll it around all day with ease. When pushed, can also pick the lot up with the help of who ever is around (including the GF).

Here you can see it sitting on the tyres:


If you are going to take the time to build a trolley, spend the little extra to make it a rotisserie.



And don't skimp on the wheels. The $2 jobbies from Supercrap are made of this lame rubbery stuff that eventually comes appart.

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"Life is not like a box of chocolates... it's more like a jar of jalapenos. Whatever you do today, may burn your arse tomorrow."

yeah, i thought thicker would be better, i got the pics, the part near the corner of the roof is the one im most concerned about,

_________________
any parts for a 76 clubby pm me or ring 0405 329 326

http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=44717