Where do people typically source steel plate for cutting & patching 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."

donor car or pannel is a good start already the right profile if that bit is good on the donor part.. what areas need work?

A few spots below the windscreen pilars. A little in the back around the outer floor seams. Some around the door hinge holes drivers side.

So mostly flat profiles.

I know I can get replacement shaped parts for the tricky bits. minimania.com is giving errors at the moment, but has pics of some replacement panels.

You are more than welcome to come take a look sometime.

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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 could pop down sometime if your free.. mob no 0400796515 give us a bell

I always raid the offcuts/scrap bin at my friendly local engineering shop.

Never paid for steel offcuts yet!

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Brett Nicholson
Greendale (near Ballan) VIC.
1971 Morris Mini Moke
1966 Austin Mini
1965 Morris Mini Traveller
1973 LR Series 3 88
2007 LR Freelander 2

Old appliances are pretty good. Computer cabinets, fridges, etc.
But you don't want galvanised sheet- the zinc coating makes the arc unstable and you will blow holes and f*** it up.

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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.

have a look round your freindly panlebeater always bent bonnets boot lids doors and crap like that
makka


it's said that i'm posting now but finnished work late had a fight with managment at the local so i came home with the crap's and drinking jack at home (
makka

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Anonymous moderation means the agro that is built up towards the mods isn't aimed at an individual (fewer "Makk" attacks). Less stress for mods means less moderator "retirements".

I've been told it's always best to use similar vintage and source steel as what you are patching into, apparently they'll last better because they expand and contract at the same rate etc. - so use bits of mini body panels if you can get them.... I could cut a few pieces and post them to you, but I'm sure one of the boys on here near you would have a rusted out door or bootlid you could salvage some good metal out of

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did I tell you that I won a trophy?

Dissimilar to rust, but equally as annoying, what would be the quickest and cleanest way to "plug" up the hole in the passenger front fender where some dill has put in an aerial.

Yeah I need to fill that hole too.

Should be easy as there is good access from inside the guard.

Make up a small patch, hold it up from under, weld it from the top. Bog up the defecit.

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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."

Gotcha.. thought so.

Hey Doc, good timing. Our fridge died on NYE. You must have jinxed it or something!

Now have a new fridge and lots of spare metal.

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Brett Nicholson
Greendale (near Ballan) VIC.
1971 Morris Mini Moke
1966 Austin Mini
1965 Morris Mini Traveller
1973 LR Series 3 88
2007 LR Freelander 2

`tis the season for fridges.. water heaters go bang! in Winter though!

My fridge is playing up too. Keeps frosting the freezer panels, but it's not cold, won't even freeze a loaf of bread. Dr Fridge is coming on Thurs, wants $75 just to get out of the truck, then another ?$ every 15 mins.!
My wife (the eternal optimist) went out today and bought a `beer fridge' (a bit bigger than) to tide us over.
And I get to keep it afterwards! Man I love this girl..

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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.

Hmm. Fridges? Why not buy new steel? It's cheap and one sheet (2.4 x 1.2m) will enable you to repair a fleet of minis and is coated to stop corrosion. The problem with old steel is that if it came of a mini, it's already rusted and will have the wrong paint on it. And most likely the wrong curvature.

The only thing is steel merchants are usually not open in the weekend, so it's a trip during the week, and the sheets are a bit of a pain to handle, but one slice with an angle grinder and you've got something easier to manage. But it means when you need to replace (as I do) those little closing panels at each end of a rear valance, you can replace them with virgin (snigger) steel.

With the availability of cheap but quite good chinese air powered tools, panel work is now well within the reach of home garages now, and your results will be much much better. Snips are cheap but hard on your muscles after a while. Air shears and air nibblers are reasonable and work well, assuming you have a compressor.

Of course, it all depends on your budget. I assume you have a welder, so why not invest in a compressor, air nibbler or whatever and a spray gun? You're a self contained panel beater then, more or less. All you need to add is time, something I don't have a lot off...

Angus, interesting.

What thickness should I be asking for and how much should I expect to pay?

What are peoples thoughts on those cheap Chinese compressor and accessory kits that super cheap auto sell?

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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."