I have a 1968 Cooper S which has a problem of badly fitting front panels. The guards (new) have a sticker under them saying genuine 'Veng group of companies' which seems to be located in the USA and the front panel section (also new) has the number Rover 05679114.

The guards on the outer edge where it curves around from the front have about 5mm overhang of the front panel, but all else lines up ok. The bonnet when down has about an 8mm gap either side to the guards.

Can anyone tell me if the Rover front panel is identical to the original mini one as the guards seem to sit neatly/correctly across the front above the parking light area. If I move the guards inwards that will close the gap at the bonnet and remove the overhang at the sides, but will they sit correctly on the contours of the front panel.

Graham

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1974 Leyland Clubman
Lots of good machines

Of all the things I have lost, I miss my mind the most.

That front panel could well be a UK one that has been put on without the mounts it is supposed to have and so will be further back than its supposed to be by about 3 quarters of an inch or so , just looking at the pictures it has all the indications that this is the case, really full guards, large gaps and overlap on bonnet at the front .
To put it right the best thing to do and probly the quickest in the long run would be to remove the guards and front panel , may have to pull the inner valances forward a bit to release the stress on them and get them forward where they are supposed to be and then fit the guards and front panel .
A bad repair on a previous accident, always good fun!
A good start would be to measure the distance from the bulkhead crossbar to the inner edge of the top bar of the front panel, anything less than 16 and a quarter inches is a problem, use the point closest to the center of the car on the vertical gusset where it meets the bulkhead crossbar and the point closest to where the front panel top bar meets the inner valance for the measurement above .
I would also unbolt the front panel from the front of the subframe and see what happens , could well be a lot of stress there stuffing things up, these couple of checks are quick and easy to do and will help build a picture of whats wrong .
Hope this helps a bit,
John.

John, I think you are on the money, the offside flitch panel has been replaced/repaired badly and it looks like both sides have been worked on back to the bulkhead, some very dodgy welding under the sealant and holding the guards in place, some sections not in line with other bits, so it looks like the whole front will be coming off in the future when the rotisserie is vacant. Thanks for the input, going to require a bit more work than previously thought. Think that the panels will be ok with a bit of convincing.

Graham

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1974 Leyland Clubman
Lots of good machines

Of all the things I have lost, I miss my mind the most.

I remember now the small opening at one end of the front panel is a sign of a replacement panel. The originals were solid here.

You'll need to also to replace the vertical brace with a angled one if you want an oil cooler refitted, and fold back part of the lower edge of the grille opening.

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68 Morris Cooper S Mk1 (*ex 78 1275 LS 4th last built, 70 Morris 1500 OHC & 70 MiniMatic)

IIRC there is a difference between UK and OZ pressings but I don't know what the detail differences are.
Since it is a 68 S it would have had OZ pressed panels originally.
An acquaintance that rallied an 850 bodied Mini mentioned this.
Contact/PM "Flapper" on Ausmini, he has the Mini collection at Ancona, as he may be able to help.

RonR

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68 build Mk1 Cooper S
72 Clubman GT project. Total restoration required

The replacement front panel I used some years ago is here.

It is different from the one in the photos in the original post. I had to close over the opening too, and take of the brackets for the number plate mount, replacing them with the ones from a donor Deluxe.
The reason for replacing the front panel should be obvious, but the reason why the distortion was created during a repair is not so.