I have some panel replacement coming up soon, and am not sure how to tackle this properly. The panels needing replacement will be both front wings and the whole front panel (grille and indicators). I know the panels are spot welded together... but I would just like some advice on how to cleanly get the panels apart and off the body.

And then, since I do not own a spot welder... what would be best for attaching the new panels? (other than pop rivets ) My thought would be to drill 6mm holes along the new top mounting flanges, and arc welding through the hole to the flange below it. Would this be good enough?????

AND one more thing.... the shell is currently sitting on that castor trolley I made... Should I get the car back on subframes before attempting to reattatch the new panels, or will it be okay???

Ta.

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[NATHAN] -- Sold everything mini related and am back in big beautiful BMWs

You can get a spot weld drill bit to drill out all the welds, i think they are harder than normal as the spot welds are quite hard, i ruined a few normal bits on my cars. The best way to put them back is to do as you say and drill holes and weld thru them. I think most joins are then hidden under the seam cover(not sure of name) so they are not visable. Good luck with it.
Steve.

use a air saw to to remove most of the metal like the gaurd and leave the gutters on the car ......... hmmmm i'll get brian to post to this he just did his car
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".

Currently doing mine, by drilling out the spots and then using a cold chisel le ell hmm to pop the "missed" spot edges. A drill sharpened 30 degree helps save the base panel. Finally you can tack weld the new pannels on and then check with a string line the datum points.

PS Use weld through primer on the meeting faces of the joins.

I can't comment on the rest of the job but arc welding is not suitable to re attach the panels. Mig preferable or oxy if you have no other choice. If you have no experience at welding it might be an idea to get a few pointers from someone to save yourself a lot of problems. Don't forget to isolate all the electrical system before arc or Mig welding.

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Chris

Everything I like is either
illegal, immoral or fattening.

MIG welding thru holes drilled in the guard (plug welding) is stronger than the original spot welds. They can be dressed down flush then painted.
Far less distortion than oxy welding, which I have used too.
Some MIG welders (like my Kemppi) have a spot weld timer- I can do the welds without drilling holes first. But, you must have clean, shiny metal on top & in between the 2 steel sheets, or the welds will be weak.

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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.

Docs got it, use a mig and remember youll curse if you have to unstich the welds post mig. get it right the first time.

You should practice as much as you can, as welding light gauge steel is quite difficult - you need penetration without burn-through. Plug welds are the way to go, as you can't really seam weld. Basically 'filling up' an 8mm hole in the upper panel, welding it to the lower one.

Also, a 115mm or smaller angle grinder is useful. Use a metal cutting disc for more control and you can carefully dress-up the mating surfaces. Just wear goggles - I've shagged the second pair of lenses in my specs with sparks...

Oh, and borrow/find as many vice grips to hold the panels while you're lining them up.

Remember that when cutting with a grinder the sparks can go a long way. I have blown up a battery on a truck by using an angle grinder 2 metres away.
The sparks can also damage your windows. The hot bits of metal stick to the glass and melt.

Best cutting discs for sheet metal are the thin, 1mm thick ones.. they leave smaller gaps and make less swarf!

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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.

Air nibblers or shears are also great

And when they fly apart?

I know a bloke whos father got killed by a grinding disc.

Use a full clear visor over glasses. saves fogging and protects all the face. Like this

http://www.queenslandsafety.com.au/imag ... eguard.jpg

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Chris

Everything I like is either
illegal, immoral or fattening.

Aha...

Aha...

Aha...

Yep...

Looks like i'm gonna pay someone to do it for me. Meh.

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[NATHAN] -- Sold everything mini related and am back in big beautiful BMWs

Discs shouldn't break these days, I have been through more than 60 on my project and haven't had a problem (apart from almost cutting my thumb off, but thats another story)...

Cheers

Matt

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225hp atw on 14psi. 1/4 Mile no idea. Take one 1971 Mini Clubman, one Starlet GT Halfcut, Simmer over a warm MIG Welder, and Voila Minstar! www.mpdesign.id.au