I'm very new to the world of bodywork and my first project is to repair a door. Overall l think the door is in good shape but l have had encountered a couple of small areas of rust and l am hesitant in how to attack it!

The pic below shows 2 small areas of rust, l have a donor door for material and l was intending of removing the rusted section and replace with good metal, my question is what is the best tool to neatly cut the vertical section of metal, my 4 inch grinder is way to big to remove it with causing further damage, dremel.......? Or am l going overkill removing this metal, rust convertor and move on?




2nd area shows small areas of rust again l have a donor piece to replace or do l fill the areas affected with my mig?




Any pointers in general rust repair is greatly appreciated, prep, products and tools to use etc??

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SPO41 Mk2 Cooper S very original
1993 R32 Nissan Skyline GTR

For the top pic I would just convert it.

The second pic you could try to weld the holes with a mig

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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 always try and remove as little original metal as possible. The first photo I couldnt really see the problem. The second photo, if you are able to weld the spots I would try that. If it doesnt go so well you can just cut out a small patch out and replace with a small piece of sheet.
I use a selection of angle grinders, die grinder with carbide burrs, tin snips, 50mm air sander (brilliant little tool) and either a mig or tig welder.

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1963 Morris 850 Smoke Grey
1963 Morris 850 Shadow Blue
1965 Morris Mini Smooth Van
1966 Morris Mini Van
1969 Morris Mini Deluxe Resto
5/72 Clubman Gt

Beat me to it rodney!

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1963 Morris 850 Smoke Grey
1963 Morris 850 Shadow Blue
1965 Morris Mini Smooth Van
1966 Morris Mini Van
1969 Morris Mini Deluxe Resto
5/72 Clubman Gt

Speaking of learning how to do bodywork, is there anywhere you can actually learn bodywork from these days or is it really just self taught for those who don't want to take up a full time job? When ever I look for short courses etc there is nothing about (maybe that's because I live in the blackhole called Adelaide........)

And flap discs the best grinding discs for smoothing out welds

Theres a gregorys book about body work my copy has 3-4 pics of a mini in it
http://www.haynes.com.au/prod1541.htm

Theres also a painting one too
http://www.haynes.com.au/prod1542.htm

The only problem I have with flap disc's are they are soft. They form around the hump of the weld a bit so it doesnt go flat. If you go to far with it you end up with thin sections next to your weld.
I just carefully you a normal grinding disc and finish it of with the small sander to smooth it off. Also dont bother using anything other than the ultra thin cutting wheels to cut the panel steel. Leaves a nice clean sharp edge that doesnt heat the panel to much.

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1963 Morris 850 Smoke Grey
1963 Morris 850 Shadow Blue
1965 Morris Mini Smooth Van
1966 Morris Mini Van
1969 Morris Mini Deluxe Resto
5/72 Clubman Gt

Struggling to fill the holes in the side of the jamb it seems to be just blowing out the hole, I've turned down the mig and literally giving it a quick zap on the edge of the hole. Im guessing the metal has thinned out from the corrosion or maybe it's me on the mig. I'm going to practice tomorrow on some more scrap!

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SPO41 Mk2 Cooper S very original
1993 R32 Nissan Skyline GTR

Dont hold the mig tip to close either. Quick 1-2 second bursts, wait 10 seconds and go again. Dont start the weld right on the edge of the rust, try starting 3-4mm back where the metal might be a bit thicker and work your way in from there. Heat is the enemy.

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1963 Morris 850 Smoke Grey
1963 Morris 850 Shadow Blue
1965 Morris Mini Smooth Van
1966 Morris Mini Van
1969 Morris Mini Deluxe Resto
5/72 Clubman Gt

A good tip when filling holes with a mig is to hold a plate of copper behind the hole and lightly tack on the edge of the hole. The weld will not bond to the copper and after a few quick tacks (dont go crazy or it will get too hot and warp) you should fill the hole.

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1969 Cooper S

Thanks for the advice guys really appreciate it. I've done a lot of research, read 3 books on welding, painting and general panel beating and probably 100 youtube videos, but the the most confusing part for a beginner like myself is all the conflicting ways of addressing such issues.

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SPO41 Mk2 Cooper S very original
1993 R32 Nissan Skyline GTR

Any pointers on where to get a cheap 50mm air sander?

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SPO41 Mk2 Cooper S very original
1993 R32 Nissan Skyline GTR

Anyone want to right up a page in the how to section to ! I've had a look as well womble and there doesn't seem to be anything for a person to attend a night class at tafe unless you are entering a apprenticeship

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SPO41 Mk2 Cooper S very original
1993 R32 Nissan Skyline GTR

Practice makes perfect. You just need to find a way that suits you. I grew up welding rusty stuff so I'm used to it!
I got my sander from Jeffersons paint supllies on ebay.
eBay item number: 121357503453

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1963 Morris 850 Smoke Grey
1963 Morris 850 Shadow Blue
1965 Morris Mini Smooth Van
1966 Morris Mini Van
1969 Morris Mini Deluxe Resto
5/72 Clubman Gt

Regarding short courses..... sadly most of the TAFEs technical colleges etc have drastically reduced their offerings .... as Davem pointed out , these TAFEs are now targeting Cert 3 and 4 courses( core business ) and even though some of the short courses were quite profitable, it would seem to me that rather than keep the short courses they have downsized due to ongoing pressures.. For me the big travesty is seeing the multimillion dollar facilities sitting idle for long periods. Darryl ( just my opinion)