bunglebus Posted June 6, 2022 Share Posted June 6, 2022 3 hours ago, Joey spud said: it's annoying that little patches and repairs take far longer than anticipated a days gone and there's little to show for it. Oh I don't know, I like seeing metal where once there was rust or a hole. Great progress 👍🏻 Low Horatio gearbox and Joey spud 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joey spud Posted September 4, 2022 Author Share Posted September 4, 2022 I am about ready to turn Boris around and start on the nearside so needed to fit the suspension back on. The upright and the trunnions are not that old and just required new seals/bushes fitting along with a good lube up. The chassis leg where the lower arm pivot bolt fixes was suffering from cracking so needed a couple of runs of weld to beef it up again. The lower arm bolt has had the soggy rubber bushes replaced with poly ones also a 3mm washer has been added to give the set up a bit more negative camber which is a common Minor modification. There's still a few bits of welding to join up around the floor and centre cross member but all the grot has now gone from the offside. Low Horatio gearbox, Tickman, GrumpiusMaximus and 27 others 30 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joey spud Posted September 4, 2022 Author Share Posted September 4, 2022 I finished bolting this corner together this afternoon. When I pulled it apart I didn't mark where the arms where in relation to the splines on the torsion bar and had a bastard time getting the ride height fairly level with the near side. Although they're still ok and just lightly pitted Boris could do with a new pair of discs (Marina/Ital jobbies) but the cheapest I can find are £45 each and I am way too mean to pay that I thought solid discs for an unloved bit of 70's Porridge would only be about £40 a pair. JMotor, tooSavvy, RayMK and 13 others 16 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joey spud Posted September 12, 2022 Author Share Posted September 12, 2022 My cleaned up suspension had started to rust after just one week so I decided to give everything a thick brush coat of waxoyl to seal it. I keep seeing ads for that lanogaurd stuff and wonder if it would be any better than waxoyl brushed on once a year. I did still have a bit more welding to do on the offside in the shape of the lower quarter repair panel and the last bit of the inner arch. It actually went in really well. Instead of doing a continuous welded seam on the outside where the repair joins the quarter panel and introducing loads of distortion and extra work I have just tacked it on with a handfull of welds on the inside of the quarter instead with no distortion. It's not as if it's a critical structural panel. Dyslexic Viking, JMotor, Shite Ron and 13 others 16 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joey spud Posted September 23, 2022 Author Share Posted September 23, 2022 A couple of coats of high zinc content paint,PU seam sealer as required and two litres of Gravitex stone chip later Boris's offside welding is officially complete. I was never aiming for show winning standard repairs more a rot free honest car that wears its many blemishes with pride and one that won't need welding up again anytime soon. I'm going to turn him around this weekend and have a poke at his nearside rotten bits which from memory were not quite as bad as the offside in as much as the passenger door was still able to open and close without needing to be lifted a couple of inches. I have a house move planned for the middle of next year so really need to pull my finger out. puddlethumper, bunglebus, RobT and 24 others 27 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joey spud Posted September 24, 2022 Author Share Posted September 24, 2022 Back on the floor after nearly two years I really need to get my finger out. I needed Boris to move under his own power to turn him around but the extra bracing I had added was in the way of the pedals so had to go for the moment The clutch and brake pedals share the same semi seized pivot shaft which currently makes forward momentum a bit erratic. With the car back on its wheels I was pleased to find the driver's door still opens and closes without catching. I really like these 13" eight spokes and can see me swapping between the wide 14's and these as my mood takes me. Despite the scary rot the nearside is slightly better as the door fits ok and so the hinge panel can be patched rather than replaced. And an added bonus after fiddling with the carb and distributor settings I have now got the engine to Idle smoothly and rev cleanly without bogging down. And the clutch operation is a bit too fierce for my liking (it's either in or out) but all the linkage is very worn and dry so I think it can be improved later on. RayMK, Dyslexic Viking, tooSavvy and 21 others 24 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joey spud Posted September 26, 2022 Author Share Posted September 26, 2022 This side is a bit better (honest) but it still all needs chopping out and replacing. The leaf springs front mount isn't too bad but has been welded on (many years ago) at very jaunty angle so can't stay either. The majority of the welded repairs to the floor and sill area have been done very well but it has just rotted out again.I think a lot of the rot has been caused by poor corrosion protection of the fresh metal and water ingress via leaky door and window seals. I have in stock a rear spring hanger,sill/floor panels,lower quarter panel,centre cross member repair section and a hinge pillar panel (dubious quality) but i still need another £80 worth of pressed tin to complete the jig-saw. As I went front to back last time I thought I would go back to front this time and start by replacing the spring hanger box section. An old Toyota Hiace scissor jack is a great tool for pushing the leaf spring out of the way and helping to align it when the shackle needed to be fitted again. This was more involved than the offside one as the boot floor which is sandwiched between the spring hanger and the inner wings box section had turned to horrible brown rust flakes so had to be cut out and replaced before I could fit the new hanger. It all went in ok,i had drilled 8mm holes into the hanger so i could plug weld it to the floor/inner wing and then seam/tack weld everywhere else. It's going to need a few high welds dressing back as I had the welder turned up to 11 when it really didn't need to be. Also on this side the boot floor above the axle bump stop plate will need to remade too and obviously the boxing in of the inner wing to back panel will need completing. Matty, LightBulbFun, Jenson Velcro and 17 others 20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remspoor Posted September 27, 2022 Share Posted September 27, 2022 That red hydraulic jack. I had one, before that it was my grandad's. Mine went a few years ago as it was slowly sinking all the time. I looked into getting new seals but that proved to much here in Spain. I found it could take the wight of my car(s) but the wheelbase is short so at times the jack would look and felt to be unstable. If it is the same brand then these were made in Japan. My jack must have been around 50 years old before it went to the great skip in the sky. You are so lucky in having ready made panels. My Westminster has hardly any repair patches. What is available is expensive and even more so as I would have extra costs for international postage and importation taxes. great work Joey spud and Cavcraft 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joey spud Posted September 27, 2022 Author Share Posted September 27, 2022 I found that old jack in the long grass on the hard shoulder of the A2 near Canterbury years ago. It also creaps a bit over a couple of days. And yes cheap panels must have kept hundreds of old Minors on the road over the years. Remspoor and Cavcraft 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joey spud Posted October 13, 2022 Author Share Posted October 13, 2022 The paint on some parts of Boris is odd in that it definitely isn't cellulose. The coating on this door I'm guessing is similar to an old school oil based paint that you used to paint your house with before the inferior water based stuff was invented. It polishes up nicely and I like all the blemishes it retains but if I dare go near it with acrylic or cellulose paint it wrinkles badly so I think I will be painting all of my repairs with an oil based enamel which to be honest will probably help create the 80's scruffy ''Rat Mog'' look I am aiming for. And the final three bits of the floor/sill jig-saw arrived yesterday from ESM the Morris Minor botherers down in Sussex. LightBulbFun, Remspoor, GrumpiusMaximus and 5 others 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joey spud Posted October 13, 2022 Author Share Posted October 13, 2022 Anyway while the outside of the door is mostly OK its bottom has rotted out much like the drivers side had. On that one I bought a lower skin repair panel to fix the rot and then spent an absolute eternity trying to make good all the distortion I had created with the welding so this time I went for a simpler fix that may not be how you're supposed to do it but it'll do for me. The pictures say it all really I welded the pin holes to the plate I had tacked behind them it's solid enough for a door skin and should last a while once the inside of the door is thoroughly painted/waxed etc and decent window weather strips are fitted. Apparently Marina drop glass weather strips fit and are far more efficient at keeping the rain out of the door. Zinc paint and seam sealer applied and it almost looks passable as a repair. RobT, Dyslexic Viking, RayMK and 15 others 18 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joey spud Posted October 18, 2022 Author Share Posted October 18, 2022 The door has been filled and I managed to prime it by building up a couple of light/dry coats of acrylic paint first to stop the gray paint reacting. The spring hanger and boot floor has now been boxed in and seam welded where required. The black zinc coating has been applied and once hardened I will add seam sealer to any areas that need it. I have gone big and bought a load of cheap cutting/flap discs. I wasn't expecting them to be long lasting but they are far better than the Silverline and Parweld ones I have been munching through lately. Tickman, LightBulbFun, Dyslexic Viking and 17 others 20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danthecapriman Posted October 18, 2022 Share Posted October 18, 2022 Great progress on this, it’s looking really solid now. I love your little welding trolley too!👍 Joey spud 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joey spud Posted November 12, 2022 Author Share Posted November 12, 2022 I have now renewed the quarter light and window runner seals. And as I had some wrinkle finish paint left over from doing the Honda cam cover I tried it on the scruffy radiator,it went on ok but I'm not sure tbh. Then I started picking at the loose paint in the engine bay and now I'm going to have to paint here too. tooSavvy, Cavcraft, GrumpiusMaximus and 8 others 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiC Posted November 12, 2022 Share Posted November 12, 2022 I could do with recrinkling my Midget dash. Is it a hard process from a crinkle spray can to master or straightforward? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joey spud Posted November 12, 2022 Author Share Posted November 12, 2022 Right that's enough fannying about,its stopped raining so it's time to annoy my neighbours and fire up the angle grinder. If the inner step section is ok then it makes it easier to align the new panels up but on this car both sides had been plated along their entire length with a section of angled steel so it really had to go,so I took a few photos and measurements and cut it out along with half of the centre cross member and a fair bit of flakey floor. There's a fair bit of fabricating on the front arch ahead. After much trimming and tweaking that's the step tacked in where I think it should be so happy days. Jenson Velcro, catsinthewelder, tooSavvy and 8 others 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joey spud Posted November 12, 2022 Author Share Posted November 12, 2022 9 hours ago, SiC said: I could do with recrinkling my Midget dash. Is it a hard process from a crinkle spray can to master or straightforward? I just watched a couple of vids on YouTube,read the instructions on the can and went for it. On the Rad i cleaned all the old paint off then laid down three thick coats leaving ten mins between each layer (the more coats you apply the better the wrikle will develop,it looks like the paint is on too thick and will run/sag but it doesn't) then left it another ten mins and fired up a 2000w heat gun and gently warmed up the surface (held about 20cms away). After five mins or so the paint surface begins to wrinkle so I move the heat to an area that has yet to react and get that area started too. Once the whole surface had wrinkled I left it well alone for a day to fully harden. Matty and SiC 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matty Posted November 12, 2022 Share Posted November 12, 2022 How much still to do? Dya reckon you'll get it on the road for summer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joey spud Posted November 12, 2022 Author Share Posted November 12, 2022 On 12/11/2022 at 08:25, Matty said: How much still to do? Dya reckon you'll get it on the road for summer? My problem is i can only work on the car outside and my mojo always dips when the clocks change too. That said i have a house move planned for next year and so it'll need to be mobile and i have just handed my notice in so i will have far more free time now as long as i can motivate myself to go out side in the cold. And i am also a bit weird in that i get much more pleasure from fixing stuff than having a perfect example stashed away. I reckon there's about 2/3rds of the welding now completed,the n/s front suspension and brake need refurbing along with new axle seals,cylinders and shoes on the rear end.A bit of tinkering with the clutch/brake pedal assembly is needed too. Then it's fit up the wings and lights etc,i am still unsure what rear lamps to use i think i will go with Beetle 1200 units with all red US spec lens. Being 63 years old it doesn't need to visit the mot man to go straight out onto the road again which seems wrong but hay ho. Interior and paint work can wait till whenever really so yeah i would hope to get it on the road even if it's as running project next Summer. Matty, Remspoor, tooSavvy and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matty Posted November 12, 2022 Share Posted November 12, 2022 Running projects best way isn't it. That way if something needs doing, the motivations there to keep it on the road. Looks great so far pal 👍 Joey spud 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Back_For_More Posted November 12, 2022 Share Posted November 12, 2022 I may have missed it... Sorry if I did. What is the black zinc coating you're using and I saw but now can't find - the pic of the underseal you've sprayed on.. Need to go shopping and it looks decent stuff you're using. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joey spud Posted November 13, 2022 Author Share Posted November 13, 2022 I have been using this primer and i am happy with it. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/203849124092 It seems to stick well to unpainted,slightly roughed up steel and hardens up nicely obviously there's much better stuff out there but it was affordable and so within my modest Boris budget. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/202510024635?var=502546790081 This stuff i think is excellent but i only use on special occasions. Remspoor, SiC and Cavcraft 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joey spud Posted November 13, 2022 Author Share Posted November 13, 2022 I got a bit more done yesterday in-between grass cutting,dog walking and quaffing beer/watching football this stiffener panel seemed like the next bit to add. Usually i get my Minor panels from Andy Eggleton down near Bristol and have always been happy with their quality and fit but his emporium was shut for a week recently so I got this step from ESM in Sussex and disapointingly its a bit off in terms of length and crispness of the pressing which annoyingly slows you down when everything else relies on it being the right shape. Going by my somewhat vague measurements I needed the step to move out and up a few mm before I added the stiffener and tacked it all into the remains of front arch panel so my faithful Toyota jack and lump of wood came to my aid. It don't look much but i am happy the front and rear are tied together again. My new inverter welder has been in action too and I am getting used to it compared to my old Sealey mig. It is a nice bit of kit and very controlable i can weld very thin steel with far less fear of burning holes where as the Sealey you would blow a hole and then have to to 'tippy-toe' around welding up the damage. But it is a welder that can't be rushed it seems (to me anyway) that to get the best results I have to slow down the speed at which I work where as the 150a Sealey was a bit more of a 'bish-bosh sorted' machine. It is growing on me though and does a very clean job of creating plug welds. Here's something to do when it's raining next I need to disect this as I need to reuse this bit of B post. Banger Kenny, bunglebus, Remspoor and 10 others 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joey spud Posted December 31, 2022 Author Share Posted December 31, 2022 End of year update time I guess. This little bit of B post (which is £14 to buy) survived being removed from the remains of the floor/lower quarter panel. As it's a bit soggy up the shed end of the garden this time of year i laid a couple of rows of these slabs/tiles/things down. Over time the hope is the grass will grow though them and give me a bit more of a robust working surface. I decided to concentrate my efforts on restoring the front floor and inner wing/A post first and then tackle the rear quarter and floor/spring mount later. Along with a sill to floor repair panel this outter panel seemed like the next obvious bit of tin to align and stitch in as it gave me a solid point to reattach the A post to which was missing its lower extremities. Shite Ron, mk2_craig, Dyslexic Viking and 12 others 15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joey spud Posted December 31, 2022 Author Share Posted December 31, 2022 Then it went and snowed which was mildly annoying. Boris came with a pair of pattern part A posts that were stamped ''Henric" who I think we're a Minor parts supplier from back in the 80's alas like the drivers side one previously this passenger side one was way out on its hinge mounting holes alignment to fit as a complete panel but I was able to use it bottom couple of inches to tie the A post to the outter sill. Now the A post is hopefully still in the right place (won't know until I hang the door again) I could deal with the rot/missing inner arch and inner wing. At this time of year when I start late and I am loosing the light i have been known to slip in to "bish,bash,bosh,that'll fecking do mode"so while it's not overly pretty the inner arch has been reinstated. Before adding this panel I painted everything I couldn't later get to with lashings of zinc paint. I have been using 1.2mm Zintec steel for any homemade repair patches,it's a bit too thick really but is lovely to weld with. Finally I just needed to plug weld on the A post/hinge closing panel,I had it all trimmed to size and prepped ready to go when I ran out of gas.. So that's where Boris and I are currently at until I can collect another cylinder of argoshield light next year. Can I just say a big thank you to anyone who has ticked a like box or added a random comment its been a crap year for sure i have lost my Father and Father in Law (not to mention two stinky mutts) it means a lot and helps keep me plodding along. 2flags, Saabnut, mrbenn and 22 others 25 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mk2_craig Posted December 31, 2022 Share Posted December 31, 2022 Great update Mr Spud!! Definitely looking forward to seeing you get this one back on the road. Are you finding that a lot of work relates to rectifying previous restoration* efforts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joey spud Posted December 31, 2022 Author Share Posted December 31, 2022 34 minutes ago, mk2_craig said: Great update Mr Spud!! Definitely looking forward to seeing you get this one back on the road. Are you finding that a lot of work relates to rectifying previous restoration* efforts? Thank you. As Boris is 64 years old next month and hasn't sat hidden away in a dry barn for years then he has obviously been got at over the years. Looking at the front chassis legs,sills and spring hanger replacement work he's had i think he had a restoration back in the late 80's / early 90's but alas over the next 30 years most of these new panels have rotted out again. I think if he hadn't of been refreshed back then then he wouldn't be here now to bother me in 2022. Shite Ron and mk2_craig 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artdjones Posted December 31, 2022 Share Posted December 31, 2022 You are doing well. How do you find shielding gas coverage outdoors? Joey spud 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matty Posted December 31, 2022 Share Posted December 31, 2022 Just now, Joey spud said: Then it went and snowed which was mildly annoying. Boris came with a pair of pattern part A posts that were stamped ''Henric" who I think we're a Minor parts supplier from back in the 80's alas like the drivers side one previously this passenger side one was way out on its hinge mounting holes alignment to fit as a complete panel but I was able to use it bottom couple of inches to tie the A post to the outter sill. Now the A post is hopefully still in the right place (won't know until I hang the door again) I could deal with the rot/missing inner arch and inner wing. At this time of year when I start late and I am loosing the light i have been known to slip in to "bish,bash,bosh,that'll fecking do mode"so while it's not overly pretty the inner arch has been reinstated. Before adding this panel I painted everything I couldn't later get to with lashings of zinc paint. I have been using 1.2mm Zintec steel for any homemade repair patches,it's a bit too thick really but is lovely to weld with. Finally I just needed to plug weld on the A post/hinge closing panel,I had it all trimmed to size and prepped ready to go when I ran out of gas.. So that's where Boris and I are currently at until I can collect another cylinder of argoshield light next year. Can I just say a big thank you to anyone who has ticked a like box or added a random comment its been a crap year for sure i have lost my Father and Father in Law (not to mention two stinky mutts) it means a lot and helps keep me plodding along. All this is why I bought a structurally sound car that needed work elsewhere! Brilliant as always, and be a really nice thing when you're through. Best of luck for the new year pal and hope to see this on the road terrorising people 👍 Joey spud 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunglebus Posted December 31, 2022 Share Posted December 31, 2022 I take my hat off to you doing all that outside. I don't have a garage either and feel like I should get a medal for doing an oil change in winter Matty and Joey spud 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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