The Old Blokes Current Fleet + Ins And Outs, In MG ZS 120.

[The Old Bloke Next Door]

In response to several comments on another thread regarding my Fiat van and current fleet.

After leaving school I trained as a commercial vehicle body maker/fabricator/welder.
I had to quit the industry after eight years due to dermatitis, which in my case was caused by constant exposure to the oil residue on the sheet steel I was handling.
However I have made good use of the experience to repair the bodywork of numerous old bangers I have since owned over the years.
Anyway, here's the first instalment of repairing the body work of a terminally rotten Rover Metro.
I owned this in 2009 and it was destined for the scrap yard, however due to an unexpected turn of events I decided to restore it back into a road useable condition on a budget.  TBC.

 

[The Old Bloke Next Door]

Some background about the Metro and how its inevitable demise was delayed.
In 2008 my prospective son in law had gifted me a 1990 Rover Metro 1.1S, he had acquired it a couple of years earlier off the original owner from new, his Aunt.
It had done 156000 miles, drove very well and had about three months mot and tax left. I ran it until the mot expired then parked it up until I had the time to check it over and make a decision on what to do with it.

In early 2009 I had a good look at the state of the Metro's bodyshell, it was very poor structurally and usually I would have scrapped a car in that condition.
However due to the great and continuing depression of 2008, the price of scrap was on its arse.
Also I had just finished welding the chassis on an old Series Land Rover I was restoring and had almost two full bottles of gas left over from doing that.
And I had recently been told by a mate that a local motor factor was selling off a quantity of obsolete metro panels and mechanical components cheap.
So I visited the motor factors and agreed a deal on all of his parts, which included two sills and two rear wheel arch repair panels.

[The Old Bloke Next Door]

Although the Metro was in exceptional mechanical condition, the underneath needed a lot of work.
Both rear arch's, inner and outer sills, front jacking points and adjacent floor panel area, rear subframe front mounting points, drivers side inner wheel arch panel next to the floor, fuel filler and seat belt anchorage points and a couple of patch's on the rear valence panel.

When ever I undertake a major bodyshell welding job, I always do most of the worst side first.
Two reasons for this, leaving best side intact helps to prevent the shell from distorting and when the worst sides welding is finished, the better side won't take as long to complete.

First job was to remove most of the interior, this minimizes the risk of setting the car on fire during the welding process, allows easy access to the areas that need prepping and any fabrication of repair patch's, completing the welding and finally rust proofing the finished repair.
Next the car was jacked up and onto axle stands, and I always place two wheels and tyres and blocks of wood under the jacked area of the car.
This ensures that the shell is stable and will not fall off the axle stands while I'm underneath it. Then I remove the fuel tank as an extra safety precaution against the fuel igniting during the welding.
Believe me, you do not want to be anywhere near when a vehicle fuel tank explodes.

I should have pointed out that before jacking up any vehicle that needs structural repairs, its best to determine where to place the jack.
Quite often the original jacking points will collapse due to corrosion and if the shell is in poor condition it can twist when jacked from one corner.
I jacked the rear end of the Metro using a piece of 3x2 wood cut to fit inside the width of the front section of the sub frame.
Jacking from the centre of the wood batten raises the car evenly.

[The Old Bloke Next Door]

First stage of the repair was the rear subframe front mounting points. Although these were still intact, there was heavy corrosion around them and to effect a proper repair the subframe needs to be dropped for easier access.
Before attempting to undo the mounting bolts which go through the bottom of the end of arch next to the end of the sill and risking the whole area disintegrating due to the bolts being seized, I cut out a section of the adjacent area of the outer sill to access and then lubricate the captive nuts at the mounting points and leave the lubricant to soak in overnight.

First stage of the restoration took about a day, I did have an assistant to pass me the required tools and assist in removing the seats/trim/etc.

Elf and safety, protective clothing, eye protection, first aid kit, fire extinguisher and a fully charged mobile phone are also recommended.

[The Old Bloke Next Door]

Day two was repairing the area around both the front mounting points of the rear subframe.
Lubricating the fastener threads overnight had paid off, all six bolts were removed without stripping the threads and the mounting point structure remained intact, albeit very rusty and several areas were the metal had rusted away.
I then cleaned away all of the rotten metal, fabricated the repair sections welded them to what was left of the mounting points and the adjacent wheel arch section inside the rear of the sill.
This ensured that mounting points were now secure and I could remove the subframe.
The rear mounting point bolts of the subframe go into captive nuts inside a channel in the boot floor. Fortunately they were not corroded and were easy to undo.
I opted to drop the subframe onto the workshop floor while it was still connected to the suspension pipes, rather than disconnect them and pull the subframe completely out of the way.
The reason for this was subframe was in very good condition overall and I wouldn't need to reinflate the hydraulics, when it was refitted to the car.

[Matty]

10 hours ago, The Old Bloke Next Door said:

After leaving school I trained as a commercial vehicle body maker/fabricator/welder.
I had to quit the industry after eight years due to dermatitis, which in my case was caused by constant exposure to the oil residue on the sheet steel I was handling

That must've been a bastard. Been in engineering since 16 and never put a pair of gloves on yet. Weird how it gets some people not others. 

More please pal

[The Old Bloke Next Door]

8 minutes ago, Matty said:

That must've been a bastard. Been in engineering since 16 and never put a pair of gloves on yet. Weird how it gets some people not others. 

More please pal

This was 1971, and affected my hands and wrists, due to the nature of the job wearing gloves was not an option. NHS specialist advised me to get another job that did not involve frequently coming into contact with oil, so I quit and went self employed. A few months later the Dermatitis had cleared up.

[Matty]

1 hour ago, The Old Bloke Next Door said:

This was 1971, and affected my hands and wrists, due to the nature of the job wearing gloves was not an option. NHS specialist advised me to get another job that did not involve frequently coming into contact with oil, so I quit and went self employed. A few months later the Dermatitis had cleared up.

When did you go on the buses?

[The Old Bloke Next Door]

13 minutes ago, Matty said:

When did you go on the buses?

1975.

[The Old Bloke Next Door]

Day three, I fabricated and welded into a place a section for the drivers side rear arch subframe mounting point inner arch section next to the end of the sill. Then plug welded both repair sections and the mounting point bracket together.
Next I started the repair on the worst section of the shell, the drivers side rear arch outer skin panel and the inner arch itself.
Outer arch skin is a straight forward repair, cut out the rotten section, trim the repair panel to fit and then tack it into position.
While I 'm doing this I have left the rear door on the car as a guide to line up the the panel shut gap.
Then I cut out in stages all the rotten areas of the inner wheel arch, which were both seat belt securing brackets, the bottom of the arch next to the boot floor, the top section under the window and finally the section around the fuel filler inner aperture.
Fabricated the repair sections then tacked and 100 per cent welded them into place.
While I was doing that, my assistant, in between fire watch, was de-rusting the subframe, removing the hand brake cables and brake pipes.
The inner arch fuel filler section was a real pain to fabricate, I used a section of a damaged Fiat Uno front wing, cut, hammered into shape, trimmed to fit, then welded.
 

[The Old Bloke Next Door]

Day four, first repair is the floor area around the front drivers side jacking point.
I was out of sheet steel, however the car body repair shop in the adjacent unit usually has lots of damaged panels and shell sections from previously repaired vehicles.
That day there was a damaged Peugeot 309 bonnet available, cutting out the centre section of this provided a decent sized sheet that provided most of the sections I needed for repairing the various areas of rot on the Metro.
Although this was not flat it doesn't matter as most of the repair sections are curved to various degrees and can be fettled to fit the necessary sections needing replacement.
Car roof panels are the best source of steel section, unfortunately non were available at the time.
I cut out the rot around the jacking point, fabricated a repair panel then tacked it into position.
The rest of the drivers side floor and inner sill was unusually solid, only needing a few areas of rust treating.
Next process is removing the outer sill. My preferred method for doing this is firstly using a a jig saw to cut out the majority of the sill panel, then the remains where its spot welded to the inner sill can ground off.
The area is now ready to fit the new sill into position, using moles grips to secure the bottom edge and my assistant to hold the top section in place with a suitable steel bar while I tack welded the top and bottom sections.
While I 'm doing this the doors are still on the car to provide a reference for shut gaps and panel alignment.
Next is removing the doors and completing the welding process, grinding off any excess weld and finally a skim of body filler over all the joints of the repaired areas.

[The Old Bloke Next Door]

I didn't take any pictures of the drivers side of the car before I commenced the repair, so I don't have any before pictures or any of the repair process.
Referring to the first picture , the drivers side repair has now been completed apart from the body filler rubbed down and the external paint completed. The doors were removed for easy access to complete the welding, also the front wing was removed as there was an area of rot at the bottom of the A post that I couldn't access with it in place.
Second picture shows the completed repair to the inner wheel arch.
Days five and six are repeating most of the same repairs on the passenger side.
Pictures three to six show the stages and I will explain what's happening in the next installment

[The Old Bloke Next Door]

Passenger side, first stage completing the repair of the subframe front mounting point, then cutting off the outer arch panel, trimming the replacement panel to fit and tack welding it into place.
Fortunately the inner arch was solid with just a few areas of surface rust to treat.
Next cut off the old sill, repair the front jacking point and cut out several areas where the inner sill was corroded.
Metro sill construction is unusual in that the inner and outer have a added 90 degree piece of angle steel spot welded between them.
Parts of this were rotten and a suitable similar replacement is not readily available.
I improvised using part of the steel frame of a Series Land Rover bonnet which can be seen in picture four and five tacked into place.
The repair sections are then 100 per cent welded, the new sill is tacked into place and the welding process completed with the exception of the bottom section of the sill which is originally spot welded.
While most repairers would also weld the bottom section, I have my own method of replicating the spot welds.
This consists of drilling 1/8 inch holes along the bottom section, screwing in self tapers about an inch apart, then melting the heads and surplus thread into both sides of the sill joint.
I didn't need to remove the front wing on this side as the bottom of the A post was solid and there is just about enough access to weld the front area of the sill next to the bottom of the wing.
The welding repairs are now complete, the next stage is grinding off any excess weld and applying body filler to all the welded areas that need to be painted.

[The Old Bloke Next Door]

Day seven, the filler is rubbed down, repaired sections are prepped and the first stage of the painting process is completed.
The refurbished subframe refitted, brakes pipes reconnected and the system bled, fuel tank, exhaust system and handbrake refitted and connected.
Then the car is removed from the jacks, engine started, check that everything is working and no fluid/fuel leaks,
Days eight and nine, complete the painting and undersealing, refit the doors, rear bumper, rear tail light and the interior.
Day ten, my tame mechanic arrives to change the cambelt and kit and a new water pump, engine oil and filter, general check over and an appraisal of its likelihood of passing the mot test.
While he's doing that, I have removed the wheels and visited a local tyre supplier for six Uniroyal Rain Experts.
From my previous experience swopping front and back tyres in pairs using six extends the mileage I can get out them compared to having the usual five.
Day eleven, my assistant valets the interior and I repair a section of the roof panel around the sunlight.
Day twelve the car is presented for an mot, which it passed after an adjustment of the carb to meet the emission levels.
As it was now near the end of the month I delayed taxing it for a few days.

[The Old Bloke Next Door]

The costs.
The repair panels at the time would have been about £100 to £120 from a motor factor, tyres about £35 each, cambelt and service parts/labour £250, rattle cans and underseal £90, mot £35.
Labour, about 100 hours x £35 to £40 an hour back then.
The car was mainly used as a standby when mine or any of my families daily's needed any work.
There was one period when my daughter used it as a daily for twelve months, covering around 13000 miles.
No failures to proceed over the next eight years, no repairs required apart from general service parts.
Fuel consumption, local high 30's, distance high 40's to low 50's per gallon.
During its years back in use, the mileage increased from 156000 to 178000 when I sold on here in 2017.
It had been sitting around for about a year due to me acquiring a Metro diesel, was out of mot and I was about to loose the storage where it was parked.
Any way, the finished vehicle, pictures taken shortly after it was back in use.

[r.welfare]

Great stuff, thanks for sharing. It’s given me great nostalgia as my mum had one of these which I learned to drive in, 30 years ago.

[The Old Bloke Next Door]

Original for sale thread below.

Insured today with Arian Flux on classic insurance, comp, 5000 miles per annum, agreed value, and  legal insurance, for a very reasonable £382.

Will be taxing it tomorrow, then into daily use from Sunday, updates as and and when.

[Matty]

Still a good looking car. At times I'd give my left leg for a face-lift 180.

[lisbon_road]

08 is very late for one of these, isn't it? 

 

[Matty]

5 hours ago, lisbon_road said:

08 is very late for one of these, isn't it? 

 

Unsold stock that hung around for a while?

[WillCarter]

16 minutes ago, Matty said:

Unsold stock that hung around for a while?

Yes, as far as the story goes it was left over stock that was given to the dealership in lieu of debts owed by MG Rover. It may well be the last ever registered 120.

[The Old Bloke Next Door]

First drive out today, did about ten miles, drives well no issues, booked in with my mechanic later this week for an inspection and hopefully fix the electrical defects stated in the original for sale post.

As I intend to use it as a daily driver I'm on the lookout for a pair of the original fit alloys, then a pair of all season tyres.

TBC.

 

[NorthernMonkey]

That really is a lovely looking thing. It suits the colour so well 👍

[The Old Bloke Next Door]

Oh dear. the beginning  of the end of the road for my MG.

[Popsicle]

Oh fuck, thats not good. Hope nobody was hurt.

[The Old Bloke Next Door]

Storm Eunice Feb. 22, only damage was the MG, insurance write off and a few paintwork scuffs on the Clio. Happened during the night, no one was injured and fortunately the tree missed the house.

[High Jetter]

2 hours ago, The Old Bloke Next Door said:

Oh dear. the beginning  of the end of the road for my MG.

🤣

John Cleese lost his rag? 

[RoverFolkUs]

On 30/08/2024 at 20:13, The Old Bloke Next Door said:

Original for sale thread below.

Insured today with Arian Flux on classic insurance, comp, 5000 miles per annum, agreed value, and  legal insurance, for a very reasonable £382.

Will be taxing it tomorrow, then into daily use from Sunday, updates as and and when.

The best colour, found this hard to resist when it was for sale. Dibs please! Especially if you fancy MK2 ZR trophy when I'm done with mine!

[The Old Bloke Next Door]

Added another 65 miles this week, so far so good, no coolant loss and temperature gauge is halfway at operating temperature.

Issues, the battery has failed and one of the key fobs has disintegrated, fortunately it came with two two keys/fobs and I have a spare battery of the correct size and spec from  a Modus I scrapped recently

Early impressions, drives nicely, handles well and fuel consumption is good.

Updates as and when.

[The Old Bloke Next Door]

Intending to have a look at this tomorrow, asking price £500, local car, low miles, long mot and very good mot history, runs and drives.

Not overly keen on the colour scheme, fortunately I have a couple of tins of ex-mod cammo green paint, which would look good with the bumpers and side trims painted mat black.