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Pints of paint stripper later and the bonnet looks like it will live to fight another day. There is a deep ding on the front edge but it’s in a closed section so I can’t get at it to tap it out. It’s probably very stretched anyway so filler will have to do.
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hi d could you drill a hole behind it and then tap it out a bit or use those pin things that are welded on the outside and then pulled on to bring the dent out
cheers roger

roger mcnab wrote: ↑Tue Jun 21, 2022 9:32 am hi d could you drill a hole behind it and then tap it out a bit or use those pin things that are welded on the outside and then pulled on to bring the dent out
cheers roger

Roger,

I had considered that but it is a very deep dent and the metal around will definitely be stretched. I would just end up with a high spot I can’t get rid of in a very conspicuous area. I didn’t know it was there until I stripped the old paint so it should disappear again nicely under the new. It’s an old car and can’t be perfect. They weren’t that when new anyway.

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hi d
well that is a truth many of the restored minis are better than factory produced cars there many lemons made for people to buy and suffer with long warranty claims
just after ww2 my father had a 1938 ford v8 truck on our farm it had a miss so dad said its the spark plugs so fisrt plug was stubben so a bit of pipe on spanner and snap out came plug and chunk of side valve head so a new head was ordered and came that arvo on the cream truck but he had to get the old head offa chisel job but new head and plugs on the miss still there so change plugs on other side same result new head another job for the cream truck and the chisel again but altogether with new plugs and the miss still there further looking around found broken wire in dizzy fixed that and it had a flat battery by then so the draft horse was needed to tow it to start moral check all things first
cheers roger
ps the 1938 heads were a bad lot so the new ones were improved because of the war better alloy
cheers

Getting back to that grotty stiffener rail.

Out with the old…
In with the new.
The quarter panel lip was in good shape but I haven’t spot welded it up just yet in case I decide the quarter panel needs too much filler to be acceptable. It’s pretty wavy!

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Things always look better for a lick of paint but it does show up the defects.
And the photo highlights things I had missed. Spot the difference.
I can’t work out if those dimples either side of the middle ridge at the front are from the original pressing or a result of damage. They look very regular.

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Dearg1275 wrote: ↑Sat Jun 25, 2022 8:18 pm
I can’t work out if those dimples either side of the middle ridge at the front are from the original pressing or a result of damage. They look very regular.

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Or a big fat hand closing the bonnet!

Well, for good or evil the choice is made. The left quarter panel stays.

Nothing is perfect…. But with a few coats of primer filler it should be acceptable. It’s not the best of panels but it’s been with the car from its beginning (more than can be said for most of it).
Perhaps a bit of orange on the underside tomorrow.

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At last I get to put some colour on again.
Front panels next.

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Always a satisfying feeling getting some colour on!

That will be SUCH a nice thing when finished.

Thanks surfari & Costa. I do feel I’m on the home straight. A key moment for me was welding its identity back on.
That panel is now firmly part of the car and the wings will follow in short order.

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A Blaze 1275GT is going to look 1970s FABULOUS !!

Another forum member is helping me with surf blue.

In the interests of what goes around comes around, I can help with a sample of cellulose Blaze if that's of interest..
It's Berger Leyland approved, probably nearly 50 years old.

wantafaster1 wrote: ↑Wed Jun 29, 2022 12:36 pm Another forum member is helping me with surf blue.

In the interests of what goes around comes around, I can help with a sample of cellulose Blaze if that's of interest..
It's Berger Leyland approved, probably nearly 50 years old.

Thanks for the offer. I am pretty happy with the formulation I’m using. The original has faded quite a bit (as red pigments of this era do) but it is close enough. Besides, I don’t imagine it will be parked next to too many Blaze BL cars to be able to make any comparisons.

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One wing down one to go.
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Considering what you started with, those panel gaps are looking good aren't they How are you finding the front end work compared with doing a round nose Mini?

Old English White wrote: ↑Thu Jun 30, 2022 7:36 am Considering what you started with, those panel gaps are looking good aren't they How are you finding the front end work compared with doing a round nose Mini?

Yes, well. In the end I’m quite pleased with the panel gaps (so far). To be honest it’s a fight. Because the mating surface for the wing to inner wing is vertical you have virtually no lateral play. You have to fight for every millimetre. Also the bonnet is shorter than the hole it has to fit front to back. This means you can not afford for the scuttle to slip forwards (if replacing /repairing it) and you have to close down the scuttle to wing gaps as far as you can.

The best way I came up with was to establish the inner rear edge to the scuttle channel with a solid tack weld to be sure the wing couldn’t creep out and then tack the outer rear edge to the A pillar while everything else was held with self tappers. This way it was undoable if it started to go pear shaped.

The left hand wing just does not want to fit the scuttle and holds everything too far forwards. I have sliced the scuttle and re welded to reduce any forward bulge and moved the inner part of the rear edge of the wing forwards. As said it’s scrabbling for millimetres (batches of 40 thou).

Perhaps it’s the pressings or maybe things were just not that tidy originally. Or did the BL assembly line workers know just how hard and where to bash with a rubber mallet?

No more clubbies for me.

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I'm lovin' this thread from the start to today. It looks and sounds like it's been a whole roller coaster of ups and downs, both panel work and previous bodge and highs and lows of emotions too. I'm hooked......

Just to fill out on that wing modification.
Which all meant I could get a nice panel gap.
Happy days.

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