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I bought a Mini that was described as "All bodywork done - just needs finishing" That has not turned out to be the case and the more I dig, the more problems I find.

I'd welcome your thoughts on the following welds which had been done by the vendor before I bought the car. They attach a new heritage wing to the original inner wing. It's the same on the other side. It's a similar story on the seam for the A panels.

That certainly is a bit of a mess.

Personally if the wings are the only parts with such poor welding, I'd cut them off and start again. But makes you wonder about the rest of the work that's been carried out!

If its solid though, and you can live with it, you could just grind it down nicely and seam seal in the channel.

Although I'd imagine the metal getting thin in places.

I hope the apprentice did those.....

If the panel gaps are good, I'd sand the welds flush with a bandfile sander, touch up welds as needed, sand again, and seam seal.

cant quite see, but is the wing out of line with the scuttle ?

Scuttle also looks bit bent, as if a repair end has been mis aligned.....?

Might be the photo though, lets hope so...

Exminiman wrote: ↑Thu Jun 27, 2024 1:36 pm cant quite see, but is the wing out of line with the scuttle ?

Scuttle also looks bit bent, as if a repair end has been mis aligned.....?

Might be the photo though, lets hope so...

You nailed it. The wing is indeed out of line. The scuttle closer panel is poorly attached. I have to consider taking the whole front end off and re-doing from the scuttle area forward. I hope I can save the inner wings, but the front parts seem in poorly repaired condition:
Also, the front wings and front panel, though new, seem in very poor shape.

It's all the more annoying as the car was sold as "Major work done. Just needs paint and interior re-fitting" (para-phrasing - but that's the gist of it)

It might be easier to look at what is good, hopefully roof, bulk head, back panel ..and price up for a replacement full floor inc boot, wings, quarters front panel etc…..to see if it worth it.

In the end, most end up replacing all the floors and front end these days anyway…just annoying if that wasn’t a road you thought you had to go down……

Exminiman wrote: ↑Sat Jun 29, 2024 10:21 pm It might be easier to look at what is good, hopefully roof, bulk head, back panel ..and price up for a replacement full floor inc boot, wings, quarters front panel etc…..to see if it worth it.

In the end, most end up replacing all the floors and front end these days anyway…just annoying if that wasn’t a road you thought you had to go down……

Front end replacement of wings, inner wings, front panel, maybe due to the poor welding and alignment....but I don't agree that a full floor/boot replacement is required based on the previous posts, especially as this an early shell with the original flat unvented sills and floor in reasonable condition.

mab01uk wrote: ↑Sun Jun 30, 2024 9:25 am

Exminiman wrote: ↑Sat Jun 29, 2024 10:21 pm It might be easier to look at what is good, hopefully roof, bulk head, back panel ..and price up for a replacement full floor inc boot, wings, quarters front panel etc…..to see if it worth it.

In the end, most end up replacing all the floors and front end these days anyway…just annoying if that wasn’t a road you thought you had to go down……

Front end replacement of wings, inner wings, front panel, maybe....but I don't agree with a full floor/boot replacement is required based on the previous posts, especially as this an early flat sill Mini.

Appreciate where you are coming from, but is the heel board intact, the boot floor is also too much of a mess to save.

Also have to bear in mind that most early '59/60 Minis even in mint original condition currently have a market/insurance value of approx £15-20k and don't achieve the higher levels of Mk1 Cooper/Cooper S selling prices, so unless money is no object (or the Bangers & Cash team do the restoration!) have to be done on a tighter sensible budget. It is also nice wherever possible to know that the majority of the cars bodyshell is what originally left the factory back in the day rather than becoming another 'Triggers Broom'.

Yes I've seen welds like that.

As you've found out,

All bodywork done - just needs finishing

is NEVER the case. If it was then it would be finished already. There's various reasons for this to be the case. If they ran out of money to paint it then they probably didn't have enough money to do the work they have done properly either. Someone who knows what they are doing (properly) will have a good idea what it's going to take to finish including labour and cost when they start a project. If they do abandon the project, anyone honest isn't going to say it's ready because it won't be. That leaves the people who don't know what they are doing...

The same story with going cars, if it doesn't need much work then it wouldn't usually be sold.



I buy the cheapest cars assuming nothing is good.

In my part of the country its call "Bird shit welding "

I’d forget the bird, to me it looks like it is just shit welding.
Sorry.

I've really seen wors than that. Most on very expensive famous cars...