Rear arch welding

[chanyboi]

Hi im a newbee here and have just finally refound my keys to my morris minor 1000 2door, which i have owned for 1 year but have been unable to get in to it since it was passed down to me, therefore i have never driven it.

Im in need of advice concerning the rear quarter (just above the bolted-on-arch) to be rewelded, due to showing serious rust.
I know pictures tell a thousands words, so i will get some up asap.

Hows the best way of welding the arch to make it blend with the curve??
Do i weld a plate behind the rear quarter and car body fill it?
Or do i weld a plate on top and grind it to fit?..

Obviously i will cut out any rust.

My competence in welding is not bad, however this is the first car ive actually decided to restore.

Also, does anyone know where i can buy the piece of plasticky thingy (very technical ey ) that goes between the rear arch and the body?

Finally im in need of a welder, which is better for all round use and least maintenance, ARC TIG or MIG and where is best to buy one?

Being a University student, i dont have very deep pockets, but any advice or links will be much appreciated.


Thanks

Chan

[LouiseM]

Also, does anyone know where i can buy the piece of plasticky thingy (very technical ey ) that goes between the rear arch and the body?

Do you mean the wing piping? You can get this in various colours from most of the Minor parts traders. Details of the main traders are posted in the 'new member?' thread in the General Discussion forum.

[PSL184]

1 - Get the pics up so we can see for sure what we are talking about but if I think what you mean then cut out the rot and but weld a home made reapir panel (off the shelf panels not available for this area). You can shape it slightly to give the correct curvature before welding in then grind back the welds and finish with a light skim of filler.
2 - The plasticky thing is called wing beading - any online supplier can provide this cheaply. Google for Bull Motif, ESM, Morris Minor Centre etc....
3 - I use a Clarke MIG mate 150 with 0.8 wire. Never had any problems and always completed any car body repairs I've thrown at it. Came from Machine Mart about 20 yrs ago and still going

[DAVIDMCCULLOUGH]

Hi welcome to the forum!

If your cars visibly rusty at the back wing, theres every chance it will be even rustier under the wing edge. Best way to properly repair this area is to take the wing off, cut out the rust and weld the new metal in, then it should only need a skim of body filler to level the repair.

Heres a link to ESM for the wing beading:
http://morrisminorspares.co.uk/shop/adv ... 04c31d36a9

[stevey]

yes take the rear wing off to see the full extent of the rot first.

[Dean]

For the steel have a look in the yellow pages and look for your local steel merchants.

Walk in and ask for some 1mm mild steel sheet off cuts. But say you don't want much, just a bit to repair your classic. Gets them talking... especially to old timers. ;)

Now they sell this stuff by the weight, so when they throw your 300mm x 500mm bit onto the scales it doesn't register.. It's at this point they say... just take it son.

It's worth a try... if you are charged it'll be less than a tenner. They sometimes struggle to put a price on it.

[Steve_PFJ]

Mig welder rather than arc welder. Which is a shame as arc welders are much cheaper but I believe I'm right in saying arc is too harsh for bodywork.

I use a Sealey 130 amp welder with variable wire speed and 4 power settings. I'm not talking from great experience but I'm on my first restoration and It's been very extensive but the welder has been versatile enough.

Look into Clarke, SIP, Sealey and Siegen (Cheaper sealey brand I think)

[chanyboi]

guys you have all answered my questions!.. thanks.. and yes what the 'plasticky thingy' is indeed the wing beading. thanks for the link david,

Dean, chears for your advice.. never really considered doing that, however, myself looking like a kid and acting like one too, that may work ..

PSL ive doen my homework and i am definately investing in a Clarke MIG 150te. good reviews, very similar to a welder i use to use and reasonably priced too. (second hand that is )

i will start stripping the wings off first and see how bad the rust is. I did try to jack my car up the other day and now have a very big bulge under the drivers seat. LOL.. this just maybe signs of a rusted floorpan under the car haha..

i will tip the car on its side in the next few weeks after fixing the rust on the wings and then start from the bottom up. this way if i do scratch the paint i wont cry about it.

thanks again for your guys advice i will try and get some pictures up when i have got it in a workable area with reasonable amount of light and cover.

[PSL184]

Good luck - It sounds like it may turn into a long term project (as most seem to). Look forward to seeing the pics when you have them and remember we are always here to help....