Do i repair or break?

[deano69]

'if you can roll the car... bonus... welding upside down is very difficult I agree. '

Was gonna do just that as if i was to break then the wings and engine ect would be off so may as well roll it and try to repair but if i can help it would like to avoid removing engine/gearbox although both sides front chassis legs will need repair panels so engine will have to be lifted off supports to do so.

Thanks for the replies though.

[Dean]

I think your cross member comes out to where it should do. It actually (this may sound surprising) looks original... the cross member is made of laminated metal, just like plywood, therefore as it corrodes bits of the laminate come away. You can buy new ones that are not laminated so may be a better buy if this is the route you want to take. You'll have to release the torsion bar, remove brake pipes and fuel pipe.

[iandromiskin]

Looks a lot like my traveller Anything is repairable. All the panels are there for most if not everything you highlighted. I'd say its savable depending on how much you can pay for the repair panels, how much time you have as well as how much skill you have with welding. No doubt much more experienced members that me will comment more accurately soon. Thats just my pennies worth.

[billlobban]

If you think its not repairble have a look at Taupes series of posts on restoring his traveller you might change your mind
http://mmoc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=25298

[deano69]

I've seen the resto jobs done on here which is what gave me the hope and impetus to attempt it.I know the car is restorable its just is it restorable by me.Yes, probably, given enough time, patience and try try and try again mentality.

'It actually (this may sound surprising) looks original'-Well i was told by the seller that the only unoriginal part was a replacement front wing and frankly im gullible so believed it.Had been told x member was laminated but not til the plywood comparisome did i understand what that meant, so thanks for that.

The fuel pipe is off, the brake pipes are being replaced with new, here and ready to go on, and the torsion bar has to come off to replace the chassis leg/s so i read so....Im already visualising the car on axle stands, no wheels, no braking system or suspension, ready to prime and paint before it all goes on again.Now just concerned for keeping structure in place, being able to correctly position parts to be welded on, as well as being sure i know where to cut to remove them in the first place.

So much for me telling mum it'll only be on the drive for 6 to 10 weeks before its MOT'd Cant really start anything much til June now due to lack of funds so i guess it'll be pottering around it, cleaning rust of goods bits and priming and dismantling brakes and suspension.

Cheers for the assistance.Now if i could just get me dad to stop calling a heap of cr**....

[MarkyB]

As you can weld you are half way there already.
Get some scrap sheet steel and teach yourself how to fold it accurately.
There will be some bits where it makes no sense to replace a whole panel and it is not always as easy to fit repair panels as you might think due to there poor quality.
Decide what sort of standard you are looking for, solid and usable , fully restored or concours.

[billlobban]

Now if i could just get me dad to stop calling a heap of cr**....

He'll change his mind once your up and running and if you have any problems meantime someone here knows everything

[rayofleamington]

Crossmember and sills and pillar bottom repairs are infinitely do-able. The vast majority of minors on the road have had sills done at least once and crossmember reairs are almost as common.

However the other question as to if you DIY or not really depends on how much work you want to take on.
This is a LOT of work for a novice, but if you tackle it the right way it's rewarding. Developing your MIG welding skills means you can own a Minor for life and be protected from big bills.

If you get hold of a car roller, then you're off to a good start, as doing this stuff underneath a car is really naff (I wish I had my roller 18 years earlier!). You don't need to spend a fortune on a roller and you may find someone local to borrow one off.
If you buy it and only use it once, you'll get your money back when selling it, but if you keep it, the simple ones take very little space.

The parts you need for these repairs are not expensive, so your biggest outlay is time. If you know you can find the time, then you just need the dedication + a MIG welder (90 amps or more) + an angle grinder (4.5 or 5")

As for restoration order - my preference is to sort sills first, piece by piece as per the reapir panels (i.e don't chop the entire thing off in one go). This drastically reduces the risk of distortion. Remove engine and box if doing chassis leg or crossmember work (or just remove to make it easier for the roller ;-) )

It's quite rare to need an entire crossmember, and doing one is a much bigger job. The middle is usually fine thanks to oil from the gearbox. If you use the end repair sections, don't be tempted to shorten them - they are made to a sensible size to replace the areas which take most load and the join is in a less loaded area. I've seen one car where they cut down the crossmember ends and the structure failed in the area they'd not repaired

[FrankM83]

repair mate, my cars are in worse condition!!

[PSL184]

Repair, repair, repair..... Too many cars get broken for "weak" excuses regarding "the amount of work needed". Imagine the joy you will have when you turn your car into a show stopper....

See Tim's Trav for one excellent example.....

http://www.mmoc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=31455

[StaffsMoggie]

Well Ive seen plenty worse than that, my own 4 door is very poor in the floors/sills and both the inner flitches and A posts are rotten but I will make a start on it this year. Why not do yours? The panels are not too expensive and with a grinder and welder you you can repair that car, it would be very rewarding to do. Im looking forward to doing mine.

Go for it.

[chickenjohn]

Repair, repair, repair..... Too many cars get broken for "weak" excuses regarding "the amount of work needed". Imagine the joy you will have when you turn your car into a show stopper....
-snip-

agree 100% absoutely with Mr Meercat

The car featured in this thread is far too good to break and just has "normal" Minor rust spots. I did exactly the same sort of work in bringing my traveller back to life and I was a "novice" at restoration then.

[Dryad]

Yes, repair! Yours has very standard type of corrosion and nothing that looks beyond repairing. If you want to see severe corrosion look at this;[frame][/frame]

[rayofleamington]

If you want to see severe corrosion look at this;

that's some pretty impressive corrosion, but I've seen (and driven ) worse - the raymobile rear spring doesn't have anything to attach to so the ends of the leaf have gone through into the boot.

[ASL642]

AAhh! Dustpan and brush time! All fixable. Some task just take a bit longer.......

[chickenjohn]

Yes, repair! Yours has very standard type of corrosion and nothing that looks beyond repairing. If you want to see severe corrosion look at this;[frame][/frame]

believe it or not- that is not as bad as it looks, as you can buy complete rear inner wings, fit one of those and a new rear hanger/chassis and that corner will be good again.

[Dryad]

[quote="chickenjohn"]believe it or not- that is not as bad as it looks, quote]

No, it was worse!!! This is the one I scrapped last year. It needed both rear inner wings and flanges replaced, both front inner wings, front crossmember, central crossmember, front floors, sills, boxing panels, boot floor. And the parts that seemed solid were largely sculpted out of filler, backed with polythene and randomly shaped bits of old steel. Must have been a bargain bin restoration some years ago. The engine and gearbox were fine and will be going in my Traveller soon. The doors I gave away, and I still have numerous other spares from it.[frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame]