Body seam

[Bald Moggie Man]

Hi, does anyone know if its possible or anyone who has removed the body seam that starts on the bonnet to the door/s and onto the rear quarter?

[LouiseM]

There's an old thread here about swage line removal. It's possible to do but quite a bit of work involved: http://www.mmoc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f= ... ilit=swage

[Bald Moggie Man]

Thank-you for that, it was very informative! Think I will need to read it a few more times though before I attempt anything!

[chickenjohn]

This swage line (not a seam!) provides strength/stiffness to the panel and some of character of the Minor. Why do you want to remove it??

I'd deal with any underbody rust and dodgy patches (if any are there) first.

[Bald Moggie Man]

Just toying with ideas at the minute. I didn't know the proper name for the swage at that time, now I have been schooled! lol

[MarkyB]

Swages aren't there for decoration, to get an idea of how shape can effect strength, how would you support an egg using a sheet of A4 paper?




The answer is you fold it along it's length about every half inch.
That's enough to turn something that can't even support it's own weight into a material that can support much more than it's own weight.

[chrisryder]

MarkyB, that thread covers that, and employs hidden internal methods of keeping that strength.

[MarkyB]

Chrisryder, did I misrepresent this 4 page thread in some way?

[Alex'n'Ane]

No but the discouraging comments may not always be helpful, as the thread covers all these already.

[chrisryder]

Chrisryder, did I misrepresent this 4 page thread in some way?

I presume you mean that you were intending to sumarise that thread in a snap-shot sentence.

I was trying to agree with you, and reinforce your comment with the information that the solutions to the problem you raised could be found in that thread.

My sincerest apoligies for any offence taken.

[MarkyB]

No problem.
Most, if not all, questions have already been answered already but the forum would be pretty dull to read if every question was answered by reference to an earlier thread.

I didn't think I was being negative, just pointing out that swages do a remarkable job with an example of how they work.

[Alec]

Hello all,

while swages do increase strength significantly, they are also used very often on large flat panels to stop drumming, e.g. bulkheads. However I don't think in the Minor's case they do very much as the bonnet is very shaped already and the door has it's frame. Personally I wouldn't see any great problem in removing it?

Alec

[Alex'n'Ane]

The bonnet ones are an additional bit of trim rather than anything structural. Vans and pickups didnt have them.

[chrisryder]

the bonnet does have its 4 inch swage accross its centre though. i'd imagine that serves well to strengthen the large flat area. motherofgod removed that too when he made his carbon fibre bonnet, i imagine the strength of the carbon fibre more than made up for the lack of a swage.

interestingly late LCVs had a less prevalent swage accross its centre, i believe this was down to wear in the press tool and the imminent discontinuation of the minor meant that they didnt want to make a new tool. i wonder if these bonnets were noticably weaker.

i can certainly vouch that a standard minor bonnet can take the weight of a person standing on it

[Alec]

Hello Chris,

I think it was in Paul Skilleter's book on the Morris Minor that a prototype was cut down the middle and the whole car widened by 4 ", a very last minute alteration, and that is where this centre swage came from?

Alec

[chrisryder]

i think they could have put 4 inches in the middle smoothly, but probably found that this wider panel lacked strength so had to employ the swage to reinforce it.

[Bald Moggie Man]

Wish I hadn't said anything now lol

[charlie_morris_minor]

if i recollect the 4inch widening was done very last minute.. so they had to cut the press in half and modify them.. if you look at very early low lights you can see that the chrome bumper blades are cut and cover plates used to make them look like design rather than a 'bodge'

[Alex'n'Ane]

Wish I hadn't said anything now lol

No no discussion is good, threads can just often wander slightly.