Morris Minor Owners Club

drilling the mounting holes for the hooks and cleats was simply a matter of measuring the offside holes twice, and drilling the nearside holes once. I'm pleased I purchased the drills especially for this job.[frame][/frame]

I'm nearly ready for these top cover plates, if only I can recover them from the scrap sides without damaging them, the screw heads are turning over, this may require some destruction of the scrap sides. They are in terrible condition, rust holes all over them.[frame][/frame]

I'll be needing these bolts out, Ive got these attachment body side to cab back plates already, but the cover plates will be needed to keep the rain out of the hoop holes[frame][/frame]

Quite a sad day today, I had no choice in the end but to cut the plates off, I deliberated long and hard about doing this and felt like a morris minor double crosser for cutting up these old sides, just to salvage the parts I needed. In the end my decision was based on the number of rust holes and general delapidated condition, and the fact that I'd come to a dead end trying to unscrew the plates I needed.[frame][/frame]

did learn a bit about the insides of these areas though, the rear hard plates attach like this[frame][/frame]

at least Ive got a box of top plates to clean up and fit to my project, and some spares, Tommorow its all happening again with the other rotten, rusted spare side.
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second set of sides scrapped after the parts in needed were salvaged.[frame][/frame]

Here's a rare view, seldom seen but it helps to understand how the parts fit together.[frame][/frame]

A shame, I nearly posted to suggest simply drill the screw heads through for the plates to lift off, but thought you were bound to think of that!

Sorry David but thats a terrible thing to do to a pair of extremly rare pickup sides. You can buy those blanking plates from ESM new, couldnt you simply have drilled the self tapping screws out, the brackets are admittedly held in place by captive nuts underneath but mine all sheared off anyway so mine arent captive any more either.

The sides on my pickup were worse than those, infact the tops of those are still better than mine now. Ive replaced both arches and light clusters.

Sorry David

Steve

blast it, I may have made a bad decision that I might regret later on, Oh well descision made I'm going to move onward and clean up the bits I've salvaged and get them on.[frame][/frame]

cleaning up small fittings like these takes ages, each one has to be screwed down onto a piece of scrap timber and wire wheeled clean, getting back to bare steel takes ages as there are several angles to wheel on both sides. There now, and here they are with a coat of acid etch primer.[frame][/frame]

Bought a can of etch primer myself today--£15, rip off.

Could have heated the screws with a blow tourch or oxygen Acetylene mix (you can now buy ready mixed like a blow torch), or you could he drilled out, shame to have cut them up

bit of a touch up today, dusted over the whole car to cover over the areas flatted over, the fittings can now go on.[frame][/frame]

starting with the rear bodywork hooks, cleats and plates, these will be very handy for securing a load in the cargo bay.[frame][/frame]

I wonder if I should add a dot of weld to the inside bolts to stop them coming loose and the cleats getting lost.[frame][/frame]

a little locktight should do the job David or lock nuts

locktight, great idea, thanks for that. don't fancy welding those in. My chassis needs a dusting and another coat of chassis black.
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I think I missed something, when did you paint the pickup, I thought it was still in primer. Possibly my fault as I am RGB colourblind, just about as bad as you can get!