Morris Minor Owners Club

My Minor needs a lot of the common areas repairing for MOT / putting back on the road.
They haven't been welded before so I intended to replace the panels whole rather then patches.
A rethink has me thinking that patches might allow me to get it operational a lot faster whilst my finances recover (if ever due !) and I can afford the complete panels.
The problems areas include -
A post / inner wing seam
Rear inner wing / outer wing mounting area
Lower area between B post and rear wing
etc.

Anyone tell me what guage steel is used for these areas ?

Obviously things like sills and rear spring hangers will still get repaired with proper / full panels.

Thnaks.

Paul Humphries

Not sure how gauge equates to mm thickness but here goes.

A Post inner wing seam, I use 1.2mm sheet steel for these areas.
Rear inner wing 2mm if repairing rear shackle hanger area, 1.2mm for wing flanges etc.

I think the original panel skins are 0.8 to 1.0mm. The extra thickness just makes welding easier, and gives the repair a longer life.

1.2mm = 18 gauge, and seems to be the original stuff as well
a

If you use patches, and can do a good job, it would be a shame to cut it all out later to fit a complete panel, even if you could save enough money for them. Sometimes a complete panel involves more damage of the surrounding bodywork. 18 gauge is the best thickness in my opinion.

"A post / inner wing seam
Rear inner wing / outer wing mounting area
Lower area between B post and rear wing
etc. "

A post needs to be stronger so I'd use 1.2mm, for the others 1mm steel is fine and matches the original thickness of metal. 1mm is much easier to form and cut than 1.2 so any curved sections and patches will be easier to fabricate.

chickenjohn wrote:
A post needs to be stronger so I'd use 1.2mm, for the others 1mm steel is fine and matches the original thickness of metal.

I don't think it does - not on my cars, anyway
a