Morris Minor Owners Club

Hi, if i post a few pics of the areas that need repair can you cast your eyes over and tell if its really worth attempting or to pass and break the car.Any idea of the difficulties involved and panels required would be good.I think i know what panels would be required, except the c post repair as ive only just realised how awful a state its in, but in case ive misread the diagrams and not listed the right panel.I really would prefer to do the car rather than break but am worried its beyond my knowledge to do.[frame][/frame]

ds cross member[frame][/frame]

ds boxing plate[frame][/frame]

ds cross member[frame][/frame]

ds cross member[frame][/frame]

ds hinge piller base[frame][/frame]

ds rear boxing plate[frame][/frame]

ds rear spring hanger[frame][/frame]

ps floor above cross member[frame][/frame]

ps c post base-i can feel behind this is a lot of rusty metal and think that probably the arch needs to be replaced on both sides too[frame][/frame]

ps crossmember[frame][/frame]

ps hinge piller[frame][/frame]

ps boxing plate[frame][/frame]

ps rear sills from below[frame][/frame]

ds rear sill from below[frame][/frame]

More pics would help but it doesn't look too bad.
You can get a cross member end or half.
Weld some angle to rejoin what has gone from the sill to restore the box section.
Grind back to good metal and let in a patch on the hole neat the spring hanger.
What is the floor like?

mmm....now i think the floor is mostly good but my modern car savvy mate would disagree.The floor above the x member on teh ds has had a couple of patches already, where it meets the side of the car, similar to the ps but just worse/bigger.You cant really see in the pic but ds x member is a home made repair, just metal folded at 90 degrees and welded in with panel about 4 inches wide,12 inches long welded into floor above it.I was banking on the front ps floor being replaced with repair panel anyway and removing the repairs to the ds floor and putting better in.Sill/boxing plate and below sill was gonna be shop bought reapir panels, as most of the repair panels will be so i haven't got to fold or from my own(dont know how to).The rear wheel arches look good from outside but i found today that i can push metal into c post base and bend it with my fingers and also found lots and lots of dirty rusty metal in there so im concerned about stability in cpost/rear wheel arch/rear inner wing areas-more than most other places.

I have passed a welding course but that was 20 years ago, not picked up a welder since, but i was good at arc and gas-cant recall mig but would probably be looking to mig it.Also ive only ever welded fromabove, never in the vertical plain or above my self but am told if i can do it from above the weld area i can do it from below and vertically.

I used a rotating wire brush on an angle grinder and gave my underside a big scrubbing, you need a mask and goggles. This will reveal or the weak areas. It's just a case of patience, cutting out the old rotten stuff and but welding in new material. The box section is typical, mine was the same, the holes in the sills underneath are typical, the cross member end is typical. It's all fixable provided you have the time and patience. I certainly wouldn't entertain breaking just yet, remember these are restoration projects and the general trade would have had this car scrapped years ago.

deano69 wrote:Also ive only ever welded fromabove, never in the vertical plain or above my self but am told if i can do it from above the weld area i can do it from below and vertically.

I suffered here too, if you can roll the car... bonus... welding upside down is very difficult I agree.

Will i need to brace it somehow before i go ahead and grind the rust of the underside?I ask as ive started at the rear end, didnt get far with a wire brush so got a derusting disc on angle grinder and its better but will take out all rust and expose holes, took good metal off as well in my opinion so am concerned that doing that from back to front will seriously compromise the structural strength.Also reckon the entire x member could/should come off but really worried about doing that and being able to weld new one in in the right place, keeping it all from sagging.

in Porters guide to MM resto he says the x member end must be beneath the b post, to support it-provide strength but on my car its not.Is that cos he's talking about a 2 door and this ones a 4 door?