Morris Minor Owners Club

Folks

Can you take a look at the following pic.



There is a gap between the rear section of the boxing panel and the wood.

Is this normal or is there something wrong, all the panels look ok and the wood looks ok, it lines up everywhere else.

Any advise welcome.

George

If there's something wrong then I'm worried, all three of mine look like that! Onve you've got the ally panel on then the gap won't be so obvious. On the inside it's covered by the trim panel. BUT.... the timber arch should sit flush against the metal of the inner wheel arch. Not too sure from your photo, but it looks like there might be more of a gap there than is right.

You need the closing panel that the three screws go into the wood through. (about £5 panel) Otherwise you will be able to pull the wood and see some movement. Or weld a flat piece with a 1" bent bit on the end and screw through the panel to secure the wood.

Here it is from ESM! http://shop.morrisminorspares.co.uk/pro ... 2263d6b617

Sorry! should be LHS from your photo! http://shop.morrisminorspares.co.uk/pro ... 2263d6b617

Both these panels rotted off my car even when it was still roadworthy!

THis closing panel is best not welded to the car, as it rots out at an alarming rate. Offer the panel up to the wood and keep the gap from closing panel to rear floor edge panel tight. Screw into the wood and fix in place then seam seal the gap to the floor edge panel. Don't forget to paint this part first.
If your interested we nowe produce this panel in Galvanised steel, to outlast the rest of the car. These however must not be welded on. PM me for more details.

ahem, I think the closing panel SHOULD be welded to the car as it is originally, spot welded to the inner sill. Its effectively part of the sill and it screws onto the wood as part of the structure. So I think it should be welded. As I said above the bottom step is actually loose enough to be able to move when you pull it when this piece is not present. Seam sealing the piece to the inner sill is not a structural repair as the wooden frame is an important part of the structure of the traveller.

What you could do is spray the thing with weld thru primer (from www.frost.co.uk) and then give the accessible parts of it a good couple of coats with Zinc rich primer (Unidox in particular is 90% zinc). This is the next best thing to galvanising.

By, the way, your boxing panel and inner sill look quite rusty to me. As do your rear floor pan. I'd take the whole wooden side off and do the job properly!

Technically correct, however if you can move the wood with only this panel missing then you have another problem. If the frame is bolted correctly to the B post and screwed to the wheel arch, you should not be able to move the bottom edge of the frame. I do not pretend that seamsealing this panel into place has effected a structural repair. With respect, this has proven a perfect resolution to the promlems regarding this cover panel over the last 12 years, we have not encounted structural degradation or movement of this area. Each to his own, maybe!

I was looking at the vertical gap when making first comment. Others are of course correct about cover plate underneath - you should not be able to see the road! With all respect to Jonathon; I'd side with chickenjon and go for welding; although as jonathon, each to his own.

but i like watching the road as i drive along

aupickup wrote:but i like watching the road as i drive along

LOL! so do I but preferably out of the windscreen!

I have to do these panels on my Traveller and I'm going to go OTT on the rust protection
- strip the panel and give two coats of Weld Thru, (this is zinc primer)

weld the panel on, then one coat of unidox (this is zinc primer)

Seam sealer along the welded flange and between wood and panel

Two coats of hammerite smooth

Soak the area in waxoyl outside and apply dinitrol from the inside.

Folks,

thanks for the replys, i did weld the plate in position and it provided me a stable surface to pull the wood closer to the body. it all fits quite snug now!!

By, the way, your boxing panel and inner sill look quite rusty to me. As do your rear floor pan. I'd take the whole wooden side off and do the job properly!

The car is stripped to a bare chasis.


and the all the floor has been replaced since those photo where taken. the rear boxing panel is a little rusty at the bottom end but that has been taken car of now. I'll post more pics of the repair in the next few days when I get the digicam up to the garage again.

I have to do these panels on my Traveller and I'm going to go OTT on the rust protection

your not the only one, there is going to be more rust protection on this traveller when its finished than anything else. I am using a nice pretty zinc primer to cost the panels as soon as they are welded!!



Its nice to walk around the car and see it glowing, you know you have most of the work done!!!

Thanks for all the help and if anyone is interested I'll keep you posted with pics over the next few weeks, I'm hoping things will really take shape, something looking like a car if things go to plan!!

George

great pics george, nice too see some others restos in progress, a great help for anyone who hasent stripped a moggy before,steve

steve

I'm hoping to get her finished and up to the sprayer over the weekend. I'll get more pics then, She is going snowberry white.

I can wait to see whats she will look like.

George

g_land,
Looks like you may be in need of a Grumpy's engine top steady kit - or will you repair that bit under the battery box (mig weld weld repairs have a habit of cracking in that area)

Ray,

I was just considering what to do with that section, I was going to wled it as I have the parts still. I know it would get a bit of vibrating up there but a good strong weld it should hold.

If you would really really advise it i will consider it but i must get to it soon if I am to do it as she is due to go to the painter soon.

George

but a good strong weld it should hold.

The problem with that area is the Mig weld is ok but due to the way it heats and cools it makes the area slightly harder, which is prone to cracking nearby (eg. the meatal crack a few mm from the weld). Therefore if you can gas weld the area it may last longer, however if the mig welding comes cleanly enough and you bridge it across to the nearby sections in a few places it is likely to be ok.

if anyone is interested here are some updated pics!!

she is in the final stages of being cleaned up, welds grinded down etc before spraying later this week.

















More pictures later in the week when I get them.

George

Not very small those pictures, even i had trouble uploading them, on my superfast connection...

320 k-ish - if you've got any compression software, it'd be a good idea to use it. My compliments on the car though - isn't that bit where the floor joins the toe board fun?