Morris Minor Owners Club

Since lockdown I have been really busy so not much chance to do more work on the cars. But this last week I have had some time off and have managed to make a start. We have used the tourer a few times during the nice weather and rolled it out onto the drive for the Classics for Carers Stay at Home Car Show. Looking at the front of the car there is a gap below the front wings where the bumper valance would normally be. Since I have removed the front and rear bumpers I need to do something to fill this. I have seen quite a few cars where this has not been done and some where it has but I would prefer to have this done if I can. I started by making a cardboard template for each side. The facing part of the front wings has a panel join running at an angle across it. This is visible and so I wanted to echo that in the new panel. I have pattern wings and I do not know if the originals had this join here or whether it was smoothed out in some way. I chose to make the front of the new panel out of two pieces which would allow me to create the seam but also give more adjustment to get a good fit. Looking at the front radiator grill panel I decided to use the rising angle of the lower corners as the reference point for the curvature of the new panels.

The curve of the lower edge of the front wings turns out to be more complicated than I thought at first. The "flat" panel into which the side lights are set is actually gently curved and then there is a sharper bend the other way leading into the more gentle curve round to the wheel arch. I decided to make a plywood former so I could knock up an angle piece and fit it to the curve.

I spent yesterday cutting the steel sheet to make the panels. The two sides are a bit different in depth at the radiator end - probably due to differences in the wings and how they are set up to get good panel gaps with the doors. I have a set of very useful pins which hold steel together better than clamps - the only disadvantage is that you have to weld up the holes later. Here is one side trial fitted to the wing. I am using the holes for the rubber bung that sits between the valance and the wing. They have been enlarged for bolts but that is the only modification to the wings. There is also a useful hole in the lower inner wing just below the engine bay floor that means I can secure the lower front of the new panel. Three fixings should be enough.
Here is a trial fit with only two fixings done up part way. Pins replaced with self tapping screws.

Panels welded and filled. The inside is not a pretty sight but will be sprayed up with stone chip which will fill a lot of the gaps. Body filler rubbed down then primed

Finished painting the new panels.
The engine bay is hand painted in enamel and I got the paint factors to put some of it in rattle cans so that I could do small projects like this.
I have never had much success with cans of paint - it runs or is too dry or ends up with orange peel. But this time success! The weather is improving over the next few days so there will be an opportunity to get the car out and fit these. I will update then.

Thanks for the encouraging comments Mike.
Here are some pics of the end result. I attached the new pieces using the bolts and sealing it with black seam sealer. I think it has worked well - though as often happens one side is a bit better fit than the other. We took the car for an outing to Calke Abbey (National Trust) last week and the final picture is taken there.

Well done. Looks very good and could even be mistaken for an original factory offered body option. I like the blue. It sets the car off nicely.