Bodgetastic
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- Minor Legend
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- Location: Burnley
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Bodgetastic
I had a poke around the free Moggy this afternoon to assess the amount of work that's going to be required. Some of what I found was rather depressing - not just the usual rust, but plenty of bad workmanship too. What's worrying is that at least some of this was carried out recently by a "classic car specialist" who charged the previous owner £75 an hour. One of the invoices from this "specialist" says the jacking points are unsafe and recommends jacking under "the front or rear axle" instead. Send me a PM if you would like to know the name of this garage as the forum rules prevent me from doing so publicly.
Rotten sills reinforced with what looks like heavy duty Dexion angle. I guessed there would be something nasty hidden under there when I realised the covers were glued and riveted on. Note also the modification made to raise the height of the driver's seat.
The worst bit is where a patch on the end of the crossmember has been bodged on top of the earlier sill bodge. The cover was welded to the whole mess at this point too.
Apparently this patch was roughly welded on over a rust hole to get it through the last MOT.
Here is where the nearside wing is attached. Notice anything missing? Like bolts... The other problem is that the inner wing you can see here has been bodged on in places without cutting out the old rotten inner wing, leaving a double skin.
Some more of that £75 an hour work, to replace part of the offside inner wing and wheel arch. Yes, the bolts are too small. No, I don't know what they're screwed to - I suspect he's drilled right through both skins and put a nut on the inside. I had a quick poke around inside, noticed the kidney panel had been repaired with fibreglass, and recoiled in horror.
Rotten sills reinforced with what looks like heavy duty Dexion angle. I guessed there would be something nasty hidden under there when I realised the covers were glued and riveted on. Note also the modification made to raise the height of the driver's seat.
The worst bit is where a patch on the end of the crossmember has been bodged on top of the earlier sill bodge. The cover was welded to the whole mess at this point too.
Apparently this patch was roughly welded on over a rust hole to get it through the last MOT.
Here is where the nearside wing is attached. Notice anything missing? Like bolts... The other problem is that the inner wing you can see here has been bodged on in places without cutting out the old rotten inner wing, leaving a double skin.
Some more of that £75 an hour work, to replace part of the offside inner wing and wheel arch. Yes, the bolts are too small. No, I don't know what they're screwed to - I suspect he's drilled right through both skins and put a nut on the inside. I had a quick poke around inside, noticed the kidney panel had been repaired with fibreglass, and recoiled in horror.
Alex Holden - http://www.alexholden.net/
If it doesn't work, you're not hitting it with a big enough hammer.
A taste of the sort of work found (IME) on LCVs, then, Dexion and all... At least yours still has *some* of the original metal in the sills
a
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Last edited by bigginger on Sun Feb 24, 2008 11:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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- Minor Legend
- Posts: 3798
- Joined: Tue Jul 25, 2006 9:46 am
- Location: Burnley
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If you're right that probably means he's replaced the rear inner wing with a piece of plain sheet without the captive nuts.Orkney wrote:Pint says there is no nut on the back of those - look remarkably like tec screws - self tappers sometimes with built in pilot drill used in a torque gun.he bolts are too small. No, I don't know what they're screwed to
Alex Holden - http://www.alexholden.net/
If it doesn't work, you're not hitting it with a big enough hammer.
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- Minor Legend
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I know, musn't grumble (too much)!Dan_Harris wrote:Bodged to heck then. Oh well, it was a freebie (grrrrr, I wanted it!)
Alex Holden - http://www.alexholden.net/
If it doesn't work, you're not hitting it with a big enough hammer.
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- Moderator
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I've seen far worse, although not for £75 an hour!
On Relfy's car, a London Minor centre charged a much more sensible hourly rate to put filler in the ends of the new sill (it couldn't be welded the inner wings as they were moth eaten so they just filled this important structural area).
This free car seems to have far less filler and fibreglass in imprtant areas than some Ive seen sold for £££'s
On Relfy's car, a London Minor centre charged a much more sensible hourly rate to put filler in the ends of the new sill (it couldn't be welded the inner wings as they were moth eaten so they just filled this important structural area).
This free car seems to have far less filler and fibreglass in imprtant areas than some Ive seen sold for £££'s
Ray. MMOC#47368. Forum moderator.
Jan 06: The Minor SII Africa adventure: http://www.minor-detour.com
Oct 06: back from Dresden with my Trabant 601 Kombi
Jan 07: back from a month thru North Africa (via Timbuktu) in a S3 Landy
June 07 - back from Zwickau Trabi Treffen
Aug 07 & Aug 08 - back from the Lands End to Orkney in 71 pickup
Sept 2010 - finally gave up breaking down in a SII Landy...
where to break down next?
2013... managed to seize my 1275 just by driving it round the block
Jan 06: The Minor SII Africa adventure: http://www.minor-detour.com
Oct 06: back from Dresden with my Trabant 601 Kombi
Jan 07: back from a month thru North Africa (via Timbuktu) in a S3 Landy
June 07 - back from Zwickau Trabi Treffen
Aug 07 & Aug 08 - back from the Lands End to Orkney in 71 pickup
Sept 2010 - finally gave up breaking down in a SII Landy...
where to break down next?
2013... managed to seize my 1275 just by driving it round the block
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- Minor Legend
- Posts: 4064
- Joined: Tue Dec 07, 2004 8:50 am
- Location: Margate, East Kent
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Yes, PM me the name of the specialist. The techniques used (panels welded on over rust) looks very familliar to the car I'm (gradually) bringing back to life ATM (Dibble).
Cheers John - all comments IMHO
- Come to this years Kent branches Hop rally! http://www.kenthop.co.uk
(check out the East Kent branch website http://www.ekmm.co.uk )
- Come to this years Kent branches Hop rally! http://www.kenthop.co.uk
(check out the East Kent branch website http://www.ekmm.co.uk )
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- Minor Legend
- Posts: 4064
- Joined: Tue Dec 07, 2004 8:50 am
- Location: Margate, East Kent
- MMOC Member: No
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- Minor Legend
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- Joined: Tue Jul 25, 2006 9:46 am
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PMs sent.
I think the bodges are solid enough to survive a while longer yet (I jumped up and down on the middle of the sills and they didn't flex) so I'm not going to start on a major rebuild until after this year's rally season. The plan is to get it running reliably and comfortably so I can switch to using it as my daily driver while I take Fenchurch off the road to do a few jobs I've been putting off. By the time the LEO and AIR come round I want to have them both running well enough that I could confidently take either one.
I think the bodges are solid enough to survive a while longer yet (I jumped up and down on the middle of the sills and they didn't flex) so I'm not going to start on a major rebuild until after this year's rally season. The plan is to get it running reliably and comfortably so I can switch to using it as my daily driver while I take Fenchurch off the road to do a few jobs I've been putting off. By the time the LEO and AIR come round I want to have them both running well enough that I could confidently take either one.
Alex Holden - http://www.alexholden.net/
If it doesn't work, you're not hitting it with a big enough hammer.
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- Minor Legend
- Posts: 4064
- Joined: Tue Dec 07, 2004 8:50 am
- Location: Margate, East Kent
- MMOC Member: No
Thanks Alex for the PM, its a different company but sadly familliar tale of woeful work standards. Good plan, run the car for now and restore later. It looks like its up to MOT standards annd may actually last a few years of daily use before the rust breaks through again. I expect , being a saloon, you'll have to cut the rear wing mounting flange out of the inner wing and repair that.
Keep us posted!
P.S. taking a leaf out of "Spag"'s book, saving for a plasma cutter might be a good idea to slice through all those multiple welded on patches. Nothing eats cutting disks like a rust and bodged patch sandwich.
Keep us posted!
P.S. taking a leaf out of "Spag"'s book, saving for a plasma cutter might be a good idea to slice through all those multiple welded on patches. Nothing eats cutting disks like a rust and bodged patch sandwich.
Cheers John - all comments IMHO
- Come to this years Kent branches Hop rally! http://www.kenthop.co.uk
(check out the East Kent branch website http://www.ekmm.co.uk )
- Come to this years Kent branches Hop rally! http://www.kenthop.co.uk
(check out the East Kent branch website http://www.ekmm.co.uk )
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- Minor Legend
- Posts: 1239
- Joined: Mon Feb 07, 2005 4:49 pm
- Location: Itchen, Southampton
- MMOC Member: No
Trouble is the plasma cutter can't work if there is a gap between layers of metal.
It will happily cut one layer but will leave the next layer down relativly untouched.
To be fair you need to cut outside the poor multiple panels so you just keep going wider till you go clean through.
It will happily cut one layer but will leave the next layer down relativly untouched.
To be fair you need to cut outside the poor multiple panels so you just keep going wider till you go clean through.
Paulk
[img]http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b359/paulk235/DSCF0807.jpg[/img]
1959 2dr Milly
Has now sat in back garden for 5 years :(
http://www.sadmog.morrisminor.com/
[img]http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b359/paulk235/DSCF0807.jpg[/img]
1959 2dr Milly
Has now sat in back garden for 5 years :(
http://www.sadmog.morrisminor.com/
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- Minor Legend
- Posts: 3798
- Joined: Tue Jul 25, 2006 9:46 am
- Location: Burnley
- MMOC Member: No
Mmm, plasma... Don't think I haven't been tempted. The ability to only cut through one layer at a time sounds like an advantage to me - less likelihood of accidentally cutting through something on the other side.
Here's another view of the nearside inner wing:
And here is the reason why the engine vibrated so much on the motorway:
The stabiliser bracket isn't attached to the body in any way. Bear in mind this engine was fitted by a "specialist" 15 months ago and it's only done a handful of miles since.
Here's another view of the nearside inner wing:
And here is the reason why the engine vibrated so much on the motorway:
The stabiliser bracket isn't attached to the body in any way. Bear in mind this engine was fitted by a "specialist" 15 months ago and it's only done a handful of miles since.
Alex Holden - http://www.alexholden.net/
If it doesn't work, you're not hitting it with a big enough hammer.
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- Minor Legend
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- Joined: Tue Jul 25, 2006 9:46 am
- Location: Burnley
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The chassis legs are covered in underseal which I daren't remove yet. The front nearside has been damaged slightly in a bump at some point and rather roughly repaired. The crossmember ends don't look too clever (patches over patches).
Alex Holden - http://www.alexholden.net/
If it doesn't work, you're not hitting it with a big enough hammer.
The cutter I have has a parting cut of 12mm, 2 sheets and a gap is a bit different, though if the gap is only a couple of mm, and you crank up the amps, then the jet of hot stuff out the back of the first sheet is still pretty fierce !!
If anyone's interested I'll do some scientific 'gapped sheet' testing at the weekend ???
If anyone's interested I'll do some scientific 'gapped sheet' testing at the weekend ???
[img]http://www.spagweb.com/v8mini/images/spag_avatar1.gif[/img] Ian (Spag)
www.spagweb.com - www.v8mini.co.uk - "The Roughest V8Mini Deathtrap In The World"
www.spagweb.com - www.v8mini.co.uk - "The Roughest V8Mini Deathtrap In The World"