nickrock

The guy I did the kombi for piped in to the workshop to day so I asked him about the panels the good ones were only about $50 more expensive plus he's got a 2l ( I think he said 914 engine in it ) scary at over 100 kms and your over taking going up hills , his own words lol

We put a whole new front panel on I recall it took me less than a day to strip and fit plus clean up behind where you had rust forming but would never be able to get to it with out the panel removal , wouldn't radically modify it they are becoming seriously worth good money ,custpmer had his one valued for insurance and that was tens of thousands more than he spend on full strip down

Get the original panels they are about 50% more expensive but cheaper when you factor in the time trying to make a silk purse out of a pigs ear . did a 1970 one he originally brought the cheaper ones but realised that they were shit and didn't really fit , front step patch panel had different curve and was twisted

There used to be a place down by port Rd might have been called metal traders or something like that I brought a few sheets off then few years back and they were cheaper than steel and tube and they chopped some rhs for me too

I have a 40 to 1 reduction box ,several single phase motors of that helps

In my experience what your welding makes all the difference ,while ago I was putting rear wheel arch patch panels on a early kombi awesome to weld small tacks then cooled stuff all distortion and its a big flats panel Next day was on a bent Mitzi although it welded up ok no way could I work it like the low tensile steel bash it and bog it

I found a battery powered reciprocating saw better

He was giving it a final sand after guide coating the panel when I was in there yesterday afternoon

Are xf Ute the same

Diff was quite strong never broke and I caned it and used to tow car trailer with it most weekends

I did the 289 with auto conversion way back in the late 70s don't remember much about it except it wasn't that hard mate had a very hot 351 in his , was lethal in the wet it would just fry the tyres on every gear change recall late on night on way home from the pub ( I was driving cause he could hardly stand up ) I really struggled to get up the slope from the basin reserve to Mt vic tunnel cops were more interested in what was crammed under the bonnet that the drivers

If you want a URL for the panels and I will ask him defiantly for that front floor way better than repairing it

Also he's got a clubman with a 1.8 Honda vtec I think it was 140kw at rear wheel had turbo etc in it

The owner of a panel shop I do work for has MANY minis including a genuine Ute ,so he often gets other peoples minis in for repairs ,he gets the panels from England they are here in a week also very reasonably priced ,cheaper than paying me to cut the bits out and make up patch panels

What are they like to find bits , I know where there is a two door convertible I have had my eye on it for a few years its got the rego on hold but the running gear is missing

I need the services of a auto Sparky to sort out my wiring harness in my wb it gives me a headache just looking at it He can do it here or take the harness home with all the bits and do it at his place Want to put a better fuse box in relocated on the inner guard and a few relays and sort out what wires go where on the steering coloum

And all the other engineering toys he obviously has access to

It is its pure therapy I often " borrow " mates digger and wreck stuff like cars

There is always way more work than you anticipate its the finishing bits that take for ever

Most small shops don't do it any more , basically if its bent and its more than a few years old its a write of and new cars with that sort of damage the insurance co sent it to one of their preferred shops with inverter welders and manufacturer approved tradesman The co I do part time work for has one in the corner may be uses it once a year ,hes said he wants it gone ,no real money in the big jobs basically a few 100 and you get the lot frame clamps rams chains power pack has all the measuring gear but never used Last real job I did on it was a half finished triumph 2000 that hit a power pole and the owner supplied a whole front cut

You must have been reading my mind re hinge bushes was going to drop you a message on how tight were the pins to get out did you get pins as well as bushes

Organise a wgtn shed / garage tour

The things you young fellas do to discover a new high

Cleaning it up is at best a temp fix rust is like the proverbial iceberg you only see 1% of it I bet its well along the seam

Yes when you have a run of problems that you are never sure if you have fixed them I get this nagging thought ok when is it going to die again