Panels aligned
Matt strives for Minor panel gap perfection
Ever found yourself in a situation where you’re running from one project to the next, keeping things moving like a circus plate-spinner? That’s where I’ve been for the past few of months – preparing the MGB for our ‘Britain’s Best’ drive, the Traveller for a trip to Belgium, with MOT tests due on both the C15 and Focus. I also spent a weekend at the Beaulieu Spring Autojumble immersing myself in my barnfind Mini Countryman project; sourcing parts, seeking advice and generally forming a plan.
It’s a great benefit, then, that my two-door Minor is currently residing in Cannock, at CBR Classic Restorations. I took a couple of days to head up there and crack on with the bodywork and paint preparation under MD Andy Waters’ expert eye, able to focus on it without distraction. Andy said: ‘I want to help you achieve the best you can with this car. If it’s coming out of our workshop, it’s going to be to our standards. ‘It was like that when it left the factory’ just won’t do. We can do better.’
My intention had been to repair the original rear wings before heading up, so I could spend some time fitting them to the car and filling the arches to meet them perfectly. However, when I received their lace-like remnants back from blasting, I splashed out and bought a pair of new
replacements. As pattern wings being fitted to arches that have been replaced, it was out with the die grinder to open up the mounting holes and allow the wings to sit nicely in position.
Front end fit
I’d taken the radiator support panel, front panel and freshly-blasted and repaired front wing with me to bolt in position and ensure the alignment was correct before paint. With the doors on and lined up at the back edge, the wings were drawn back to meet them with a nice gap – but with the bonnet closed, all was not well. The inner wings (fitted inexpertly after I’d crashed the car in 2012) didn’t sit in line with the bonnet edges and, as a result, bonnet to wing gaps were gaping. Looking around at the quality of work in in CBR’S workshops, it was clear that this wouldn’t do. Panel beater Kev Richards took a long, hard look at the situation and returned minutes later with a selection of his larger hammers. An hour of ‘percussive adjustment’ later, the inner wings sat neatly in line with the bonnet edge.
One problem solved, it was on to the next. With the wings now correctly aligned, the holes for the ‘hockey stick’ chrome around the front panel matched nicely, as did the holes along the bottom edge. The same could not be said for the
inner wings to slam panel, which were around 20mm out. A quick tickle with the MIG saw the old holes welded up ready for replacements to be drilled. With everything bolted up tight, we closed the bonnet, adjusted the latch and stood back. There’s still some minor fettling to do, but not only is the alignment considerably better than it was, it’s also far better than it would have been when the car left the factory in 1970. I’m definitely catching the ‘fit and finish’ bug.
The wheel deal
With this car i want to achieve a look that’s as close to standard as possible. But I also want high performance, so the wheel choice was quite tough. Alloy wheels were out, but standard wheels wouldn’t make the best of the power and suspension upgrades. Banded steels were another option but, as an engineering solution, I’m not convinced by the idea of chopping a wheel in half and welding a strip of metal in the middle.
I settled on a set of reproduction Minor van wheels from ESM Morris Minors that incorporate a safety bead, before entering into a discussion on tyre choice with Ben Field from Vintage Tyres as to the optimum compromise between aesthetic appeal and rubber on the road. Ben drives a supercharged MG Midget and is familiar with this challenge. We eventually settled on a set of 165 R14 Vredestein Sprint Classics and so, while at CBR, I gave the powdercoated wheels a coat of old English White two-pack gloss with a drop of lacquer to make them really sing. The following day, I headed for the Beaulieu Spring Autojumble and dropped the wheels at Vintage Tyres HQ ready to be fitted with new rubber. More soon. ■ matt.tomkins@practicalclassics.co.uk