Morris Minor
Matt is reminded that doing things properly takes time
Imentioned in my previous Saga, an impeding trip north to see Mikey and Steve from Gilbert-michaelson automotive restorations to seek help with an unsatisfactory repair to my drivers’ door bottom. The more I’d looked at the repair I’d made a year previously in a rush, the less happy I was becoming with it. I bought a new bottom skin repair section and, under Mikey’s watchful eye, prepared myself to cut the bottom of the door away. ‘Stop’, he said. ‘Let’s work on this logically, you’re not cutting anything until you’ve made your replacement panels and are sure you have a datum’. Of course, he was right. The inside and bottom of the door (for which repair panels are not available) was in dire need of attention, and without the car with me in Wakefield, I needed to maintain a datum point at all times to ensure that the door would still fit its hole. Careful measurements were taken and patterns made using the other, intact and unmolested door as a reference. Only once we were sure that they were neat and correct was this then committed to steel. Once these were cut out, folded and drilled, I was let loose with the air grinder to remove the old bottom. At this point it became apparent that the inner structure would also require some work. More time, more templates and more bending and folding later, the jigsaw of parts was ready to tack in, allowing the lower skin to be cut off without fear of a reference point being lost. Now, the lower skin repair panel was cheap, and the fit of it sadly reflected this.
Fettling required
Judicious use of the English wheel and slight percussive adjustment saw it fitting beautifully. The door itself could then have its lower edge joggled and the repair section could be clamped and screwed in place. Once we were content with the fit, it was removed for the inside of the door and the bottom to be fully welded, before it was put back in place and welded into place. Next, the lower edge and each side was peened over to create a neat and factory-fresh looking joint. Finally, the joint was lead loaded to prevent water ingress from behind onto porous body filler which would inevitably be required before final finishing. And that was it, two days of hard work resulting in a properly repaired drivers’ door and a huge wealth of skills refined. I’ve left my boot
lid with them to be repaired, hopefully in time for the PC CC&RS at the NEC. Mikey and Steve will be running the Restoration Theatre, so make sure you pop over and say hello.
Back at the PC workshop, I’ve spent a couple of long weekends working hard to get the filler work done on both doors, and have managed to get top coat on the front panel. There’s plenty more rubbing down to do, however a delivery from Mirka in the form of a direct electric orbital sander and extraction kit, equipped with its patented Abranet dustless sanding technology, should speed up this arduous task. Hopefully by next time, both doors will be in colour and fitted to the car.
Meanwhile, progress has continued apace on the mechanicals. I’ve stripped, cleaned, painted, rebuilt and refitted the dynamo, master cylinder and bonnet release mechanism. I’ve also ordered a set of coolant hoses from Classic Silicone Hoses, which fit beautifully with the hidden upgrade ethos of the restoration, promising to be fit and forget but being hand-wrapped to look as the originals would have when they left the factory.