Irish Mini Owners Club

Tacked in the floor patch panel against the tunnel.



I have also tacked the side that will be butt welded



M-machine panel didn't fit against the inner sill so I have made a relief cut and will put an additional patch in later.



The flute in the M-machine panel is narrower than the original one so I have put in cuts that allows the flute to widen and reshape to the original floor.





Plug welds have gone really well using a 6.5mm hole and a 3mm hole in the back of the other panel

It's a day's work to get it this far, but if you rush it, it will not come out well.

What's the thinking behind the 3mm hole on the lower panel? Seems like it would blow through fairly quickly, quicker than if it was just the 6.8mm hole on one side?

I was less technical with matching the flutes on the repair panels lol, bashed them into shape with hammer and dolly...

Hi Colin,

The 3mm hole was used with the Cleco clips that I used to align the panel. It helped to always put the panel back into the same spot when doing all the measuring and cutting. I just drilled out one side to 6.5mm for the plug weld. If you use your normal thin sheet welding settings then you won't blow through the hole.

Ah I see now, I thought it was to ensure full penetration!

I was wondering the same thing about the holes. Personally I'm a hammer and dolly man myself, you'd be amazed what you can achieve with a bit of practice

Started welding up the tacked floor panel this evening



Always easy to blend a butt weld when it's on an outside curve



Finished up just after the first inside flute this evening





A splash of etch primer to keep it clean until I get to body prep



I think I am going to run out of gas soon so will need to order another bottle of MIG gas