Triangular Support

I know, I know, I should not be surprised but I did honestly think this area would be far simpler than the rear bulkhead. 

But I really didn't expect that the heritage replacement panel could be so far from the original! I even took it back to my local MG parts supplier to get them to double check. I had photo's and everything thinking they would say "oh yeah" must have been a doggy one and pull out a perfect replacement from behind the counter. Well that didn't happen they of course found another one in their stores that was exactly the same as the one I purchased two weeks ago! Grrr.

I felt like a right idiot because I am sure they get this all the time. I did check my vehicle type (GAN3) and it did match the panel.

So I had managed to remove the old panel which was too far gone. Just so relieved the left hand side of the car is better.

But on test fitting the new panel I noticed that there was a gap so it would not line up with the footwell end plate, as you can see here below. Also in fabricating the new panel they have covered up half of the drain hole, which just seems odd to me.

What I have worked out is that I needed to drill out these welds on the lower part and reweld this so that it covered the hole completely and drill a new hole using the hole (shown above) as a guide. That way it would fit.

So off it came and I found out that by moving it down a centimetre it did fit in line with the footwell end plate. Happy days!!

Well not quite because after inspecting the rest of the edges it became clear that I would have to make a few more alterations as you can see gap right in the centre of the picture below.

I also noticed that they changed the design of this panel further so the flange you can see running from bottom left to the middle on the new panel now is bent downwards and not upwards as it is originally. My only conclusion was that this has been done to help with prevent further rust as having the flange facing down would reduce the chance of moisture getting behind it.

On the positive side the area has been cleaned of rust and I am very nearly ready to start welding in new panel.

Triangular Support Needs Replacing

Continuing on with the footwell repair I have decided that the inner or engine side triangular support needs to be replaced. The metal is so badly corroded it just isn't worth taking a risk. I will be going to Moss this week to invest in a replacement.

Tonight I did make a bespoke repair panel which will be welded in when the new panel arrives in the workshop.

What I am considering though is where to carry on with the footwell repair or wait until I have sorted the triangular support? Looking at a few other blogs it seems others have gone ahead and sorted the footwell out. 

I guess I will decide soon enough.

Footwell Repair

As it seems to be with this project I have to maintain progress by grabbing a couple of hours when I can and today was no exception. My youngest was off to a birthday party and my wife spent some quality time with the eldest, perfect!

I have to say that I have been looking forward to working on the footwell, mostly because it is something new, i.e. not the rear bulkhead! A new challenge helps to remove the monotony of repetition. I am honest enough to admit that working on the rear bulkhead got to a point where I repeatedly questioned whether I could finish this. Looking back on it I have to say that without that period, I would now not have to confidence to continue. It was during that period that I learnt to weld and work with metal and it is with that fact that I look back on that time with satisfaction.

So the footwell... This is really the final part of the right hand floor that I have to tackle. It will enable me to install the end footwell panel, the outer footwell panel, the floor panel, the A post and the inner sill. However as so often with this project my early enthusiasm was slightly dampened by the extent of the rust damage to the triangular support panel. I already knew that there was work to be done, but the challenge has increased somewhat. 

I'll let the photo's finish the story!

Crossmember In!

As I has hoped getting the crossmember welded in place was fairly straight forward. The hardest part was making sure it was level, not that easy with the Midget on it's side and at an angle!

But by using the inner sill and making sure that was square with the rear bulkhead and front footwell panel it seems to have gone in nicely.

Tackling the Crossmember section

Having completed welding in the new rear bulkhead on the right side of the Midget, it was time to move on to the next section of the chassis that needs attention, the cross member. Compared to the panel that I have been working on for the last few months, I am expecting this repair to be over in a blink of an eye in comparison. 

The main issue is to make sure that the new part goes on perfectly in line with what's left of the original.

This evening I started to cut away more of the rusted section and measure out the new repair.

Once this has been completed I will move on to the footwell end panel which will take some time to get right.