Restoration stuff, Morris convertible

Sean d

Zorg Expert (I)
Supporter
British Zeds
Joined
Sep 29, 2015
Points
201
Location
Lincolnshire
Model of Z
Z3 2.8
A regular customer has recently bought this 1954 split screen Moggy convertible, he drove it straight to us and asked us to sort any issues
Its actually very good, just 2 rotten door bottoms and a bit of rot on one wing, just thought I would share how I deal with it,
After first inspection it became clear that it needs full bottoms rather then patched, found a site on line and ordered the parts, 3 parts per side and only £96 for the lot
DSCN1866.webp
DSCN1869.webp

The whole bottom was cut away and internal rust removed and treated with acid etch primer
DSCN1884.webp

I stepped the joints so the steel was flush when joined
DSCN1891.webp
DSCN1894.webp

Outside fitted and a skim of filler
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DSCN1898.webp

Took 10 hours in total, down side is that I have to do it all again on the other side, I really enjoy this stuff as its more craftsman like rather then body monkey stuff, should last another 50 years
 
Lot's of satisfaction actually repairing something Sean. Will no doubt be a cracking job when you've finished mate.:thumbsup:

Tony.
 
Lot's of satisfaction actually repairing something Sean. Will no doubt be a cracking job when you've finished mate.:thumbsup:

Tony.
Its old skills that I am pulling out of the bag mate, used to do stuff like this all the time 30 years ago, but very rarely get the chance these days as they don't really pay, the guy that owns it was mt Geography teacher when I was a kid
 
I love to see stuff like this being done, my late father was in the motor trade all his life and was demon at sorting bodywork panels like this aswell as all the mechanical stuff. Still got some of his old King Dick spanners in the garage.
 
Ah, King dick. That brings back memories.
Well, I just tried googling "King dick spanners" expecting to be guided to some :wideyed::wideyed: type websites, but no, they're still going. So the interweb isn't just full of smut, then.:whistle:
 
Good to see quality repairs in this throwaway society.
 
A regular customer has recently bought this 1954 split screen Moggy convertible, he drove it straight to us and asked us to sort any issues
Its actually very good, just 2 rotten door bottoms and a bit of rot on one wing, just thought I would share how I deal with it,
After first inspection it became clear that it needs full bottoms rather then patched, found a site on line and ordered the parts, 3 parts per side and only £96 for the lot
View attachment 97334 View attachment 97335
The whole bottom was cut away and internal rust removed and treated with acid etch primer
View attachment 97336
I stepped the joints so the steel was flush when joined
View attachment 97337 View attachment 97338
Outside fitted and a skim of filler
View attachment 97339 View attachment 97340
Took 10 hours in total, down side is that I have to do it all again on the other side, I really enjoy this stuff as its more craftsman like rather then body monkey stuff, should last another 50 years
Looking forward to seeing the finished job Sean.
 
The place where I have bodywork done also sort out complete cars like this minor in fact they did a woody last year also the chap that bought my TR a couple of years ago was also redoing a woody
It’s good to see the work like this done by people with skill. Geoff
 
As Chris Evans once said "a bad person would never drive a Moggy".
 
Looks like an aftermarket convertible conversion?
 
The place where I have bodywork done also sort out complete cars like this minor in fact they did a woody last year also the chap that bought my TR a couple of years ago was also redoing a woody
It’s good to see the work like this done by people with skill. Geoff
Ditto: a dying craft. View attachment 97380
 
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Lovely work Sean, it's so refreshing to see proper skills alive and well. Nice old car, too.

Years ago I restored a 1966 Sunbeam Rapier. The guy that did the bodywork, Jeff, was fantastic. The car needed two front wings. I managed to find a genuine Rootes one for the offside, but there were no nearside ones to be had, which meant the only alternative was a pattern one. Well, it looked great until it was offered up to the car. If the rear top edge was lined up with the scuttle, the bottom sat about 3 inches below the level of the sill...To say I was gutted was an understatement. Jeff plonked it on the car, sat looking at for a while and then said "If we slice the wing from behind the headlight along the line where the chrome trim sits, then we can line up the top and bottom to the car and weld along the cut. With the trim back on you'll never see it" I wasn't convinced but didn't really have a choice. Well, when he'd finished you wouldn't have known it from a factory wing. I've had the highest respect for old school bodywork professionals ever since.
 
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