Body panels

[ChrisS]

Besides Moss and VB, where would you recommend getting decent body panels from? Also, is there a quality difference between the Moss and VB panels? These would be for a MKI Sprite. Thanks.

 

[r67cat]

Chris, when I restored my 71 Midget I used body panels from Moss and was pleased with the quality. All of the panels were made in England. You can view some of the restoration pictures at my home page. Click on photos. Good luck, Rick web page

 

[jgoss]

Rick,

Nice job and great pix.
I'm curious about that right rear wing replacement. I have just gone through my floors and a-posts and am looking at doing both rear wings. On the driver side there is just a little swiss cheese down at the bottom rear where water is prone to collect. Thought about patching but don't know if I can bend the curves. The passenger side had been run into in a previous life so its going to have to be replaced. I was going to cut above the dent similar to the way you did yours.
Any tips, gotchas or sage advice?


jgoss

 

[Ohiobugeye]

The info I've found out regarding body panels is that they are almost all made in the U.K. Moss and Victoria British are probably the largest suppliers. I bought floor pans from Moss this Spring and they were quality products. Since then I have found some other suppliers. Mini Mania at www.spritemania.com ( located in Fla.) and The Winners Circle at www.spridget.com located in Cleveland Ohio are dealers who I've found to be reliable. All the dealers are priced close to the same. You may save some money in shipping cost by shopping around to find a dealer near you.

 

[r67cat]

jgoss, in replacing the rear wings, or any structural member, it is critical to keep the tub supported to prevent it from sagging. As more rotten metal is removed the sagging potential increases. It is best to work on one side at a time. For the rear wings I placed the panel up to the wing, scribed a line where it was to fit and cut off the rotten wing aprox 1 inch below. I then cut out the rotten outer aspect of the inner wheel well using the wheel well replacement panel as a guide. Welded in the outer wheel well. Refit the outer wing making the exact cut for it to be butt welded or if you wish leave enough metal to form a flange to lap weld. The wings were not fitted until the outer and inner rockers and floors were replaced, and the door gaps were determined to be satisfactory. Continue to use the door gaps as confirmation that the tub has not sagged. The rear wing replacement panel wraps around to form the lower portion of the door jam. If this is where you have the "Swiss cheese" it will be fixed with the panel. I used a spot welder for the rockers and any other area where I could reach and mig welded everything else, both butt weld as well as punch fill welds where needed. These panels will distort if the welding gets them too hot. I essentially placed hundreds of tack welds working back and forth from each end of the panel to keep the metal as cool as possible, then stitched little 1/2" to 3/4" welds between. Again don't rush let the metal stay as cool as possible. Good luck, Rick /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[ChrisS]

Thanks all, I've contacted the usual suspects; just waiting on pricing. One question I've asked them but have not gotten an answer to is whether or not there are patch panels for the lower front of the bonnet and the rear tail light area for the center section? I think the answer is no, but I can hope can't I?