1968 MG Midget

[Eddie Honda]

Looking at the picture again - have you seen the gap to the left of where the screwdriver is?
Is the floor panel the right profile?

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http://www.britishv8.org/Articles/Briti ... Midget.htm

[DodgeRover]

Blimey, factory original gaps!

[SiC]

Ot weld a fillet in and seam seal it?

It must be getting close to paint time?

I did consider that as it'll probably be the quicker method but feels a bit of a bodge. Not sure how well it will go trying to fill such a wide gap and getting a strong weld in.

Paint is definitely getting closer. I won't be putting any time estimates when it will be as time to work on this ends up being few and far between. Looking back earlier I realised that I stripped the paint on this side in July 2022...

I'm considering stripping everything left on and getting it painted properly. Really the only thing left attached is the powertrain, suspension parts and wiring loom.

You will want to redo those welds anyway so why not drill them or split them to release the tension at the right hand side then put a jack with a block of wood on it under that bit to press it back up (or a bottle/ screw jack off the axle if it's still fitted)

That was sort of the way I think I might go. Drop the axle and a post across the bottom of the floor. Then cut the welds out and leave the weight of the body to drop onto the floor properly. I think if I cut the edge on the right, the floor will naturally move up into place. But makes me wonder why the last person who did it, didn't.

I also don't want to really know if the body is twisted from a previous restoration not bracing it properly...

Looking at the picture again - have you seen the gap to the left of where the screwdriver is?
Is the floor panel the right profile?

http://www.britishv8.org/Articles/Briti ... Midget.htm

Quite interesting reading the feedback on the Heritage bodyshells being not accurately made.

However if they were still £3800+VAT, I think I might have been tempted to buy one intead of welding this up.

IIRC they're a best part of £13k now. You can buy a really, really nice ready to run Spridget for less than that.

[SiC]

I'm constantly debating whether to do something quickly and get it on the road quicker, or precisely and correctly.

E.g. slap a patch on that has a bit of overlap or let a panel in at the same level as the base metal.

I flip between the two when working. For example today the inner arch repair panel is welded over the top and I'll seam seal the gap between the two. The back I let a panel in to make it pretty much the same level and grind it back.

While I want this restoration to last, I still want to get the fucker back on the road by next year.

[SiC]

As usual, I hoped to get more done this weekend but always something that gets in the way. As the weather was absolutely fantastic, I went for a local walk with Mrs SiC.

Just as I took that picture, I received a message from my neighbour if I wanted to go for a pint. While I wanted to get on with the Midget, I couldn't say no. By the time I got back an hour or so later, things were a bit blurry and I thought it was prudent to sober up before I cut my ligaments off from my clumsiness.
First job was lining this inner panel. I tacked in place, ground back to flat and rechecked the positioning with the outer panel. 


 
Then a few more tacks and double checking again with the outer panel in place.

 
Finally a decent seam weld across.


 
Next was fixing this hole.

Cutting back the arch repair panel for both access and I'll be bashing it over the top after.

 
Using my trusted method of wallpaper lining paper to make a template (easier to bend and work with than straight cardboard while coming on a handy reel).
I'm running a bit short of metal so I'm reusing cut off old bits. This was the front footwell side panel. Nice thick metal and in the middle it's in good condition.

Cut out and fit into place.


Weld (camera getting confused by my torch pwm)

Grind

Other side had good penetration but I realised that this will be the most visible. So I ran another bead and grind down again.

Then bend the inner repair panel back over. I might cut this back a bit more before welding on. I did the other side and still left plenty to close up the arch from the outside.

[christine]

Fucking hell SiC , your welding's far better when you're pissed up !
I expect you were only invited out for a pint , as they were dreading an angle grinding racket on a Sunday ...

[PhilA]

Damn. I thought I was going to beat you to bodywork completion on the Fury.

Looks like the race is on.

[SiC]

An evening job again due to enjoying the warm weather today and DIY duty in the afternoon.
Finished this side and ground back 

Did this side too. This was a pain. The angle on the bottom was tricky to get right. Bending into place but clamps didn't clamp. So push into place, flip visor and tacking. Then hoping the outer fits. Thankfully it did even though I did it by eye. 

Then painted.


 
I need to revisit this corner and put a few welds down to clean and seal it up. It's a bit of a mess right now to be honest.

The rear is messy but the back panel will be cut off. I'll have to make sure this outrigger bit fits and seals when I do the back panel though. Hammers most likely will be the solution here.

 
Lined the outer panel up again as this will be the next job (after that clean up above).

Fits okay but will need some work. Chiefly this sticks too far out at the front of the arch. Will be a bit of cutting and bending likely to get this right. Doesn't look much on camera but very noticeable in person.

Also there is a bigger gap at the front here. This is an interesting one as the other side did this too. Going around shows I would see the same on some cars. 
Pretty sure all Steelcraft panels are like this and aren't bent quite far enough down at this edge. It's a good indication if you look at a Midget here if it's had the rear panel replaced with one of these repair sections. I don't think the full heritage panel does this. 
Not a lot I can do without major surgery to the panel. On the otherside I did try twisting it to reduce it as much as possible. My metal working skills aren't good enough to risk bashing/cutting to adjust it. So I'll get it as best as possible but it could just be one of those things. I'll just blame BL build quality here and say it's normal...

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

I’d get it booked in for a paint job now, aiming to have it dropped off in December.

You’ll get the money back and more come resale. I would 105% do it in primrose as well. It’s a great colour on a Midget and it is good to see a car restored to how it looked when new.

I suspect you may keep this one when done anyway.

[SiC]

I'm still debating in my head on what colour to go for.
The biggest factor is that I bought it this colour and because it is this colour that makes it a nice little story attached to it. Something that should help its sale if I do decide to sell as it's a cool reference to have.

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But I'm not actually 100% I like the colour though.
Primrose is exposed in some of the body areas where the blue has chipped off and I'm not sure I like the wishy washy nature of it. But also a rare colour to see on a Midget. I keep on the lookout at shows to see if I see any Primrose BL/BMC cars to get a feel for it in person.
Can't find any pictures quickly but it's on the left side of this picture here:

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I don't want to book in a date as that'll set a time pressure point that I have to work to. I'm too busy to be able to commit like that and I'll end up just having to rush to meet it. There also is the possibility I might send this off to be blasted (depending on cost) and primed. This will allow me to see any areas I missed and give a good surface for paint to go on. Right now it's a mix of colours and types of paint - cellulose, acrylic and enamel.

I keep pondering about stripping everything else off mechanical and getting it resprayed bare. It will also allow me to easily reweld anything underneath that looks suspect. Won't be hard to pull the remaining stuff off. and if I ever get around to selling the BGT, there will be garage space to store everything.