Panel Replacement - Genuine Scuttle
Following my When To Use Genuine Panels post on Friday, we were given a genuine scuttle to replace the damaged crap unit with.
The genuine panel was more than twice the price of the pattern panel but the extra cost is justified by the quality of the fit of the panel. Scott fettled and then offered up (and clamped) the new scuttle and placed the new wings (non-genuine) to see what the fit was like. Remember, this was the fit with the original scuttle.
Clicking the link above will open the image in a java window. See the gap between the wing and the A panel?
This is what that same corner looks like now:
Cleaning up the edges of the scuttle to ensure a good fit to the existing A pillar.
The new scuttle clamped into place to test the fit. We haven’t drilled the holes for the plug welds yet.
A much better alignment. Wouldn’t you agree?!
Close-up of the gap between the new scuttle and the original A pillar join.
So, with that little hiccough out of the way we can get the rest of the front in and then sort the bloody great hole in the corner of the roof!
After that? New sills, new floor section and then lots and lots and lots of paint. All by Saturday!
Collin is A former chairman of Portsmouth and Southampton Mini Owners' Club, certified Mini Loon, and not all that knowledgeable. He writes these articles purely for enjoyment and currently gets no recompense for all his sterling work. Maybe one day his efforts will be rewarded either financially or sexually. If you see anything wrong in any post, please leave a comment on the post or use the contact form link below.
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January 8th, 2008 at 1:16 am
Great to see you making great progress, have bought the part to embark on a front subframe this week
really nervous, but will let you know if i can do it. Wish me luck, am going to try and make a time lapse of it.
Sam
January 8th, 2008 at 5:42 pm
Good Luck Sam! If you have the genuine panel, it should be no problem. Would like to see pictures and the time lapse too when you have done it!