The Countryman restoration

Restoration projects and Austin related chat in here please
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Duncan
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Re: The Countryman restoration

Post by Duncan »

Thanks Neil [adds another piece of equipment to the list of must-have's]
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beko
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Re: The Countryman restoration

Post by beko »

I'm still plugging away, though have had a some other house jobs to do and with the weather improving, I'm trying to keep the weekend noise down for the sake of the neighbours!

The nearside front is practically sorted now that i've replaced the front lower corner of the inner wing.
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Only when i was doing this did i realise that the Countryman wouldn't have had indicators as standard, so i'm wondering whether to fit the saloon set-up. If i do i can avoid the need to repair one small piece of the bonnet surround flange as that would need to come out. I would be the neatest way of fitting them too, as i don't want anything hanging on brackets.

The offside will be next, but i had a spare half hour so took the angle grinder to the offside floor/inner sill.

As mentioned earlier there is no shortage of seam sealer, but there were plenty of poor repairs and holes.
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Some parts of the floor panel took a bit of chopping out, other parts a bit easier. The floor was attached to the remains of the inner sill by just a couple of welds and seam sealer.
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Outer sill not welded to anything at the bottom though, just wrapped around .. :whistle:
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None of this comes as a great surprise, just rather sad someone paid for this to be done...

The back floor needs to come out too, that is peppered with holes and half a dozen plates. Handbrake is out in readiness, but whoever designed that set up ..... :roll:
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beko
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Re: The Countryman restoration

Post by beko »

You'll have noticed progress has slowed a little - work, sorting the 2 door for the National and other factors have eaten into my spare time. Anyway, i think i'm getting back on track.

I've been collecting an sorting front wings. Sandblasting these showed up a few holes and past repairs.

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In the end have repaired the original nearside wing (the one above) and a "spare". With the repairs sorted on the nearside, i finished off the wing with a new bottom section. I'll finish the offside wings once i have something solid to attach them too!
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The door needs a few final repairs, but i'm pretty happy with the way this side has gone together.
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I've been tackling offside wings too, but need to deal with the floor and sills before finishing these off.

I'm leaving the sills until the floor is in place, but most of the floor is now out. It's harder removing from this side as the front floorpan has been replaced and its been seam welded in areas.
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There's not too much rot around the spring hanger, just a little in the corner.
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There had been some odd repairs around the floor/tunnel where the back "feet" of the seat would have been. Not an area i was expecting to have to repair, as with all the oil and grease under the transmission tunnel it was never going to rot from the outside in.
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In this area the edge of the tunnel isn't quite straight - the shape is quite subtle as the tunnel becomes shallower towards the end of the gearbox. It took a few attempts to get right.
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With a little luck, I'll be able to remove the rest of the floor tomorrow and tidy up the flanges. I have a floor panel more or less ready to drop in and that will be a welcome sight!
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A40FARINAGURU
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Re: The Countryman restoration

Post by A40FARINAGURU »

it's coming on bit by bit :thumbs:
Nick Bayliss

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beko
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Re: The Countryman restoration

Post by beko »

I'm starting to make progress on the driver's side now.

The rot at the corner of the heelboard is fixed and the floor has been tacked into place.
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The last parts of the front corner have been taken out, the lower hinge support and previous repair to the wheel arch - now redone.
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Parts salvaged from the old saloon shell have come in handy as templates for the inner sill and to repair the corner just below the hinge support.
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After cutting most of the sill out, I've opened up the lower corner of the rear wing
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A little heat from a blowlamp shifted the filler.
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and then once opened up, the remains of the inner sill/side panel
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I need a good couple of days to tack everything together, but there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Attachments
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Neil Evans
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Re: The Countryman restoration

Post by Neil Evans »

Looking good... :thumbs:
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beko
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Re: The Countryman restoration

Post by beko »

Kind of you to say so, thanks.

I feel like the worst of the body work is just about behind me now, hopefully over the bank holiday I'll get this side stitched together and finish off the front. The plan will then be to roll over to sort out the back end, but that doesn't look too bad. I may even get some primer on the body before it turns cold, which would be nice!
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Duncan
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Re: The Countryman restoration

Post by Duncan »

Great to see such work...
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Neil Evans
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Re: The Countryman restoration

Post by Neil Evans »

beko wrote:
Parts salvaged from the old saloon shell have come in handy as templates for the inner sill and to repair the corner just below the hinge support.
Presumably you established where van/countryman inner sills differ to saloon ones... :thumbs:
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beko
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Re: The Countryman restoration

Post by beko »

Yes indeed, I don't need the flange at the back of the saloon sill! But if there's anything else, do tell - there's not much original metal to refer to!
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Neil Evans
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Re: The Countryman restoration

Post by Neil Evans »

No, shape wise, they're identical apart from that flange... However, if you want to split hairs the rear drain slot is in a slightly different place... :thumbs:
beko wrote:...if there's anything else, do tell - there's not much original metal to refer to!
Have you got a pattern of the small 'square' piece with flanges on three sides that closes off the end of the sill/inner sill/wheel arch structure...
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beko
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Re: The Countryman restoration

Post by beko »

If it's just the drainhole i have got wrong i can live with that! :thumbs:

I haven't progressed as far as the closing piece yet - that's a few weeks away, but I don't think there much left of the original on either side - a pattern would be helpful.
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beko
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Re: The Countryman restoration

Post by beko »

If it's just the drainhole i have got wrong i can live with that! :thumbs:

I haven't progressed as far as the closing piece yet - that's a few weeks away, but I don't think there much left of the original on either side - a pattern would be helpful.
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Neil Evans
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Re: The Countryman restoration

Post by Neil Evans »

beko wrote:...a pattern would be helpful.
I'll see what I can do... :thumbs:
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AustinofEngland
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Re: The Countryman restoration

Post by AustinofEngland »

It's a work of art! I love the adjustment thread in the temporary door apature bracing so you can get it exactly right...
:bow:
AUSTIN - you can depend on it!
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