De seaming a mini using brazing

[shiftyseamus]

I've just seen this somewhere else and I think that this looks very dangerous

Before I worry the guy to death, am I right?

 

[bucko]

what deseaming the mini or the fact he brazeing and not filling the gap with a strong filler?

 

[bucko]

the more i think about it i can agree more that soft filler will fatuge it might be ok at first but give it a bit and it will crack

 

[shiftyseamus]

No, deseaming minis has been around since the dawn of time!!!

(even if it looks terrible)

The brazing concerns me, as I also though it would crack.

Bearing in mind that most of the braze will have been ground back to smooth it off and then body filler applied.

The usual way is to do it 1" at a time with a MIG and I would also reinforce the join at the back.

This way just looks like its asking for trouble.

 

[bucko]

i would love to see it done to prove us both wrong but im shore it wouldnt
before he knows it his paint finish is wrecked and the **** of his car will stil be where he parked it when he pulls of

 

[shiftyseamus]

Thats the problem, I don't want the lad to kill himself, just to be proved right!!

Its all brazed up now and grinding all that braze off and migging it up properly would be a nightmare

 

[bucko]

as my old boss once sed safety first ( god i neva thort i would say that, good job the lads cant see this) but he needs to be told as it dosnt just afect him that would be a danger to other people on the roads.

 

[drivewasher]

whats deseaming a mini? And why do you do it?

 

[shiftyseamus]

If you look at a mini the body joining seams are on the outside.

Some people like to remove them to give the car a smoother look.

Personally I don't like it , but each to their own

 

[bucko]

The mini panels are spot welded on a seam between all the panels (see pic) and people remove them to improve the look ( supposedly) but personally I think they look beta with them (ignur the arch its the best pic i could find)

 

[bucko]

sorry we both repleyd at the same time dint mean to upstage you or owt
personly i think you discription is beta i strugle to get my vishons in to words thats why i use pics alot

 

[drivewasher]

Ah! thanks chaps, never really noticed until you said. It's kinda like a gutter

 

[bucko]

yes i think it was done to reduce production costs. but the only prombelm is they trap mud and water and rot out aspeshly wear the front wing meets the front of the car

 

[malcolm]

I've just seen this somewhere else and I think that this looks very dangerous

Before I worry the guy to death, am I right?

I think you are right. Certainly the MOT regulations do not allow brazed joints in structural locations (not sure how they deal with repairs to modern boron steel cars, but the MOT bloke would have a nightmare with that Mini).

I suspect the reason the MOT man doesn't like braze is that the strength of the joint is difficult to predict. I believe braze can be strong enough, but is a skilled process to get it that way, and it can easily not be strong enough (judging from my limited attempts).

Your friend will probably do his own thing, and I suspect the braze could not be removed enough for welding so that shell is a write off. I wouldn't like to be involved in a crash with that (unless I was in my Renault at the time in which case I'd have a rare chance at winning in a crash).

 

[JML]

I watched a supplier of mine demonstrate a MIG brazer on a Mitsubishi rear quarter panel in a way I never thought I'd see. Not only did he braze the whole length (about eight inches) but he butted the two panels - no gap - then ground off the outside. Also, the inside was not visible and the only way he could prove there was any braze in there was by sticking a finger inside. He was very confident the job was well done. Mind you, he was a qualified welder not a panelbeater. He described it as keyhole welding where you weld into a hole in the pool thus getting to the underside.
I think it was a bit advanced, most lads would prefer a gap. I spent three hours today with a £4500 machine, several pieces of 1mm steel and a nice 1mm gap and I still couldn't get braze at the back. Bloody machine is too clever for it's own good

 

[bucko]

i wouldnt be so bad if it was just gass welded but it aint he brazed it and wonts a kick up the **** for evan thinking bout dooing that because them seams are all thats holding the car together its not evan like he's doing a repair he's deseaming wich means he's gona do the whole car

 

[zardoz]

Brazing is fine as long as done competantly, as JML says. But like gas welding its a dying art.

 

[fingers99]

You should never really braze but joints, only lap joints. If there was a 1" steel backing strip in there, it would be fine.

As is, it'll just crack and fall to bits. Hopefully not while the car is doing 70 on the snake pass........................

 

[Damaged]

As is, it'll just crack and fall to bits. Hopefully not while the car is doing 70 on the snake pass........................

Fingers I'm shocked!

Doing 70 over snake pass is illegal!

You'll slow the rest of us down

 

[fingers99]

I was thinking that that was all the mini was likely to be able to do: I've come pretty close to averaging that!