Hornet/Elf front panel conversion
Each unit is hand formed from jigs made from an original front
panel. This is a reasonably straight forward job to fit if you have some experience of
bodywork and if you take the time to do the job properly. That said, as with all
of these things, the following is a brief and there is a lot more banging and
grinding and swearing needed.
***IMPORTANT – DISCLAIMER – FITMENT IS BEYOND OUR CONTROL AND WE WILL NOT BE
HELD RESPONSIBLE ANY ACTIONS ARISING FROM THIS. THE FOLLOWING ARE SUGGESTIONS
FROM MY EXPERIENCE ON HOW I ACHIEVED BUILDING A FRONT PANEL. HOW YOU DO THIS IS
ENTIRELY UP TO YOU.***
A few points to note
-If you have the original panel, keep it to take measurements from as you build the new one
Front panels. I used a Hadrian Panels item for several reasons rather than a Heritage one, though it still takes some fettling to get a good fit
o it is made from thicker metal
o the Heritage one is built for MKIV minis onwards so the slam panel is different and takes more converting
o
it may be
spurious, but it is apparently pressed from original tooling that was purchased from the factory
o and the big one, it is cheaper
The corner
extensions and number plate mounts that I used are available from M Machine, as
is the Hadrian front panel ((+44) 01325 381300)
The kit includes the conversion panel, a paper template for the location of the indicator units, you may need to print this page off as instructions.
Step 1
You
will receive a grey panel which is electroplated with zinc which needs no
initial preparation
Step 2
Find the centre of
the front panel (use the indicator holes) and the conversion panel (use the
inside of the grill hole). Centre the conversion panel on to the front panel
(stand back and make sure it looks correct) and draw around the conversion
panel. Remove the conversion panel and draw around the inside of this line by
about 10mm to give the overlap for welding. Remove the inner wing brackets
carefully as these will be reused, then cut out the material to the inner line.
Offer the conversion panel to the hole and dress as necessary to achieve a good
fit. Datum points to consider using from the original panel are from the top of
the front panel to the grill opening and the base of the grill opening to the
bumper mount, bearing in mind that just about every part of the panel is curved.
Step 3
The Hadrian panel is
also coated with a carrier coat which I cleaned off (Heritage
panels use a primer coat which can remain, but the
welding areas need to be cleaned off). The panel can now be welded in place,
grinding and lanishing the welds
Step 4
Using the template, mark on the holes for the indicator units. With the large oval holes remark about 5mm inside the line and cut to this line.
The next bit requires a bit of panel beating to level
out the indicator hole. The way I achieved this was to cut directly into
the
raised area with tin snips then flatten out and remove the excess material as
the area shrinks. Weld and tidy these cuts ( these
cuts can just about be made out on the pictures) Re mark/shape the holes with
the template as this process causes distortion to the hole
shape.
The
final bit is to fold over the lip to the outer line (a good pair of pliers
comes in handy).
If you have a
MKIII with the air vent holes, now is the time to
cut these in as well.
Offer up the light
units and ensure that everything is a good fit. The panel may need knocking out
wards around the welded area to bring flush with the light unit.
The only other bits
to do are to drill out the holes for the rubber bumper stops on the top of the
panel
Step 5
The finished
product, coated in etch primer and ready for fitting
and filling. I refitted the inner wing brackets after I had offered up the front
panel to the subframe and tried the bonnet for size
to ensure correct alignment. You can also see on this the valence extension
pieces (with extra holes in for brake cooling) and the thinner number plate
brackets that are correct for early cars. As with all body work on a Mini,
nothing is a good straight forward fit so be prepared for a certain amount of
fettling to get it right. I went on a tour of the Mini production line many
moons ago and was reassured to see that as the body progressed along the line,
the hammers and levers got bigger as well as the ferocity with which they were
used. Makes you feel a bit better when you know they couldn’t get it perfect in
the factory either.
And the finished
article ready to
roll
