New to Elf

[andycole]

Hello,
I have just acquired a Mk3 Elf for my wife. As the chief mechanic I am now looking for advice on where to start.

The car is mechanically sound and has been kept in a roadworthy state by the previous owners, but has not been restored. I know from the previous MOTs that there are issues with the corrosion on the rear subframe, but this wasn't bad enough to fail. There are obvious areas of rust on the front valance and one of the rear wings. Lifting the carpet reveals some patches being welded on the floor. I suspect that this was done a long time ago because the paperwork shows that the car has been hardly driven at all for the last 20 years - in some years it has clearly only been driven to the garage to be MOTed and serviced. 

The car will need to be repainted, but obviously I don't want to do this until I get the body work is properly sorted out. Ultimately the aim is to end up with a good road worthy car.

So I am looking for advice on the best way to access what work needs doing and what areas I should be looking at. Of course I realise that starting down this road may reveal nasties. 

Thanks

[diz]

Hello Andy,



Looking at the date of your post it looks like the Elf must have been Christmas present!



But seriously, knowing where to stop is normally a greater problem than knowing where to start. I would suggest that checking that the car is safe to drive should be the first consideration. If there are already doubts over the rear subframe it would be worth removing it for inspection which would also allow you to inspect the heel panel, that’s the vertical panel that the front of the subframe bolts on to. I have seen some horror pictures of Mini’s where this area is completely rotten on outwardly presentable cars. Also worth checking are the inner and outer sills. A good look into the base of the rear door bins should provide clues here.



Assuming all is well, or can be repaired, I would then repair or replace the rear subframe, noting that yours would originally have had hydrolastic suspension. And while the subframe is off it would be a good opportunity to re-condition all of the rear suspension, brakes and fuel pump etc.



And that’s just for starters, depending on what you find will determine your next steps. Whether you can patch up the bodywork and respray or strip down to a bare shell, repair the bodywork, respray and rebuild complete.



Either way, not a bad Chrismas present, I wish you well and look forward to hearing how you get on.



Best regards, Diz

[bryanthemercman]

I am currently restoring with the help of "Old Bones Fabrications" a MKII Riley Elf and my car has been completely stripped and soda blasted and you would not believe the horrors we found. If you want to see the pictures there are some on the Elf/Hornet forum or I can send you a link to my dropbox.

[andycole]

Jan 10, 2019 19:54:36 GMT bryanthemercman said:

I am currently restoring with the help of "Old Bones Fabrications" a MKII Riley Elf and my car has been completely stripped and soda blasted and you would not believe the horrors we found. If you want to see the pictures there are some on the Elf/Hornet forum or I can send you a link to my dropbox.

I have given the car a thorough check over and from what I can see without stripping paint the work appears to be as follows:

1. Replace front panel - I have not stripped it, but there is bubbling paint so I'm sure that replacing is the best option. I am aware that there is a kit that you can by to convert a standard mini panel
2. Replace both sills – passenger side has been patched and the driver's side has been repaired using a 6" panel and this has also been patched

3. Possibly repair floor Drivers Side as the sill repair may be concealing problems with the floor

4. Clean up and repair rear valance (panel appear whole, but has extensive rust, a replacement panel is expensive so ideally should be salvaged)
 
5. Replace rear valance support(s) and close out (drivers side)

6. Replace both wings and A panels – these have been replaced at some point and are solid, but are not fitted well and need to be removed to complete 7

7. Replace wing close out and inspect and repair lower windscreen is needed

8. Repair inner wings

9. Repair side panel drivers side?

10. Doors – these are not hung well. It is not clear if this is a problem with the door hanging or problems with the hinge supports

[bryanthemercman]

If you need a replacement front panel I have one and also a rear valance that is currently with "Old Bones Fabrications" The rear valance I ordered twice and the front was not needed as this was new but needed some adjustments to enable the front grilles to fit properly. Beware on the sill replacements my restorer found three lots of cover sills. If you want to buy them email me [e-mail] Old Bones Fabrications are in Andover Hampshire.

[andycole]

The strip is progressing. The front panel isn't as bad as I feared. The rust is isolated to the ends and I think that it can be repaired using a mini panel to create a repair panel. The drivers side is the worst and the rust surrounds the hole for the indicator. I am hoping that there is enough good metal in the existing panel to salvage the hole. Otherwise I will have to fabricate the indicator hole. Someone has replaced the wings and A panels at some point, but these have had to come off because they didn't properly repair the inner wing and didn't replace the rotten close out panel beneath the scuttle, luckily the scuttle looks good.