It was all going so well, the "easy" task of straightening the pushed in face and making it like new. The few visible little rust holes to clean up and weld in some patches. In the last page I mentioned some classic Minx rust spots and posted a few pictures. However as with all rust what you see is just the very tip of the iceberg as a much larger amount is out of sight waiting to sink SS Titanic.  Now these rust spots do not start where you see them inside the engine bay where it is warm and dry and being a Hillman an oil film tends to cover surfaces. The problem started with the Rootes design that has a little dirt trap under the guards up out of sight where it can't be seen. Now if you hose out underneath on a regular basis and avoid roads where salt is added in winter there will not be a problem. So the hidden part collects "stuff" which holds moisture, and as we all know Fe + H20 = RUST. Eventually the little shelf rusts through and dirt and moisture enter...

 Some starting point pictures  The damage is very apparent on the left hand side, the grille surround being pushed back and the sheet metal behind in pushed down and buckled somewhat. Not an easy spot to get into and apply the appropriate pushing forces needed to straighten. After  several hours of pulling, pushing and banging it now looks much better                                   The alignment of the left and right side pieces making a rectangle                                   So the correct alignment is easy to see, before welding the broken                                                          left side back where it belongs The work needed on the the...

  A little more done after a few very hot days when nothing happenned. Removing sealing rubbers from around doors ready to smooth them off and respreay. An exercise in secret society induction as you have to do it the correct way, in the correct order while mutterring the correct incantations, The Boot seal rubber in place                                                     Boot seal rubber profile Fuel filler pipe grommet, fits in floor of boot, The hole it goes in. Widening the spare wheel well has changed the shape of the hole so we may need a special seal here. The door seal in place The door seal profile The front door door seal front attachment  Four screws through a moulded in piece. Some re-engineering of available seals may be required in this area. Removing the rear door fixed glass  Removing this glass first requires the total disman...