A Riviting Good Idea

[hutchimr]

Has anyone tried or considered riviting body panels on an HB? Is there a good reason you shouldn't.
I can't weld you see.

[droopsnoot]

It depends on which panels you mean. I'm no expert on HB, but on the HC the front outer wings can be bolted or rivetted, but the inners cannot. Same for the sills - must be welded as they are structural.

[hutchimr]

I have spent the last 3 months trying to weld and I don't want to practice on my beloved GT. I'm getting a little better but not much. It's the front end. I have a totally new front for her. All I've managed to weld on so far is the nearside inner wing and I don't know if I'm totally happy with that.
Apart from getting someone in any other ideas welcome.

Mike

[AccieMad]

Are HB out sills considered structural? I've got a couple of localised holes and will just tidy up and screw a plate on if welding isn't required. Otherwise I guess I'll have to pay to have them plated

Cheers

[Steve]

I needed some welding doing on a motor awhile back,it was inner rear arch i cut rust out then got a mobile welder,he did a great job for £40..with a new front end why not do abit at a time? also are you using mig ? ive used the gasless autofeed my mate always welds his exhausts up on a low setting,,works really well. i guess inner wings are abit more complex though.

[lambaj]

Hi Folks

Hutchimr, your correct to be cautious about welding, especially if you are not confident or competent (no offence!). Inner wings, Sills (inner and outer), bulkheads, skuttle panels etc are all load carrying in monocoque constuction cars (read ALL vivas), ie no external and separate chassis (read triumph Herald etc) Getting it wrong will almost certainly fail the MOT (assuming the MOT is worth the paper is written on) and God forbid should you have an accident, will let you down in the most dire way!

Front panels, slam panels etc should also be welded, they carry a surprising amount of load (heavy rad, lamps etc and make the body torsionally more rigid (a good thing!)

As for front wings, these are about the only panel I would personally consider not welding as they really don't do much for strength - I modified my black HA with screw on wings so I can get to the suspension etc with ease should I need to. Having done it once, I will be doing it again on the rest of my "fleet" of HAs.

You have not said what type of welder you are using. It takes a good deal of practice to get good welding thin materials with a MIG, its very tricky with Arc (read almost impossible) and Gas welding is just not suitable for body work unless you are an expert welder. Spot welding is the original type, and is simple to do, but the equipment is not cheap. Hiring for a weekend may ba a good option if you can get all the panels together and work out the assembly sequence. Best advice is practice practice practice on metal of the same thickness, this will allow to you optimise the settings on the welder and to hone your skills!

Good luck with it, or bite the bullet and pay a pro!

Tony (HA21)

[hutchimr]

Thanks for all the posts on this, problem is now solved as I have admitted defeat and am sending the body away to be re-built. I have a complete new front end to go on plus rear wheel arch repair panels and a complete new spare wheel well. I was reluctant to practice on my beloved but will do my next project all by myself. Anyone know a good welding teacher in Herts?

Thanks again everyone.

Mike