roof gutter rail repairs

[wisk]

hi my gutter rail above the drivers door has completly rotted away causing a jagged edge does anyone know a way of repairing it? i thought about buying a door frame panel and cutting top off and welding it in would this work?

[asahartz]

Sounds an expensive fix; that panel's £77. Cheaper to cut one off a scrapper. It's also a particularly tricky place to weld; I should know, I have actually replaced a roof before!

Though to be honest if it's that bad I'd be worried about how far the damage has gone - if the roof is rotten it's probably not worth repairing. The one I did was an Elf and therefore much rarer.

[wisk]

the roof it self is ok its the little lip thats gone could ya get away with grindin off the gutter so its flat or would it fail the mot?

[asahartz]

the roof it self is ok its the little lip thats gone could ya get away with grindin off the gutter so its flat or would it fail the mot?

Not an MOTable item. However the gutter on a Mini forms part of the seam; if you grind it off you're effectively deseaming it and you would need to reinforce & weld the joint. Plus you would get water running straight down into the door gap - Minis leak easily enough anyway so they don't need any extra encouragement!

[NuFab]

Personally, given the cost of that panel, I wouldn't bother buying it unless I needed the whole thing or a large section.

When you say the roof is ok, do you mean the whole panel right to its edge, where this panel overlaps and joins it? If so, I'd grind away the rotten panel and make a replacement section myself.

Obviously, pics would help!