UURRGHH, IT'S ASBESTOS!!

Aye, so I was sat at work and got to thinking about the heat shield beneath the passenger footwell (as you do). Then it suddenly dawned on me, "hmmm - I bet that's asbestos".

So I posted a question on the MMOC forum and yes, it is Asbestos - bugger. Apparently, it's white asbestos, and depending on its age, the clutch might be asbestos too, and the brake linings (at least when it was new) - but I knew this anyway.

The hole through the passenger footwell (the browny triangle)

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The heatshield is mounted above the front baffle of the exhaust.

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The white bit inside the heatshield is the asbestos.

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Some of the members on the MMOC forum suggested that if its doing no harm, then leave it alone - but because you can see it through the hole in the floor and it might end up killing me, and anyone that rides in the car, I thought I better get rid.

I did a bit reading up on the actual dangers of asbestos, and the safest ways of removing it. I found the health and safety executive has a good section on asbestos at http://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/. I also spoke to the local council to see how to dispose of it, who recommended the following:

• Dampen the area down
• Wear protective clothing such as overalls (disposable preferably)
• Wear dustmask and gloves
• Avoid using powertools to reduce chance of breaking the material
• Dispose in double-bagged heavy-duty polythene bags, along with the overalls.
• Seal and label the bags
• Contact the council to arrange free disposal when next doing one of their "hazardous waste" pickups.

So following advice, I sprayed it with water to dampen down the fibres. Then taped over the hole in the floor, and taped a thick rubble sack to the underside of the car ready.

Once I was ready to catch the heatshield from underneath, I ground off the screw heads that were holding the heatshield on from the inside of the car. I would have preferred to unscrew them, but they were thick with gunk and wouldn't budge. After grinding the heads off, a swift whack with a mallet on the screws knocked them out and the heatshield fell onto the exhaust into the rubble sack I had taped to the underside of the car. I rolled this around the heatshield, then carefully double-bagged it in another two rubble sacks and taped them up. As recommended by the council, I did the same with the overalls I was wearing, and to be sure, my trainers aswell - they shouldnt have been binned years ago anyway.

Heatshield gone

I know it might seem a little over the top for what was just a little bit, but all of the research I did pretty much suggests to take no chances. I've just got to find something else to use as a heatshield now!

NEC Classic Motorshow

Went down to the Birmingham NEC for the Classic Motorshow this weekend, and had my pants pulled down by the parking charges. The Morris Minor Owners Club had their own stand there and had a few cars on show. This is pretty much the standard I'm aiming for with Arthur.

Took this as a reference point because the layout on mine will be similar (a bit different on later models)

Something like this for my next car would be class, but by the time I could afford it I'd look like one of those sad old buggers having a midlife crisis. Might have to aim lower - an MG, or a Triumph or something.

A good look at the sills

Today I finally managed to get the last of the kickplates/doors off to see how bad things were with the sills.

Nearside rear sill where it meets the rear wheelarch.

Thick packed mud has rotted away the rear wing and the floor.

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More of the same on the offside rear.

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For the record, those stupid "pig ear"indicators aren't original and are going in the bin eventually.

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Pretty much the same as last time, but on the other side

Today I removed the nearside door and tried to remove the kick-plate but it was welded in place by an old repair. The floor pan is badly rotten where it meets the doorframe, and someone in the past has welded a steel plate on the underside to hide the rot from the M.O.T man. When they welded the repair panel, they also welded it to the kick-plate, and the door finisher (the rail that runs below the doors) which made it a bit of a pain in the arse to get off.

I removed the door finisher with a bit of grinding, which gave me better access to the welded edge of the kick-plate. More grinding and a bit of wacking with a mallet, finally got the kick-plate off...

It's hard to tell from this photo, but the condition of the box section isnt bad.

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A tiny bit of corrosion towards the front, but its hardly anything. The door finisher removed is lying on the floor.

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View from underside of the floor. The welded repair is the more rust coloured panel along the edge of the floor underside.

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The nearside rear sill isn't too bad, considering the state of the kickplate that was covering it.

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Still, could be easy to repair - if its worth it.