Titan Classics

Uppdate 2018

2018-05-30T05:43:00.000-07:00

Hi Guys,

There's been loads of developments since the last time. It's hard to think of what new stuff has been added to the store to be honest.
I guess the range of Titanium Caliper pistons has been expanded to cover a lot more bikes now.
These are great because they save so much weight but will never corrode.
They also reduce the amount of heat getting to the brake fluid which reduces the chances of brake fade.

Below is the TITANIUM M12 casetalled nut for the awesome RD350LC THere's also the wheel spindle and spacer that goes with this part and it saves a load of 118gm unsprung weight.

https://titanclassics.com/product/rd350-titanium-front-wheel-spindle-set/

I've modelled up the front wheel spindle for the TDR250 which I may get produced. Probably in the winter 2018 now

TITANIUM Caliper piston with Nitride coating

Upcoming stuff
CBR1000RR TITANIUM front wheel spindle bolt

Small front Ti caliper piston for the VFR400

43107-MA3-006 Which fits CBR1000F and earlier CBR600F and a few more

THere have been a few price drops, such as disc bolts and I've added a few more bike categories to the range. Like the super cool NS400R, TDR250 and RD350

I'm slowly going through the part numbers matching them up with the different bikes to make it as easy as possible for people to get the right part for their bike.

Hope this helps. Comment if you have any suggestions and I'll see what I can do

Cheers
Rich

https://titanclassics.com/

Latest Titanium bike products April 2017

2017-04-16T16:43:00.001-07:00

Hello people,
Quick update on some great Titanium bike parts that are on sale now or in development and will be on sale soon!

3 sets of TITANIUM suspension linkages are being made right now for the RGV250 VJ22 part number: 62641-22D00
Link below
https://titanclassics.com/product/titanium-pair-cushion-levers-rgv250-m-n-models/

If you've got a CRF450 here's the super cool Titanium Nitrided rear caliper piston that's half the weight of original and corrosion proof!
https://titanclassics.com/product/titanium-caliper-piston-titanium-nitride-coated-part-45107-mct-006/

VFR400, RVF400 and NSR250 MC28 Owners will be happy to know a Titanium rear wheel nut is being produced right now and will be on sale in about a month. Even the spring washer beneath the nut is being made.

KX500 owners are able to buy a TITANIUM rear caliper piston now with a weight saving of about 20grams. Link below
https://titanclassics.com/product/titanium-caliper-piston-titanium-nitride-coated-part-43048-1068/

I'll start getting parts made up for the venerable RD350 starting with head studs and a few other bits and bobs.

Hope you like the update guys and hope you're having a great springtime on your bikes.

Rich

https://titanclassics.com/

CRF450 Titanium rear caliper pistons

2017-01-04T20:22:00.001-08:00

OK So the front Titanium caliper pistons are on sale now for the RGV250 VJ21 and VJ22 models. But they won't fit the VJ23 type bike

I've also just ordered 50 Titanium rear caliper pistons to be made which should be on sale in about a month. Those rear pistons are huge! I noticed the thickness of the piston sidewalls was extremely thick too. Much thicker than say a CBR900 rear piston. So I've reduced the diameter of the side walls for this piston to reduce weight further.

Also in production are 50 CRF450/ CRF250 Titanium rear caliper pistons.

The days are slowly getting longer and warmer. Time to drag the bike out of the shed for some maintenance

Rich

https://titanclassics.com/

RGV250 Titanium front caliper pistons in production!

2016-12-07T09:58:00.000-08:00

Hi,
Just a quick post to say that two types of front caliper pistons will be on sale in the new year. They have the same dimensions as the original part but obviously they're half the weight and have a beautiful Titanium Nitride coating which is hard and slippery.

The key advantage of Titanium caliper pistons, if you don't know is to do with heat. Titanium is a poor conductor of heat and will keep the heat generated under braking away from your brake fluid.
Really useful for an RGV250 because they all get thrashed! 😂

RGV250 VJ22 Titanium front caliper piston

I'm guessing a weight saving of about 100gm which is good as it's unsprung weight

Cheers
Rich
titanclassics.com

RGV250K caliper pistons being developed over the winter

2016-10-12T13:51:00.003-07:00

Hi,
TITANIUM Front caliper pistons for the NSR250 are now on sale and look amazing in the caliper.
They have 2mm castellations to allow air to flow inside the piston and help cooling but they also reduce the contact patch with the brake pad and thereby reduce the heat transferred to the caliper piston, which in turn reduces the heat transferred to the brake fluid.
Titanium if you don't know is a poor conductor of heat so will reduce further still heat transference to the brake fluid.

Also on sale are NSR250 (MC28) Titanium front wheel spindles which save 100gm of weight.
They come with a hard Titanium Nitride coating and are the same dimensions as the original part.

RGV250K (1989) rear caliper piston
Coming at some point in the near future is a Titanium rear caliper piston for the RGV250 but also caliper pistons for the later RGV250T (VJ23) model

I'm not sure if its worth having caliper pistons Nitride coated. Yes they look amazing in the bright gold colour but whether it aids performance over a non Nitrided piston I'm not sure.
The belief is that the TiN hardened surface coating will allow the caliper to move more freely.

These are new in. If you have a YZF-R1 or R6 you'll recognise this banjo type.
THey're M10 x 1.25mm thread type

As people put their bikes away for the winter there are a couple of months where I can get new products made without the craziness at the start of the year where everyone is preparing their bikes for riding.
So, if you have ideas for new Titanium products to be made now is a good time to get in touch.
The head studs for the Pre 1988 KX500 is the perfect example of this. The OEM head studs aren't being produced any more and a customer sent me one of his. I got a small run of the made and they're selling well. He was very happy with his studs! :)

That's it for now. Hope you've enjoyed the blog post and have a look at the titanclassics.com website to see if there's anything you fancy

Cheers

Rich
https://titanclassics.com/

2016-09-09T06:11:00.001-07:00

Dudes!

Hope you've had a great summer. New stuff that has been developed and some of which is now on sale are as follows.
Here's a Honda fitting titanium pin that fits many calipers. Part:45131-HA5-672

The standard OEM part may corrode if the rubber sleeve perishes allowing water to get in, so this not only reduces unsprung weigh but will keep you caliper maintenance free for longer.

There are 10 Titanium front wheel spindles being titanium nitrided right now for the NSR250 MC28 and the first one will go on my bike of course, with a weight reduction of about 120gm I believe.
Here is also a picture of some castellated Titanium caliper pistons that will be on sale soon too.
The castellation is to allow air to get into the cavity of the piston as well as reduce the contact area with the pad which gets extremely hot.
As Titanium is a poor conduction of heat these pistons will keep the brake fluid cool under race conditions.

KX500 pre 1988 head studs

These studs are M10 to M8 thread and fit models before 1988 when Kawasaki went over to M8 to M8 bolts

That's it for now. Check out the titanclassics.com website and let me know if there are any parts you think would be good to have in titanium

Cheers

Rich

https://titanclassics.com/

Titanium Nitrided (TiN) parts

2016-08-03T04:43:00.000-07:00

Hi,
It's been a couple of months since the last post. In that time a load of new product has been put on the site. For example. If you're the proud owner of an NSR250 There are TITANIUM front wheel spacers which save about 40gm of unsprung weight but also look gorgeous when fitted

There will be a couple more spacers added to the product line up. They mainly fit the CBR900RR but a few different bikes too.

The hot product I totally love is the rear caliper piston in Titanium but also Titanium Nitrided. With a super hard, shiny gold surface that's meant to reduce friction. Personally I didn't notice any difference when riding about but there's a 40gm weight saving and they'll never corrode.
Have a look at the picture below of one next to the corroded standard part.

Caliper piston fitted to caliper.

Titanium caliper piston. 45107-MN5-006

Upcoming Titanium products that'll be on sale in September 2016

Below is a Titanium Nitrided front wheel spindle. Same dimensions as the original part but will save about 150gm of unsprung weight

So, if you had this spindle, the 2 spacers and the nut on the end you'd save about 200gm in unsprung weight!

Other parts being made are head studs for the KX500 KX250 from before 1988 which is M10 on one end and M8 on the other. You can't get this part any more so KX owners can get this as a new part.

Below is Titanium Honda part 45131-HA5-672 which fits onto caliper for bikes like NSR250 CR500 CR250 etc.

I'll probably sell it paired with the smaller pin for this type caliper.

I'll probably do a caliper Titanium deal where you can get the Ti pistons, the pins, bleed bolts and any caliper bolts. It'll probably save a lot of weight straight away.

That's the update for now. I'll probably do a new order of parts in about a months time and I'll try and keep you updated of whats new on the titanclassics.com website.

Oh yes. All products are added to the Titan Classics site first. Postage to anywhere in the world is now capped at £10. So if you order a whole load of parts, you'll pay no more than £10.

The site is now also a https:// Website, which means it's a verified site

Cheers

Rich

https://titanclassics.com/

VFR400 TITANIUM pin drive bolts for rear dics

2016-05-09T11:00:00.001-07:00

This is a strange part. It fits the rear disc of old Hondas with a single swingarm.
Like vfr400, vfr750 ,RC45, NSR250 MC28

It has an unusual M7 thread.

This part in Titanium will reduce revolving mass which aids acceleration and deceleration.
It'll also reduce unsprung weigh.

Here's a link to the listing

http://titanclassics.com/product/4-x-titanium-pin-drive-bolts/

New Shelsley Walsh trackside banner!

2016-04-28T12:13:00.000-07:00

Shelsley Walsh

Shelsley Walsh is the old motoring event in the world. Based on a sleepy hillside in Worcestershire, or Shropshire (England) I can't quite remember.

It has the perfect match and heritage for my Titan Classics store, so I liked the idea that in 100 years time people will look at hillclimb photos of todays events and see my advert. They'll probably still be using Titan Classics.com parts and fasterners in 100 years time too.

Cheers

Rich

http://titanclassics.com/

New TITANIUM products for spring 2016

2016-04-14T15:54:00.003-07:00

OK it's been a while and in that time a lot of new Titanium products are now on sale.
I've listened to what customers want and had a lot of replacement Titanium upgrades produced.
So if you have a GSX-R1000 you may be interested in the 4 caliper to fork bolts with cross drilled heads for lockwire. If you're into your track days or just the race track look.

TItanium caliper racetrack bolts

TITANIUM caliper racetrack bolts
Only £35 for 4 and free shipping to UK
They're M10 x 70mm if you need them for other purposes.

Next up is a Honda part. This is a Rear caliper Titanium pin bolt and is perfect for reducing unsprung weight as well as looking forever shiny in a high corrosion area of the bike. I fitted one to my brothers Transalp.

http://titanclassics.com/product/rear-brake-titanium-caliper-pin-bolt/

How about this for trick?
It's a TItanium duel banjo bleeder for KTM rear calipers but it's also really good for Suzuki front master cylinders and saves loads of bleeding time. I know because I fitted it to my RGV250. Here's a picture.

Link below:

http://titanclassics.com/product/titanium-duel-banjo-bleeder-part-no-62513020000/

Brembo part for KTM. M10 x 1.00mm fine thread.

In other things, my NSR250SE MC28 is still for sale if anyone is interested although it's Spring has sprung and if nobody wants it I'll happily ride it all summer because it's such a beautiful machine. It's only done 220miles from a refurb and it's the best handling bike I've ever ridden.

Here's a picture of it I took today. Yup! I keep it indoors. It's covered in Titanium parts and it's just a gorgeous rare bike.

Anyway, that's it for now. If you need corrosion proof longer lasting lightweight Titanium parts for your bike, give the site a browse and get in touch.

Free postage to UK remember and I'm here to answer any questions.
Cheers

Rich

titanclassics.com

Titan Classics.com website update

2015-10-13T10:41:00.002-07:00

Hi,
There's work going on behind the scenes on the titanclassics.com website. Here's a picture showing what's going on.
The new version will be online Monday and will be easier to navigate with larger pictures and easier navigation to get to the Titanium parts that fit your bike.
You'll also be able to favourite parts and it'll save them for later on your favourites list.

I'll probably make a temporary 10% discount code on to get people on the site and buying and get feedback on how people feel about it compared to Ebay.

www.titanclassics.com

Titanium nail

2015-09-27T06:43:00.000-07:00

So I was asked if I could make something called a Titanium nail.
I had no idea what a titanium nail is, so after searching I found out, it's a device for smoking tobacco and Marijuana
You use a blowtorch on the resin that sits in the titanium bowl and the smoke is sucked through the holes, through the bong and breathed in.

So I visited the local head shop and the very nice chap who is from Amsterdam and a really nice chap sold me one.

They're beautifully machined.

I don't really have a problem producing them because I believe people should be free to do what they want as long as it doesn't hurt other people.
I don't smoke personally but if other people take enjoyment from it, then hey ho!

RAD smoking titanium nail

From watching several youtube videos of smokers using these devices they're made from titanium because it retains heat. So the design I did is a 4 in 1 design able to be used on various bongs. There is also a lot more metal left on the part so it retains heat for longer than the part above.

My design of 4 in 1 titanium nail

I've sent the designs to the factory for a price and if it's reasonable I'll have a run of them made.

Everyone loves stickers!

2015-09-24T08:02:00.002-07:00

Hi Guys,

Got a big pile of vinyl stickers again seeing as people like them so much.
They're tough and weather resistant, so they can be stuck to your bike.

I should design some big versions to give away as freebies when I get some spare time.
Cheers,

Rich

TITAN CLASSICS Stickers

KTM TITANIUM parts

2015-09-23T13:50:00.000-07:00

Hi Guys,

It's been a while since the last post. Here's some TITANIUM stuff that may interest you.

They're KTM replica parts.
KTM bikes are great. Their fasteners are very tough and have thick zinc coating but one day that zinc coating is coming off and will look rusty. TITANIUM bolts are also half the weight of the original KTM bolts.

KTM TITANIUM Sprocket bolts

TITANIUM 0019080266S

KTM TITANIUM rear wheel adjust bolts

KTM TITANIUM fork protector stepped bolts

TITANIUM 59001092050

KTM TITANIUM disc bolts

Titanium 61009062018

KTM TITANIUM footpeg pins

TITANIUM 54803044000

That's it for now. Check out the links and remember it's free postage to the UK!

Cheers

Rich

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/titanclassics
http://titanclassics.com/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/titanclassics/
https://www.facebook.com/shinybolts
https://twitter.com/titanclassics
https://www.pinterest.com/anim_eddy
https://instagram.com/titan_classics/

CBR1100XX TITANIUM 19 x right crankcase cover bolts | eBay

2015-02-07T15:51:00.001-08:00

CBR1100XX TITANIUM 19 x right crankcase cover bolts | eBay:

Here's a Honda CBR1100XX TITANIUM clutch cover bolt kit. There's 19 bolts, will never corrode and it's a tiny bit over half the weight of the steel items.
These bolts have a large flange just like the original and the same sized socket will fit these bolts.

Also available at titanclassics.com

Titanium quick release bolt

2015-01-30T08:16:00.000-08:00

So below is an unfinished version of the quick release fastener I'm modelling in CAD. The part will be cast in Grade 5 titanium and maybe polish the head to get them super shiny. We'll sell how it goes.

As for when it'll be on sale. I'm not sure. I'm currently scratching my head trying to figure out how to model the groove on the model. :)

Thanks for reading.

Rich

http://titanclassics.com/
https://www.facebook.com/shinybolts
https://twitter.com/titanclassics

New titanium bolts Dec 2014

2014-12-17T09:43:00.000-08:00

Hi,
Just a re order of parts that ran out, although there are a couple of new parts that may interest you.
The M8 x 30mm hex bolts with flange are good for Honda caliper bolts. They fit my NSR250 MC28
They'll reduce unsprung weight, as well as looking very shiny indeed.

The M8 dome nuts pictured have a flange on the bottom as a customer asked for them for the head bolts of his RGV250 VJ22
I have normal dome nuts on my RGV250 VJ23 with no ill effect but a flange does give extra surface area to the clamping of the nut.
The titanium washers are nicer this time around. The previous washers were punched out of sheet titanium whereas these are turned out of titanium bar. They're just shinier that way.

If you're into FACEBOOK you may like to check out the Titan Classics page for product updates and chatter about car/bikes and things that are shiny and fast

https://www.facebook.com/shinybolts

There is also a TWITTER feed at https://twitter.com/titanclassics

The Ebay shop has had a name change so if you previously typed Lathe*dog it is now titanclassics

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/titanclassics

and of course there's trusty old http://titanclassics.com/

Titanium Honda replica brake parts

2014-11-21T06:02:00.000-08:00

Here are some parts that will fit straight onto a great many Honda's (listed below)
They're just over half the weight but most importantly they shine out brilliantly so makes you classic bike like shiny again and keep that shine.

I've had titanium parts on my bike since 1997 and they still look as good as the day they were made.

Honda titanium replica banjo bolt

Honda TITANIUM replica bleed bolts

FITS

CBR1000RR FRONT/REAR
CBR900RR FRONT/REAR 1993
CBR600 FRONT/REAR
CBR1100XX FRONT/REAR
CRF450R
CRF250
CR250R
CR125R
CR500 FRONT/REAR
RTV1000R FRONT/REAR
CR85R
NSR250 MC28
NRX1800
TRX200/250/300/400/450/500/650/680
FL400
ST1300
RVF750R FRONT/REAR
VFR1200
VFR800
VT600/750/1100
XR250
XR400
XR600
XR650
CB900
GL1800
PC800
VFR750F
CBR1000F FRONT/REAR
GL1500
CBR250

These are also available from http://titanclassics.com/

Classic Mini TITANIUM clutch arm pushrod | eBay

2014-11-14T13:36:00.001-08:00

Classic Mini TITANIUM clutch arm pushrod | eBay:

'via Blog this'

New products Autumn 2014

2014-11-14T04:24:00.000-08:00

Hi,

There's are a few new products listed on the Lathe Dog Ebay shop. Too many to list really but for Classic Mini owners out there here's a posh pair of clutch throwout nuts. Half the weight and totally corrosion proof for the long winter months in a damp garage

Classic Mini throwout nuts

For bike owners there are new low production parts like the rear wheel nut for an NSR250 MC28

Honda NSR250 MC28 TITANIUM rear wheel nut

There's a much larger range of M8 Allen head bolts

Parts to be listed soon are titanium replica brake bleed bolts. There are already M8 Honda replica brake bleed bolts that look amazing on the calipers.

That's it for now but keep checking the Lathe Dog Ebay shop for new low production titanium products.

TITAN CLASSICS WEBSITE

Fuel tank electrolysis

2014-08-28T10:53:00.002-07:00

The MC28 fuel tank had a tiny bit of rust inside, which I made worse by trying something out I saw mentioned on the net. Putting vinegar in the tank to gently acid burn the inside. This didn't work well for me and introduced rust that wasn't there before.
Then I tried a using Jenolite which has Phosphoric acid to get rid of the rust, and it kind of worked but I really wasn't removing the rust from inside the tank. Jenolite is actually really good for rusty small parts. Things like the rear brake clevis pin that was really rusty came up like new after a few hours sitting in neat Jenolite.

So, I thought I'd try the electrolysis method I saw on youtube and I wasn't really convinced, but it worked really well!

You need a battery charger, a battery, jump cables and a piece of mild steel as the anode.

: fuel tank electrolysis

: bubbling electrolysis

I scratched the paint off on the bracket at the rear of the tank so the negative crocodile clip can get a good connection.

The battery charger is hooked up to the battery to stop the battery going flat.

The fuel tank is filled with water and a packet of SODIUM CARBONATE was mixed in because it is conductive apparently.

The mild steel anode must not touch the tank but sit in the water. So as you can see in the picture I wrapped insulation tape around the pipe that may accidentally come in contact with the tank.

When I turned on the power the water bubbled immediately. I left the doors open as I think the gas released in Hydrogen.

I left it working for about 24 hours, and every few hours I turned it off. Took the mild steel anode out and scraped off the rust and scum.

I then drained the tank of all the water. I don't have an air compressor to dry off the inside of the tank but I have an old vacuum cleaner and thought that's airflow, just in the opposite direction, so I put the pipe in tank, took the fuel tap off the bottom of the tank to get some proper airflow and let the vacuum cleaner go for a few hours.

When it looked dry inside, I sprayed a load of WD40 inside the tank because it's supposed to displace water by getting underneath it. Left it overnight, then swilled about a litre of acetone in the tank for a while. When I let it pour out of the tap hole it came out brown. Acetone evapourates quickly and soon the tank was rust free and dry.

I then fitted a brand new fuel tap, filled the tank with petrol and refitted the fuel filler cap to keep it sealed.

: MC28 Fuel tap

When I refitted the tank I turned the tap on and fuel leaked on the floor. I turned the tap off thinking I must've not fitted a pipe correctly but I now think, that with the carbs and fuel pipes being empty, the fuel rushed down in the float bowls, rose up over the overflow and sort of syphoned itself. It didn't do it after that, so panic over.

Fuel tank electrolysis really works. I don't recommend people using vinegar, or acid.

Thanks for reading my post. I'll try and do another update soon and show off some of the cool titanium products developed specifically for the MC28

http://titanclassics.com/

New look Titan Classics website.

2014-04-11T15:05:00.000-07:00

Hi,

I haven't posted in several months, so here goes. I've changed the Titan Classics website and hopefully you approve. Although I think it may be a bit chaotic however nicer it may look.
There's a much much wider range of stock now and its mostly titanium motorbike parts rather than Classic UNF/UNC parts although that stock range is slowly growing.

I'm currently restoring a modern classics Honda NSR250 SE (MC28) Japanese market only bike which I imported at astonishing expense. Had I known at the start I'd not have bothered, but the upside is as I strip to restore the bike I'm modelling the parts in CAD and will have a lot of stuff replicated in ageless and beautiful titanium.

The Mini still needs the wings welding on, front subframe fitting and a spray paint. I was hoping to have it on the road this summer but importing this bike has probably scuppered that. Oops!

Anyway, have a look at the Titan Classics shop and I'd love to hear what people think of it. There's things like free postage to UK and I've tried to get the same level of service people expect of my lathe*dog shop on Ebay. Which at the time of posting this blog has over 2000+ positive feedback and about 150 happy customers a month.
I'm offering a 5% discount on the Titan Classics shop over the Ebay shop if you add the coupon code below. The code doesn't expire so you can use it over and over in the checkout.
5% discount titan classics

I'll try and cobble together a survey of what people would like manufactured again.

Cheers

Rich

Titan Classics TITANIUM AUTO PARTS

Powder coating Classic Mini Subframe

2013-11-26T12:47:00.002-08:00

Got the Mini front subframe powder coated. I was thinking of just binning it and buying a new subframe for £400, but the metal was good so I sent it to www.worcesterpowdercoating.co.uk and they did a brilliant job for only £80
He picked it up from my house and dropped it off 2 weeks later.

It goes through a furnace to burn off the oil, then sandblasted, then zinc primed then powder coated.

It actually looks brand new!

http://titanclassics.com/

Classic Mini front end rebuild

2013-11-09T12:21:00.001-08:00

The driver side flitch panel needs replacing now. It's been patched up over the years and the patches look ugly, plus they'll probably be a source of rust.

The bulkhead plate was bulging at the front indicating rust was behind it and pushing it out. Sure enough, after drilling out some spot welds there was plenty of rust behind it.

The whole scuttle panel will be replaced, but it was best to keep most of it in place to keep the chassis stiff, till after the new flitch panel was fitted. In the picture below a corner of the scuttle was cut off to get at the flitch panel. Sure enough nearly 30 years of rust lurked below.

With this panel I chose mainly to grind all the seams or where the spot welds were. Drilling seemed more destructive than using flap discs to wear away the metal.
There's still a fair bit of tidying up of the edges but the hardest part is out of the way now.
When the flitch panels are fitted it'll be time to move on to the scuttle, in front of the windscreen.

Front Subframe

The front subframe is in good condition, so rather than spending £400 on a new subframe I thought I'd get this sand blasted and powder coated. I had a quote of £80-£90 from http://www.worcesterpowdercoating.co.uk/

As he lives close to me he'll even come round my house and pick it up, which was very nice of him. I'll have it painted in Black. He suggested it has a zinc primer first.

I may get some other parts powder coated.

That's all for this week. Hopefully the Mini will assembled, working and in bright red paint for Summer next year.

http://titanclassics.com/

Classic Mini front end rebuild

2013-10-26T15:13:00.000-07:00

Here's my Mini, without the engine and pretty much stripped to a shell. There comes a time when you just can't cover up rust or cut out and patch and if you want a great paint job, you can't have rust.

Out came the disc cutter and cut the front wings off. I bought a lot of cutter discs from Ebay and flap grinder wheels.

I considered a carbon fibre flip front which would probably have been cheaper and much more cool, but they're not as strong as a steel front end and it can be difficult getting it through an MOT.

So without the wings I discover the flitch panels. Flitch panels are the inner wings and were completely shagged.
I bought some new British Motor Heritage flitch panels at £103 each from Minispares with the idea of cutting them down and welding them into the good metal. Then realised, for the same effort it's just better to cut out the old and fit the new.

Cutting out flitch panels are a bit of a nightmare. They're welding on the inside of the cabin as well as the outside. So it was a case of grinding off the leading edge of the A panels, using flap grinder discs on the flaps welded to the floorpan and drilling out the spot welds, trying not to disturb too much the metal you want to keep.
Passenger side Flitch panel
After what seemed like many hours the passenger side flitch panel was removed. Care was taken to remove as much paint, filler and rust as possible from the good metal to make welding the new panel as easy as possible.

I had to remove the front Subframe to get at parts of the panel to be removed. I had wanted to keep the subframe attached to keep the car in alignment.
The car was now light enough to pick up and push around like a wheel barrow. I rested the shell on the front wheels. The tyres cushion the spread the load. By doing one flitch panel at a time it'll keep the shell in alignment.

Weld through primer was sprayed on all the surfaces to be welded. Etch primer was sprayed into that square bulkhead piece in the picture.

Before fitting of the panels all edges were sprayed with weld through primer which has high conductibility.

This is quite a frightening part of the build. Trying to align up the new panel. Even though British Motor Heritage pressed the panel from the original Austin Rover dies, it still needs tack welding and beaten into position.

As you can see in the picture below is a new triangular bulkhead piece tack welded to the bulkhead. I used this as a point of alignment. The top of the triangular panel aligns to the top of the flitch panel.

By clamping and tack welding I got the correct position of the panel. I also pressed up the bottom lip of the panel to the floorpan and tack welded to that. The panel also needed to be stretched, so that it could meet up with the parcel rail on the inside of the car.
Stretching a panel involves hammering dents into the panel until the panel stretches. Hence the term panel beater. I tried a rubber hammer which didn't work as well as a ball peen hammer, a normal hammer and a 2kg lump hammer.
Using a MAFF blowtorch helped warm the metal up and also annealed the metal to prevent any metal hardening or splitting. All that though still wasn't enough to push the panel close enough to the parcel shelf piece so I drilled a hole in the metal. Passed a rope with a big knot through the hole. Secured the other end, and twisted a metal bar into the rope. Turning the bar like a tourniquet pulled the panel close enough to the parcel shelf panel to put tack welds in. Plus a lot of blowtorching and hammering.

Equipment

For all grinding I wore an ex army S10 respirator bought off Ebay for £20 and ear defenders. Hand protection was Gorilla Grip gloves and welding gauntlets. The Gorilla Grip gloves are cheap and good, giving protection from cuts on sharp metal. They don't really stop hot sparks though.

British Motor Heritage panels are electrostatically primed and made from better steel than the original steel used.

I used 1mm welding wire and CO2 gas. I've used Argon mix gas in the past and sometimes I prefer it.

Clarke welder used which works ok but I'm sure there are better welding machines out there. I'm not blaming the tool but it feels a little bit like being in battle with the thing trying to get the weld just right.