joe1 Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 Thought I'd do the bulkhead feet repair - a nice inside job in all this weather we're having. Only problem is that the aftermarket feet don't seem to be like the originals. First pic is one of the feet in question. Second pic shows the foot/bracket aligned with the existing bulkhead via the outrigger bolt that passes through both bulkhead feet. You can see that the side of the foot (where the hinge holes are) is well inside the door pillar skin, the gap is about 6mm. On the original bulkhead the skin of the foot reinforces the door pillar skin by close contact - additional support for the hinge. So that I believe is what the aftermarket part should replicate, except it doesn't seem to. Is the aftermarket part wrong ("sold hundreds like it" the supplier says, so it can't be wrong!). I could spend time taking the new bracket apart and re-welding it but what a faf. Has anyone had any success with a particular aftermarket brand on these, please let me know! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peaklander Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 I can't quite see how you are aligning it for the pic but the foot should push and slide up into the pillar shouldn't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe1 Posted February 28, 2018 Author Share Posted February 28, 2018 13 minutes ago, Peaklander said: I can't quite see how you are aligning it for the pic but the foot should push and slide up into the pillar shouldn't it? Yes should have said what I was doing in that second pic. I was just checking the alignment before I started ripping the old bulkhead apart. Yes the foot does slide up inside the pillar but by aligning the new foot with the old via the outrigger bolt before any cutting I could see exactly where the new foot would align - and I'm glad I did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotts90 Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 No your not alone in the poor alignment. I built a jig around the untouched bulkhead prior to doing pillars/feet/footwells/vents (everything apart from the middle lol) Its a commonly quoted "made from original pattern"....unfortunately most seem to have been made from a poor pattern. The ones I purchased did slot inside the a-pillar snugly but the spire clip apertures were about 5mm too low as were the hinge holes. The mounting spacers were too wide and offset to one side, also the radius from vertical to horizontal fouled the footwells. Nothing that couldn't be cured with some drilling/grinding and tweaking but added a bit of swearing to the job. I didn't buy the cheapest ones available, paying extra in the vain hope they go straight on. Silly me... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.