Victor Normandy Posted November 15, 2019 Share Posted November 15, 2019 Hi, Both y front wings look twisted,... The driver side is leaning towards the engine and the passenger side is leaning out How can i correct that, it's driving me nuts... The wing to bulkhead junction is nice and flush so.... i don't know where to begin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oneandtwo Posted November 16, 2019 Share Posted November 16, 2019 When viewed from the front, on td5 / Puma the wings will look like they twist outward slightly as Land Rover inserted the intercooler / bonnet prop mounting plates in between the wing and the grill surround / slam panel at the top - the slam panel is then approx 10mm wider than originally design hence the twist / droop. You can pack the lower fixing points out each side (where the wing is bolted to the chassis just in front of steering box) to straighten them up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Victor Normandy Posted November 16, 2019 Author Share Posted November 16, 2019 5 hours ago, oneandtwo said: When viewed from the front, on td5 / Puma the wings will look like they twist outward slightly as Land Rover inserted the intercooler / bonnet prop mounting plates in between the wing and the grill surround / slam panel at the top - the slam panel is then approx 10mm wider than originally design hence the twist / droop. You can pack the lower fixing points out each side (where the wing is bolted to the chassis just in front of steering box) to straighten them up. Thx, never thought of that ! But still, here is some photos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve b Posted November 16, 2019 Share Posted November 16, 2019 That is pretty bad , you may have to loosen all the bolts apart from the wing to door post including the galv. mud-shield to chassis to see where things want to sit then shim as required . I can't see the diagonal braces behind the grille that brace the central bonnet locking pin ? cheers Steve b Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maverik Posted November 16, 2019 Share Posted November 16, 2019 Older defender and pre defenders they took a little more care in putting them together, where the wings, body doors all interfaces- there's a plathora of different packing shims of different shapes to level out all the panel gaps etc and wonks. Bit tricky to get to some of the locations but with a bit of patience you'll be able to improve the smile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Victor Normandy Posted November 16, 2019 Author Share Posted November 16, 2019 (edited) 55 minutes ago, steve b said: That is pretty bad , you may have to loosen all the bolts apart from the wing to door post including the galv. mud-shield to chassis to see where things want to sit then shim as required . I can't see the diagonal braces behind the grille that brace the central bonnet locking pin ? cheers Steve b Didn't know there was this diagonal brace on TD5 with AC... Ok i'll try that, might be a bent galv mud shield... Edited November 16, 2019 by Victor Normandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo Murphy Posted November 16, 2019 Share Posted November 16, 2019 No diagonal braces required if it's original air con. Mo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Victor Normandy Posted November 16, 2019 Author Share Posted November 16, 2019 Ok. Took a picture, and i suspect i'm missing some brackets Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve b Posted November 16, 2019 Share Posted November 16, 2019 1 hour ago, Mo Murphy said: No diagonal braces required if it's original air con. Mo I did wonder , I don't do much on TD5's . Presumably the top steel brace is strengthened up in some way compared to earlier vehicles . Yes , there should be a steel brace from the wing edge to the mud shield , it would be good to check the bolts along the top of the mud shield to the joint between the top and outer wing too cheers Steve b Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snagger Posted November 16, 2019 Share Posted November 16, 2019 I think you need to start by moving the slam panel to the vehicle’s left. There should be some adjustment available on the braces. You’ll also need to loosen all the bolts between chassis and slam panel and the front of the wings. The wings normally both slope downwards, the right worse than the left, because the slam panel is 7mm longer than the spacing of the chassis brackets for the bottoms of the wings. The droppings is compounded by the indicator and sidelight holes being cut slightly wrong on the plastic lamp surrounds, so they sit askew even further. It drove me mad and I had to straighten it all up on my wife’s 2009 90. Every Defender I have seen has the same fault, and always worse on the right unless they have been damaged. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo Murphy Posted November 16, 2019 Share Posted November 16, 2019 Steve, Yup, bonnet closing load goes through the air con rad frame via a bracket between the slam panel and said frame. Mo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snagger Posted November 16, 2019 Share Posted November 16, 2019 7 minutes ago, steve b said: I did wonder , I don't do much on TD5's . Presumably the top steel brace is strengthened up in some way compared to earlier vehicles . Yes , there should be a steel brace from the wing edge to the mud shield , it would be good to check the bolts along the top of the mud shield to the joint between the top and outer wing too cheers Steve b The ac versions use a box section brace that runs vertically from the chassis brackets and then horizontally under the slam panel. It has radiused corners, a couple of inched radius if I remember well. Sort of resembles a shrunken dog guard with the mesh missing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Victor Normandy Posted November 16, 2019 Author Share Posted November 16, 2019 15 minutes ago, Snagger said: I think you need to start by moving the slam panel to the vehicle’s left. There should be some adjustment available on the braces. You’ll also need to loosen all the bolts between chassis and slam panel and the front of the wings. The wings normally both slope downwards, the right worse than the left, because the slam panel is 7mm longer than the spacing of the chassis brackets for the bottoms of the wings. The droppings is compounded by the indicator and sidelight holes being cut slightly wrong on the plastic lamp surrounds, so they sit askew even further. It drove me mad and I had to straighten it all up on my wife’s 2009 90. Every Defender I have seen has the same fault, and always worse on the right unless they have been damaged. Ok, to the left, facing the vehicle ? Are you talking about those braces ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Victor Normandy Posted November 16, 2019 Author Share Posted November 16, 2019 Damn the whole thing looks twisted, it appears the right bracket "n°9 has been broken and welded again Frontal collision i guess 😔 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snagger Posted November 16, 2019 Share Posted November 16, 2019 The black square section tube with brackets bolted to it. It looks like it has been buckled towards the vehicle’s right hand side (left of the photo). You can probably straighten it out if you remove it and use a little heat on the bends. I thought it also braced the slam panel in place of the two diagonal struts of non-ac vehicles, but perhaps that’s a Tdi thing or I got it wrong. TD5 bonnets never carry spares, so perhaps it didn’t need to brace the slam panel? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Victor Normandy Posted November 16, 2019 Author Share Posted November 16, 2019 (edited) 12 minutes ago, Snagger said: The black square section tube with brackets bolted to it. It looks like it has been buckled towards the vehicle’s right hand side (left of the photo). You can probably straighten it out if you remove it and use a little heat on the bends. I can do that yep Bit more investigation found... both radiator brackets appear to have been welded... left side (right on the photo) right side (left on the photo) We can clearly see some nasty welds Edited November 16, 2019 by Victor Normandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snagger Posted November 16, 2019 Share Posted November 16, 2019 Always disappointing to find damage, but at least you have also found a cure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Victor Normandy Posted November 16, 2019 Author Share Posted November 16, 2019 (edited) Further down... the bottom bracket on the left side (right in the picture) Looks bad too Maybe that's why the wing in leaning "inward" on the right side ???, is that bracket welded to the chassis ? I feel my wallet shaking of fear already 😣 The left wing bracket .... Edited November 16, 2019 by Victor Normandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Victor Normandy Posted November 16, 2019 Author Share Posted November 16, 2019 (edited) 9 minutes ago, Snagger said: Always disappointing to find damage, but at least you have also found a cure. I don't know if its the cure though. Is bending back the square tubing frame is gonna help relocating the slam panel ? this frame doesn't appear to have a relation to the wings... Edited November 16, 2019 by Victor Normandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Victor Normandy Posted November 16, 2019 Author Share Posted November 16, 2019 The top of the left wing sits sooo much higher ! is there really up and down adjustment on that area ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo Murphy Posted November 16, 2019 Share Posted November 16, 2019 There should be a bracket between the striker receiver bolts and the top of the air con rad frame. JRF100410 Mo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Victor Normandy Posted November 16, 2019 Author Share Posted November 16, 2019 29 minutes ago, Mo Murphy said: There should be a bracket between the striker receiver bolts and the top of the air con rad frame. JRF100410 Mo Yep i've got that bracket Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve b Posted November 16, 2019 Share Posted November 16, 2019 That height difference between wing tops is why I mentioned the mud shield to wing joint . It's clearly had some damage of some sort and looks to have been put back together in a dark shed , the fixings are into spire nuts(spring steel clips) so it should be possible to reach with a small socket set to loosen - with everything loosened you should be able to see if any of the welded repairs are affecting it , the mud shield is really the main structure of the wing assembly so it's critical it sits correctly . Say the front end was damaged and repaired with complete wings from another LR , those wings would have been lined up for whatever they came off and love the as we do LR's are +/- 1/4" ... cheers Steve b Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Victor Normandy Posted November 16, 2019 Author Share Posted November 16, 2019 23 minutes ago, steve b said: That height difference between wing tops is why I mentioned the mud shield to wing joint . It's clearly had some damage of some sort and looks to have been put back together in a dark shed , the fixings are into spire nuts(spring steel clips) so it should be possible to reach with a small socket set to loosen - with everything loosened you should be able to see if any of the welded repairs are affecting it , the mud shield is really the main structure of the wing assembly so it's critical it sits correctly . Say the front end was damaged and repaired with complete wings from another LR , those wings would have been lined up for whatever they came off and love the as we do LR's are +/- 1/4" ... cheers Steve b I'll tackle this tomorrow, but in the meantime i loosened the slam panel bolts and there was some real tension there ! while doing that i saw the right wing straighten itself... It seems the left wing when connected to the slam panel was pulling the right wing to the left 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve b Posted November 16, 2019 Share Posted November 16, 2019 Making good progress there Victor , let us know how you get on cheers Steve b Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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