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Bulkhead rebuild


lo-fi

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Hi folks

Despite struggling with enthusiasm lately, I decided to get into the buikhead for my '65 88" project, which got shamefully started over a year ago and not updated. 

The plan is for a V8, and I managed to pick up a slightly crispy but unmolested 6 pot bulkhead for not very much for the project. I hate undoing other peoples work bodges, so despite missing most of the footwells it's a lovely candidate. Few spots up the left corner:

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And the remainder of the footwells chopped out:

 

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Spot of fettling:

 

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I had some pillars and footwells in stock. Usual cheap ebay jobs. Now, despite common belief (and I include myself here) the 6 pot bulkhead is not wider between the footwells than the 4 pot. It's only deeper in the transmission tunnel area. Anyone that's fitted a V8 will tell you that you need to scallop the passenger footwell, and being a fusspot, I think that's ugly. I know: you can't see it. But I know it's there. I decided, as I needed to make up the inner panels as well, that I might as well mimic the drivers side, giving the magic 2" extra room for a proper engine. Old parts side by side, drivers closest:

 

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New footwells, drivers on the left:

 

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Fabricating new sides. Quite easy with my little shear/brake/roller:

 

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And creative use of the welding table:

 

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Together it goes:

 

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Letting new bits of tin into the bottoms:

 

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The passenger side needed some fettling to get the profile right:

 

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So I made a simple paper template to copy the other side:

 

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Coming together quote nicely:

 

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It's only got one or two tacks in, plus a few clamps, so I can pull the new bits off and send it for shot blasting before fully welderising it. Not too bad a job, all told: Just a Friday afternoon and a Sunday. Once it's all back in I've got a few gussets and bits and pieces to knock up, then I can call it done and get it painted.

To galv or now to galv....? I'm very tempted to just vacuum bag it upside down with a few tins of POR15 inside the bag :hysterical: 

 

That's the interesting bit, anyway!

 

TTFN :)

Edited by lo-fi
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7 minutes ago, oneandtwo said:

The door pillar pressing should be positioned under the top skin of the bulkhead where you have rebuilt the corner, and spot welded to it, that’s what the pressed step in the top of the pillar is for.

The whole section was missing, so I've kinda improvised so it lines up. If you've got any pics I'd be interested! 

Edit: oh, I knew what you mean now I think about it. I think I'll fettle that out and get shot of another bit of Land Rovers stupid #£@@%/ rust trap sandwich construction. 

Edited by lo-fi
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Take a look at a defender, they didn’t change that build method until the end of production. 

I’ve marked up your photo - the green is how the upper skin should be, red shows the door pillar in position - dotted red line is where it is positioned under the top skin of bulkhead.

blue is position of spot welds joining the pillar to the top skin, and seam weld where the step in the pressing is of the door pillar where it is seam welded to the upper skin.

BB6E5F5E-6B88-4CB9-8E04-B87DC52049DB.jpeg

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Cheers guys :) It's a really useful little tool, Mo. Ideal for bulkhead size fettling. 

I've found some corner sections that aren't covered in horrible powder coating on ebay for next to nothing, so I'll let in the section to get the piller top correct when they arrive. 

Heading over to A&C shotblasting in Newbury with it this afternoon. Just want it done and off my "to do" list. The chassis should arrive from storage this weekend and will be fettled similarly, then its time to bolt an 88 together! 

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Have you considered hot zinc spray? My next bulkhead will be done that way. Doesn't distort as much as dip, but not quite as good inside.

Nice work, by the way. Tidy.

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I rebuilt a lot of bulkheads 10-15 years ago, I had them all hot zinc sprayed. My lightweight has been parked by the sea for nearly 15 years and no rust whatsoever. The brand new lightweight bulkhead top section I purchased at the same time and didn’t get zinc sprayed had rust holes 5 years ago.

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Looks like you fitted your V8 higher than usual like my 109 @FridgeFreezer?

Hot zinc spray it is, then, @Gazzar & @oneandtwo. What's the recommended surface condition for zinc spray? I'll need to hit it with some primer pretty sharpish on return from being blasted, but probably best I don't go too crazy. Do they acid dip or suchlike? I was thinking weld-thru primer, I've got several cans of decent stuff in.

Maybe the best way to tackle the inside is something suitable applied via flexible probe after the zinc spray. 

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The bulkhead is blasted then hot zinc sprayed straight away, the zinc spray doesn’t need etch priming, I just degrease it and a couple of good coats of high build primer flatted back on the visible parts. I think with my lightweight I just hand painted it with red oxide directly to the surface then nato green and it hasn’t lost any paint.

I will get my Puma bulkhead done shortly when I strip it down.

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Zinc spray is sounding like a great solution. I'll get on it. 

Don't think I'll get the V8 in the 88 that far back, even though I've got a "short" LT77 to go behind it. I've just raked a pair of 6 pot transition plates and tunnel out of storage for assessment One transition is pristine, while the other and the tunnel have a few holes. The tunnel I'll need for the actual 6 pot 109, but I'm pretty sure I'll need a custom tunnel for the V8 and five speed. I suspect the rotten transition piece will come in for some fettling.

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Ask your blaster, a lot do the zinc spraying.

I get rims done, then powder coated on top, the zinc leaves a very keyed surface.

I'd still cavity wax the interior of a standard bulkhead, the lightweight bulkhead is single skin, and so very little is left uncoated.

But then, I HATE rust.

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Thanks guys, looks like the way forward is appearing! I should have a clean bulkhead back tomorrow, so I'll enquire when I pick it up. 

Cheers Mike, I may take you up on that. The R380 tunnel might just do the trick as I'll have to mod the transition piece anyway. That's assuming the gear stuck ends up in the correct place, though. 

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Good work. I still have the cardboard template I made 25 odd years ago. Need to do it all again, but for Defender shaped  footwells.

I have got the tunnel for my genuine V8 90 if you wanted to borrow it for copying, as mine will not be done anytime soon.

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50 minutes ago, oneandtwo said:

I had a Factory 1990 v8 Hicap many years ago. The tunnel looked exactly the same as the r380 tunnel but there was something different about it when compared side by side, but I can’t remember what the difference was now! 

Judging by the hack-job on the (presumably original V8) tunnel in our ambulance the gearstick sits further back with an R380 by an inch or three :rolleyes:

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From memory (vehicle is 15 miles from here ATM) the V8 LT85 tunnel is more semi-circular. Similar in shape to Fridges bulkhead pic, slightly tapered, and made of plastic (or fibreglass) and the gearlevers in a slightly different position. Rearwards ? Front of the seatbox is different too.

Will get some pics when I go down there.

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