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I just got done converting the rear tub to fit forward facing seats:

 

And I was really excited to get out and use it. Gave it a really good pressure wassh above and below and at this point I realised the rear outriggers were heavily corroded.

So I started poking around with a screwdriver.

Outriggers lead me to body mounts. Here the front of the tub where it meets the bracket was gone. Never wash your car. The mud is in some cases structural.

This lead me to the door sills. Door sills led me to the seat box side panels. 

Moving forwards along the sills, the footwells are also corroded. A quick poke around and I've got daylight 😭

 

Sooooo - here we go. I need her back on the road for winter. All the jobs are connected and require a level of disassembly where it just makes sense to do it all at the same time.

I can't afford to replace the bulkhead with a galvanized version at this point. For now I'm going to repair it as beset I can to last me another 5years or so and save my pennies for a full rebuild using a galv chassis as a base.

 

But for now - this is where I am:

 

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All the new metal is ordered - Pretty much all from YRM Metal Solutions.

Galv Outriggers came from ebay.

For anyone interested - here is the list of new metal.

I could possibly save money by fabricating a lot of this myself, but I'm just not set up for metal fabrication. The job is already a lot bigger than I would like and as I'm just a lone man in a leaky shed, I want to give myself a fighting chance - especially as its growing arms and legs. Every single time I look at it, I find more work to do.

I have in the past reconditioned fixings + fasteners and its just not worth the time and effort. In most cases I had to cut them off anyway as they were so heavily corroded.

So all new fasteners and gaskets EVERYWHERE.

The only thing I wouldn't buy from YRM are the rivets. Any new rivets I have used on the truck have been sealed end rivets.

 

But this still hurts. I have a very understanding wifey. It'l be cabbage and lentil soup this month though. Possibly next month too 🤢

 

 

Product Quantity Price
Subtotal: £476.40
Shipping: £30.00 via Shipping
Tax: £101.28
Payment method: PayPal
Total: £607.68
   
2 or 3 Door Front of Rear Tub Repair - LR Defender
  • A Rivets:

    No

  • B Rivets:

    No

1 £19.00
HDG 2 &3 Door Early Front Seat Belt Mount Bracket - LR Defender - Yes 1 £96.00
2 & 3 Door 2mm Aluminium Strike Plate Repair Section - LR Defender & Series
  • Options:

    Option C

  • A Rivets:

    No

  • B Rivets:

    No

1 £16.00
M8 30mm Fixing Kit S/S Pk 10 1 £4.95
RHS Sill Rail HDG - LR Defender & Series 2 & 3 (2 or 3 Door) - Yes 1 £38.00
LHS Sill Rail HDG - LR Defender & Series 2 & 3 (2 or 3 Door) - Yes 1 £38.00
LHS Seatbox End - LR Defender & Series 2 &3
  • A Rivets:

    No

  • B Rivets:

    No

1 £19.00
RHS Seatbox End - LR Defender & Series 2 & 3
  • A Rivets:

    No

  • B Rivets:

    No

1 £19.00
Battery Box 2mm Aluminium
  • A Rivets:

    No

  • B Rivets:

    No

1 £77.00
Sill Rail Upstand to Front of Rear Tub Rubber Gasket - LR Defender & Series 1 £2.60
Tubular Outrigger Rubber Gasket - LR Defender 1 £2.20
RHS HDG Fuel Tank Bracket - Yes 1 £31.00
Front Wing Stay - LR Defender - Option B 1 £10.00
Bulkhead Bracket Rubber Gasket - LR Defender 1 £3.00
Body to Chassis Rubber Gasket Kit - LR Defender 90 Pre Td5 1 £15.65
Rear Door Rubber Gasket - LR Defender & Series - Defender 1 £3.00
S/S Fuel Tank Pre Fixing Kit - LR Defender 90 pre Td5 1 £3.00
LHS Footwell to Innerwing Bracket - LR Defender 1 £8.00
RHS Footwell to Innerwing Bracket - LR Defender 1 £8.00
RHS Footwell Repair Panel - LR Defender 1 £20.00
LHS Extended Footwell Repair Panel - LR Defender 1 £31.00
Front Footwell Floor Plate Fixing Kit 2 £12.00
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Oh dear, bit of a bump in the road, but you are already making the right moves for a recovery. To be fair, apart from the rear tubular outrigger, none of these would make it particularly unsafe.

I'd say think about some rust prevention to preserve what you have in the future.

 

Daan

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9 minutes ago, Daan said:

Oh dear, bit of a bump in the road, but you are already making the right moves for a recovery. To be fair, apart from the rear tubular outrigger, none of these would make it particularly unsafe.

I'd say think about some rust prevention to preserve what you have in the future.

 

Daan

Definitely not unsafe but its the right time to catch the body corrosion. The LHS footwell has unfortunately been 'repaired' in the past but not very well.

I've not had her very long and by then it was already too late. I'll be stripping the chassis as best I can - probably with a needle scaler now that I have such good access to the front outrigger and the tops of the frame rails. Probably makes sense to invest in some POR 15 but I really need to get the underside steam cleaned before I use of the dinitrol kits.

Have found some pretty terrible patch repairs that I'll at least grind down and redo the welds on.

Its all made a bit more interesting by working on cobbles - don't have a flat level surface to get her up on jack stands.

There also isn't much point using one of those rust prevention kits until after I replace all the springs, shocks, + turrets. That will have to wait until I dig out the cobble and pour myself a slab in the workshop. Its all a bit chicken and egg.

 

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There are defenders in much worse condition than that on the road right now. Your bulkhead will be fine with a few new plates here and there plus some decent waxoyling and further rust prevention. Rear tubular outriggers are fairly straight-forward to chop off and replace as well after you've done the body mounts. Be careful welding galv steel though as the fumes are toxic.

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2 minutes ago, paime said:

There are defenders in much worse condition than that on the road right now. Your bulkhead will be fine with a few new plates here and there plus some decent waxoyling and further rust prevention. Rear tubular outriggers are fairly straight-forward to chop off and replace as well after you've done the body mounts. Be careful welding galv steel though as the fumes are toxic.

I'm sure there are. With any corrosion its definitely a good idea to catch it early for a smaller job. I would kill to just have surface rust in the footwells at this point. Bit of rust converter, zinc primer and practically done! Wishful thinking.

The truck was resprayed in the past and there are areas on the bulkhead where bubbling suggest I've got rust working its way from the inside out. Haven't had the courage to poke at that yet.

Plan is to use RC900 in the bulkhead and RC800 all over the chassis. My hope is I don't need to patch repair the area around the windscreen frame mounts and the front vents but will have to wait and see. Will of course gravel guard the footwells outside and use a penetrating wax inside the bulkhead too. Further reading required - Dinitrol make too many products.

 

Definitely will be using an appropriate respirator while welding. After some research it looks like the best way to weld galv is with flux core wire.

Best stuff out there I could find for galv looks like Blue Demon Flux Core Wire. Some suggestion that you don't need to grind back the weld area but I'm not so sure.

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2 hours ago, Snagger said:

It looks like a long list, but it’s efficient and worthwhile, especially since you did such a good job on the rear seat supports and wheel arches.

Cheers! Bit disheartening but as has already been pointed out - there's plenty of worse ones out there so I'm probably lucky in some sense.

Doing it all at the same time does mean the welding is up to me. Time to start practicing :P

YRM order arrived today so tomorrow is going to be busy.

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I think I need to take a step back and reassess the work.

I've got a pretty good opportunity to address the rusted chassis but having the springs, shocks, trailing+radius arms fitted doesn't let me get into all the nooks and crannies with a needle scaler.

The cobbled floor is really coming back to bite me. In a perfect world I would put it up on axle stands and strip everything off. One option is to see if I can build a frame with heavy timbers to give me a level base for the stands.

I could then get at all the key areas and recondition any chassis mounting points, outriggers & brackets as well as the radius & trailing arms. Assess conditions of bushes too.

The turrets need replacing as well as the shocks and springs all round. Replacing the turrets is going to be much easier while I have the wing off.

OR - Is this just overkill?

Do I just say bugger it and wash the entire thing down with RC800 to convert the rust and overcoat with the appropriate Dinitrol product? Then save my pennies for a new chassis down the line / a professional underseal job once the chassis has been properly steam cleaned inside and out? I currently still have a bit of gunk in my rails so there's no points buying one of the dinitrol kits.

 

ADVICE NEEDED!

I already have the RC800. At the very least I'm going to remove as much loose material as I can with the needle scaler, and soak the entire chassis with the stuff (inside rails needs pressure washed and treated too but that can wait until after the floor is back in)

QUESTIONS: 

  1. What is best to overcoat the RC800 with? Can POR15 be used overtop? (to my knowledge POR15 doesn't convert rust)
  2. Is there much point in using expensive paint like POR15 unless I go for the more involved process as described above? (Will rust just eat under the POR15 from areas I can't get too?)
  3. POR15 isnt UV stable and needs an overcoat. Can I use 4941 underbody wax or does this require paint first? (I think POR15 make a topcoat)
  4. Can I get away with RC800 + ML3125 + 4941 underbody wax? Or does RC800 require a primer + paint? (I'm thinking about areas of bare metal)
  5. Priming RC800 - does a zinc rich epoxy primer make sense instead of POR15? If so does anyone have a recommendation?

How would you tackle it?

 

Minor progress - seat box panels removed and cleaned

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Edited by PolarBlair
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CHANGE IN PLANS

I think the DIY gods have smiled on me. I was due to receive a shipment of 4no. Raptor 2K Primer spray cans which I managed to get for a pretty good deal.

However - package was returned to sender before it even got to me. That will teach DHL to be a bit more careful in future! I dread to think what an exploding 2K aerosol looks like in the back of a delivery van :hysterical:

This has given me time to go back and think about my purchases a bit more carefully.

What do I really want from my paint? Active Protection.

How do you get this? ZINC

How do you make that durable? EPOXY

So here is what I'm thinking:

 

PPG SigmaCover 256 - Zinc Phosphate Epoxy Primer

https://www.paints4trade.com/ppg-sigmacover-256-primer-4386-p.asp

I can get 4L of the stuff including the activator and matched thinner delivered for £70 (and that's to the highlands. Shipping can be more than the item up here! 😡)

 

Pros:

  • Cheap - Rustbusters has a similar product for £60 but only 1.25L
  • 2 Part - Better for long term storage of unmixed paint when opened.
  • Self healing - Zinc protects not just the immediate metal substrate but works over a small distance
  • Forgiving - Doesn't require immediate overcoating - can be brush applied. Can cure at -10°C
  • Adhesion - Can be applied over existing aged epoxy coatings as well as galvanised metal
  • Tough and Flexible - Long term flexibility to prevent cracking and good resistance to impact. Designed for offshore - excellent resistance to salt.
  • DATA - So many product data sheets I've found have had little or no information. This has all the info I need laid out - simple to understand and answers all of my questions for surface prep, mixing, storage, curing time, overcoating etc.

Cons:

  • Dunno? - Its a b*tch to wash out of hair? :blink:
  • Eggshell Colour? -  Not really fussed. I'll overcoat anyway and should provide a good contrast to black making it easier to see where I've been.

 

I'm not in any way paid by them and I know I'm waxing on a bit - but its taken me aaaaages to find a suitable product that doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

From what I can see, this should be vastly superior to something like POR15 which despite having a semi religious fanbase, seems to have quite a few horror stories too.

 

Anyway, I'm hoping I don't get slammed by someone pointing out a really obvious reason why this paint isn't suitable but I suppose I would rather know before using it.

Will see how I get on.

 

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Got a call back from Frost Auto Restoration. Nice to see people still returning calls for technical queries.

I've got some of their products including a vibratory tumbler which has been fantastic for reconditioning small metal parts.

Also used things like their own etching primer in the past too and have found most of their stuff is comparable and pretty competitively priced. 

While I was still thinking about POR15 as an option they looked by far the cheapest with the large rust kit only costing a little more than the medium.

 

Anyway - Before I found the PPG coatings, I was still trying to choose between the multitude of primers and topcoats for the chassis.

I had already bought the PPG coatings when they called, but still wanted to know what I went for in the end. I could have easily still canceled my purchase and gone for a different product (and I said as much), but it was nice to have someone honest enough to talk themselves out of a sale. They are aware of the specific PPG coatings I went for and thought them suitable.

 

Just thought that was worth sharing. Decent customer service and technical help can be hard to find and should really be pointed out.

So it looks like they do a bit of research themselves and are aware of whats out there - I assume this ties in to their own product line?

Makes sense they would rebrand bulk buy industrial coatings into a more consumer friendly package. I doubt they have their own chemical lab and factory.

 

I got my coatings from Rawlins in the end. Cheapest for the coating and cheapest shipping. Wasn't thinking straight when I made the order yesterday (forgot the topcoat) and they just gave me a discount code for free shipping with my new order. Nice touch.

 

I don't think Rawlins particularly care which product you buy from them but a chap in their technical team has a background in automotive coatings and confirmed both the primer and topcoat as being suitable (and probably overkill). So Frost Auto Restoration and Rawlins agree. Gives me some confidence.

 

So here's what I'll be using and where and how:

 

1. Chassis, Trailing+Radius Arms, Footwells:

Prep

  1. Strip off all brackets and mounts (haven't decided regarding cross members yet)
  2. Disassemble suspension - remove springs, shocks, seats, trailing & radius arms
  3. Knock off loose rust, Needle scaler, wire wheel etc.
  4. Wash down with acetone

Primer

  1. RC800 - Several coats, knocking off more material in between to remove as much rust as possible, Final coat roughed up, washed down with acetone.
  2. PPG SigmaCover 256 (Zinc Phosphate Epoxy Primer) & PPG Thinner 91-92. First coat thinned down to flow into all the nooks and crannies.
  3. Main coat over top according to spec.

Topcoat

  1. Surface prep according to spec (data sheet has specific and general recommendations to be used to topcoat SigmaCover 256)
  2. PPG SigmaDur 520 (Aliphatic Acrylic Polyurethane Finish). Should be tough and flexible for impact resistance. I went for Aluminium which dulls to a Grey finish. You can have any RAL colour you want but the price jumps from £51.84 - £159.89. Not worth it. - I have some black hammerite kicking around for a final topcoat on the rear cross member. Everywhere else stays grey and will be overcoated with black underbody sealer anyway. Should make it obvious in future where the underseal needs to be recoated.

 

2. Seat Box - (Aluminium side panels and new battery box)

Prep

  1.  Rough up with 240 grit and wash down with acetone

Primer

  1. Tetrosyl Etch Primer - 2 component kit makes 2L. More than I need but good for future use.
  2. Battery box underside treated with PPG coatings as described above - (Maybe overkill?)

Topcoat

  1. Bog standard Hycote red paint

 

3. Galvanised sills, new brackets etc.

Prep

  1.  Rough up with 240 grit and wash down with acetone. This removes any oxidised top layer
  2. PPG Sigma Etch (phosphoric acid-based etch solution) Reacts with galvanised steel changes colour to indicate where the etching has been successful. 

Primer

  1. As above for chassis

Topcoat

  1. As above for chassis

 

4. Bulkhead

This will pretty much be the same treatment as the footwells but inside bulkhead to be sprayed with Dinitrol RC900 and a ML Cavity Wax.

I also have surface rust on the bulkhead face itself. I suspect I'll need to grind/ cut out the rot but I don't know how bad the damage is until I start.

Hopefully get away with filler instead of piecing in new metal.

 

 

 

Edited by PolarBlair
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Gift that keep on giving.

I'm not sure what the rear cross member normally looks like but I'm pretty sure mine was cut and replaced. Hard to tell from the photo but you can just about see the welded seam.

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From the underside it almost looks like its already had a patch weld repair.

 

These disks passed their last MOT - You can see how badly corroded and pitted the face is.

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Looks Like I'm going to have to drop the axle and replace the diff pan. Gwyn Lewis make some pretty beefy looking replacements.

 

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Diff pan metal is only 1.5mm so if I have a hole pissing fluid I can only assume the rest of the metal has the structural integrity of school toilet paper.

 

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So plans changed again. I'm going to lift the body to get better access to the chassis and everything else. Even more disassembly, but will let me get the job done right.

 

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Mmmmm crusty.

 

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Had a shot with the needle scaler. You can see the loose flakey stuff top left. Amazing how fast it rips through rust. It will make sandblasting quicker and will waste less media. Haven't found any large holes just yet!

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New ultra light racing shocks. Continue to get lighter every day.

Less weight - more speed. SCIENCE.

Edited by PolarBlair
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6 minutes ago, Gazzar said:

Standard Landrover stuff.  Take a look at the rear tub supports, while you are in there.

That's what convinced me to lift the body. I was happy to see the rubber spacers between the tub supports and the tub floor crossmembers is still there. The underside of the tub looks pretty reasonable but the seatbelt bracket for the front row is proper rotten.

I could get it out with the tub on but its going to a hell of a lot easier with the tub off. I feel a galvanised replacement coming on....

Does everyone just have to do this at some point?

I wonder if there are some rare unicorn defenders out there with no corrosion.

One thing is for sure... when this is all done,  I'll be rigging up some kind of DIY underbody jet wash for the winter months.

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They tend to be a lot better anywhere that salt isn’t a factor, so non-coastal Southern Europe, the Middle East, Australia and so on.

I see you also have, in addition to scrap brake discs, 30mm or rotating scrap on each hub.  Spacers are horrible things - they bugger wheel bearings and stub axles quicker, increase loads on steering components with more wear on swivel bearings and steering rod ends, increase the steering input of any road or vehicle imperfection (potholes, camber, tyre pressure or brake imbalance) and make the steering vaguer.  They also have the questionable benefit of ensuring any mud you traverse is plastered up the side of the vehicle and all over your side windows, mirrors and door handles.  Unless you really need them for lateral stability because you only ever drive around mountains on side slopes, or because you need to regain the lost steering lock from oversized tyres, you’d do a lot better to bin them.

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43 minutes ago, Snagger said:

They tend to be a lot better anywhere that salt isn’t a factor, so non-coastal Southern Europe, the Middle East, Australia and so on.

I see you also have, in addition to scrap brake discs, 30mm or rotating scrap on each hub.  Spacers are horrible things - they bugger wheel bearings and stub axles quicker, increase loads on steering components with more wear on swivel bearings and steering rod ends, increase the steering input of any road or vehicle imperfection (potholes, camber, tyre pressure or brake imbalance) and make the steering vaguer.  They also have the questionable benefit of ensuring any mud you traverse is plastered up the side of the vehicle and all over your side windows, mirrors and door handles.  Unless you really need them for lateral stability because you only ever drive around mountains on side slopes, or because you need to regain the lost steering lock from oversized tyres, you’d do a lot better to bin them.

They're pretty much just what I inherited. I think they are required in my case as currently I already have issues with rub on full lock.

It will need to be something I look at once the axles are stripped down and I'm getting ready to reassemble. I appreciate that the spacers aren't the best for a number of reasons.

For the most part my truck is just used for the commute in winter to get me up my track. No major strain from any serious offroading and the future plans will be to take the family camping with an overland trailer to get me to some more remote location in the highlands. Track access - nothing mental.

She spends most of her time on the road and getting up and down the road between cockbridge and tomintoul during ski season.

I guess what I'm asking is this - It's not ideal but as long as I'm not putting her through any serious abuse can I get away with it?

Otherwise I suppose I'm looking at new tyres.

 

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What size tyres do you have?  For a commuting and family vehicle, standard would be best, ie 235/85, and would also likely be the cheapest.  You wouldn’t need the spacers and they give the best overall performance and economy, which obviously is why they were fitted as standard.  Perhaps standard tyres and dropping the spacers when the current tyres need replacing will kill two birds with one stone.

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On 6/15/2020 at 2:58 PM, Snagger said:

What size tyres do you have?

They're 265/75 R16

Sounds like a good idea when I come to replace. As long as I don't sacrifice off-road/ heavy snow handling. I would have thought the extra tyre width would be pretty vital but I need to do more reading on it. Maybe not much in it.

During the year she only really gets used in anger during winter months. Other than that during summer I make sure to keep her ticking over with a weekly run in to town and back (1.5hrs ish)

Big concern is being able to plow through deeper drifting snow after a long day in the hills. Can be 1ft+ of snow on the road when it starts drifting (and it's all backroads for me to get home)

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I might be in a bit more trouble. It looks like the rear cross member has seen a bit more patch repair than I thought. 

The photo takes the 3D out of it and makes it a bit harder to see but the side of the chassis is caved in around the bolt.

The side of the box section has holes above the welds too.

Front of chassis is heavily patch repaired around the dumb irons too.

Rear cross member is essentially rotten.

My worry is spending several hundred quid chopping off the front and rear of the chassis, welding on new sections and just be left with a rotten middle.

Keep cutting patching and repairing? Or replace?

 

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35 minutes ago, PolarBlair said:

They're 265/75 R16

Sounds like a good idea when I come to replace. As long as I don't sacrifice off-road/ heavy snow handling. I would have thought the extra tyre width would be pretty vital but I need to do more reading on it. Maybe not much in it.

During the year she only really gets used in anger during winter months. Other than that during summer I make sure to keep her ticking over with a weekly run in to town and back (1.5hrs ish)

Big concern is being able to plow through deeper drifting snow after a long day in the hills. Can be 1ft+ of snow on the road when it starts drifting (and it's all backroads for me to get home)

That does change things a mite.  I think if you’re driving through drifts, you still want contact with the road underneath and so tall but thin tyres are best.  They’ll also have the least rolling resistance.  I think it’s only for snowy plains that the fat tyres are helpful.  But that is something beyond my experience, and definitely worth speaking to experts about.

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1 hour ago, Snagger said:

That does change things a mite.  I think if you’re driving through drifts, you still want contact with the road underneath and so tall but thin tyres are best.  They’ll also have the least rolling resistance.  I think it’s only for snowy plains that the fat tyres are helpful.  But that is something beyond my experience, and definitely worth speaking to experts about.

That is a good logic - skinnies definitely make more sense for snow on road.

Not a problem I think I need to to consider this year though. Im still contemplating if now is the right time to do a chassis swap. Between that and rebuilding front and rear axles plus all the body work I'll be lucky if I get it all done for winter 2021 at the rate I'm going

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The patch you showed is ugly, but that doesn’t mean the rest of the chassis is a problem.  We know rear cross members are always a problem, all the way back to 1948 models.  Replacing that and doing a neater patch is going to be a lot less expensive than a new chassis.  But British roads take their toll, so you’ll have to take a very good look at it.  Going around each year to do repairs or preventative work quickly adds up in cost and time, and spoils the enjoyment of the vehicle (also takes it off the road a lot, so makes it less dependable).

Replacing a chassis is a good couple of months work for most of us, while replacing a diff or wheel bearings is a weekend at most, so if the chassis is bad, I’d start with that while the weather is better.  The suspect assemblies can be removed and then rebuilt under cover or indoors over the winter.  However, I believe there are significant delays in chassis orders at the moment, in which case cheap and mild preservation of the existing chassis to get it through one more year may be best, with a chassis order to be delivered next spring.

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I got the gantry built yesterday and I'm not far off lifting the body off for a closer look at the chassis.

 

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For now I'm just keeping busy doing the repairs to the strike plates and the tub underside.

 

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I've got some 2part etch primer so I'll be sanding this area back and recoating to try and slow the existing rot.

I did have to cut off more than I would have liked but I'm just barely back to good metal. Looks a bit extreme but the white crusty stuff that was there definitely wasn't serving a purpose anymore.

 

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Of course the backside is just as bad.

I'm doing as much as I can with body still in place as I imagine everything will get more difficult with the tub up in the air.

The flat section at the base of the bulkhead behind the seats was also heavily corroded around the seatbelt brackets. Holes right through. I very much doubt it would have held up in a collision.

New metal above and below from YRM will sandwich the existing panels much in the same way I did for the wheel arch repair on rear tub.

I'm tempted to grind off the welds on the old cross member replacement as I should get a good look down the frame rails. Will tell me if the chassis can be saved.

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Bit more progress

LHS outrigger removed and ground down. I found shiny metal!

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Body around seatbelt bracket and strike plate support cut out.

 

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The thin plate that holds the two captive bolts for the strike plate support bracket is a guaranteed corrosion point. I would be very surprised if all but the newest defenders didn't have holes through the body around both these brackets (apart from the intentional ones)

Used an oscillating blade to get the awkward cuts.

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Can't help but despair a little at some of the defenders designed choices. A rubber gasket would have prevented the worst of the corrosion around the brackets. To make things more interesting, the filler surround has to be removed to get at the driver's side bracket. Its corroded too so no real loss.

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Bit more cutting once heavy pitting found on reverse side.

Underbody sealer is a right b*tch to get off. I'll be washing the area down with cheap white spirit before sanding / blasting. Then acetone before etch primer.

Still waiting on the beam trolley to arrive for the gantry so I can get the body lifted.

Some advice needed

The flange on the bottom of the side panels where the skirts are bolted on has also heavily corroded.

Can you buy repair angles?

I think cutting them off and doing away with the skirts would reduce the rigidity of the panel.

I have seen some people use high rock sliders in place if the skirts. Maybe an option.

The skirts are also heavily corroded. Many of the mounts that bolt to the sills have corroded away.

I think once I start poking away not much solid metal will be left.

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Edited by PolarBlair
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