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Paime's 90 TD5 Chassis Swap


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I would say thats not bad the crux of the matter here is how flat is your floor the only way I would see you getting a totally accurate measure would be to construct a temporary frame that is flat  and checked with spirit level / laser level I know my own garage floor looks flat but is far from it for example my bender is on a stand that has no wobble where its at but if I move it to a different part of the garage it wobbles therefore my floor is not flat People talk about chassis flex at the end of the day that is a long heavy piece of steel it may simply be following the contours of your floor it would only take one of your axle stands to be up or down .5 mm for that to equate to a couple of mm's at the other end regards Stephen

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37 minutes ago, Stellaghost said:

I would say thats not bad the crux of the matter here is how flat is your floor the only way I would see you getting a totally accurate measure would be to construct a temporary frame that is flat  and checked with spirit level / laser level I know my own garage floor looks flat but is far from it for example my bender is on a stand that has no wobble where its at but if I move it to a different part of the garage it wobbles therefore my floor is not flat People talk about chassis flex at the end of the day that is a long heavy piece of steel it may simply be following the contours of your floor it would only take one of your axle stands to be up or down .5 mm for that to equate to a couple of mm's at the other end regards Stephen

To rule out that possibility, support the front dumbirons on stands and the middle of the rear cross member, and then measure the inclination of each cross member.  Three points of support, symmetrically arranged, will allow the chassis to sit how is natural.

 

I can see the twist in the photo, but it could be an illusion.  Checking is essential.  
 

I have an inclinometer app on my old iPhone 3.  With the casing removed, that should be a good indicator.  Failing that, a long spirit level and shims under the low end of the level to get a reference at one end and then working back, seeing if there is any difference in the shims, would also work, and negates and floor imperfection in the measurement.  Just be sure to use the level the same way around, as many are not made perfectly balanced.

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I'm going to get busy with a total station and set of ball prisms next week as not only is my floor squint but my axle stands aren't the same height either. If I look down the length of the chassis all cross members visibly line up quite well but only a TS will tell me properly.

A bigger concern right now is the etch weld primer I'm using from Bilt Hamber as its quite easy to scratch it with your nail and it comes away. I've emailed them to see if this is normal as I would've thought there would be better adhesion.

 

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Did you not T-Wash the chassis first, I think you were originally against the idea saying you were going to leave it bare but as you are now priming it obviously you must be painting it after all?

I used Frosts Etch Primer (spray & brush) after T-Washing, left for at least 24Hrs before applying the top coat I found it totally resistant to scratches or chipping. Paint finish was done with Frosts Extreme Chassis Black (Satin), lovely finish and it seemed almost a pity to then cover it with Black Waxoyl!

And yes, degreasing is very important. I know when I started to use the T-Wash I experimented on some galvanised brackets and you could see how the T-Wash just didn't work on the areas not thoroughly degreased. Bought myself a 5L ting of panel wipe and it did the job perfectly, in fact I still have half a tin left.

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No T-Wash as the BH etch weld is compatible with galv steel. I've been out tonight and had a good scrape about and can't get any paint to come off so i think i'm in a good position now. Still going to leave it a couple more days before i start the top coat just to be sure though. Axles are due back on Friday from the painters so i'm hoping i'll have a productive weekend.

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Just about to start the top coat of epoxy but before i get going i thought i'd produce a quick point cloud of the chassis as it stands. I can't seem to get bbcode or iframe embeds to work in the forum but a link to the point cloud is here in case anyone is interested: https://skfb.ly/6V8Eu . It's acurate to about 10mm and i've turned on the download option should anyone need it. 

 

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After 2 and a bit coats of etch primer and the same again of black epoxy from Bilt Hamber i think i'm finally done with chassis painting. Quite difficult to get into all the crevices with a paint brush but i don't have a compressor so couldn't spray it on. I've got some cavity wax arriving tomorrow so this weekend will be spent spraying the internals and then i hope never to see a tin of paint ever again. The axles are also making their way through the paint shop and got this pic from the blasters this morning. Looks like someone has tried to stop a weeping diff gasket in the past with some gunk and i'm glad it won't be my job to remove it!

 

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Got to bolt some bits on today - the first time my ratchet has been on the tighten setting in quite some time! Also started the cavity waxing with Bilt Hamber Dynax. They give you a 60cm lance which does a great job of getting coverage. It was quite thin when it came out but then i did have the cans in some hot water to make it easier to apply before hand. I'll see how it sets over the next few days. My garage floor was caught in the crossfire a bit unfortunately but its a small price to pay.

Also started to build one of the swivels for fun (I'm so rock n roll) and dry fitted the Britpart gaiter set. Has anyone used these before? I'm not sure how its going to work when the wheel is on full lock but maybe it'll be fine once the two half's are bonded together. I'm also going to get new bearings before I properly fit everything as the Britpart ones feel extremely shoddy.

Also, does anyone know how these hex rivet things work? The fuel filter housing bolts on here but the chassis is enclosed so I won't be able to get a nut on the back.

 

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25 minutes ago, Snagger said:

I used that gaiter set on my RRC.  It holds fine once bonded.  Just be patient and thorough with the bonding - any small gaps will not only allow water ingress, but will also be the start of future tearing open.

How has it behaved so far? Any noticeable grime and water being trapped against the swivel or is it doing its job?

 

31 minutes ago, steve200TDi said:

I guess you fit a hex shaped rivnut in to those hex shaped holes?

Something like this:

https://www.rivetsonline.com/steel-rivet-nuts-threaded-inserts/half-hex-body-large-flange-steel-rivet-nuts

But that's an american website!

Steve

I think those are the very things I'm after. I'll do some googling and see if i can find a UK supplier.

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The car has been laid up for the last few years and I can’t take a look, but for the few years it was driving with the gaiters fitted, they were fine.  No leaks (I have 1-shot grease in those swivels), and only a little road grime on the outside.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Its been a few weeks since I've managed to get anything done due to work but I managed to get the rear axle on today and hopefully I'll get the front one on tomorrow. Quick question - does anyone have a diagram showing where the brake lines run? I'm going to replace all the flexi hoses and run copper in place of the steel lines so was hoping to do that on the new chassis before its too difficult. 

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Don't forget that you have to drill the chassis for the brake-pipe & fuel-line clips. Certainly with the brake-lines it is easier to bend the pipes and then drill the hole where it is required rather than trying to bend the pipe to fit the clips (I used an Automech kit & brake-pipe bending tool, makes a neat job). When you have drilled the holes you want to etch prime, paint & treat before fitting the clips so it is easier to bend the pipes & dry-fit them before painting the chassis.

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4 hours ago, Litch said:

Don't forget that you have to drill the chassis for the brake-pipe & fuel-line clips. Certainly with the brake-lines it is easier to bend the pipes and then drill the hole where it is required rather than trying to bend the pipe to fit the clips (I used an Automech kit & brake-pipe bending tool, makes a neat job). When you have drilled the holes you want to etch prime, paint & treat before fitting the clips so it is easier to bend the pipes & dry-fit them before painting the chassis.

Hmmm, I may have not done this and my chassis is all nicely primed and painted now. Are there stick-on pipe clips you can get to save drilling?

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