letsgetdirty Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 Hi all,hope all are well....im getting ready to paint my defender and im getting increasingly niggled by the bulkhead, the top corner steering wheel side is corroded up to the first hinge on the vent flap, i have heard of repair kits?? and i know im worried at how hard it would be to replace myself , ive fitted wings bumpers doors etc and do most of the mechanical jobs myself, if a little slower than others ,but is it worth a go?? or repair?? or sit down for a quote for someone else to do it which im guessing would be a large amount of money, i know ive a nasty feeling id better start saving, and her indoors wants a holiday , please advise fellas..........kind regards to all tris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 to do it properly, the door/hinges/windscreen/headliner/wipers have to come off, a friend & myself did mine over Easter 07, wasn't as bad as I thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disco tony Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 to do it properly, the door/hinges/windscreen/headliner/wipers have to come off, a friend & myself did mine over Easter 07, wasn't as bad as I thought. this refers to the repair patches I take it Ralph? to replace the bulkhead means removing brake servo etc. and what about the wiring loom? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
letsgetdirty Posted May 13, 2008 Author Share Posted May 13, 2008 to do it properly, the door/hinges/windscreen/headliner/wipers have to come off, a friend & myself did mine over Easter 07, wasn't as bad as I thought. hi western,that sounds simple,once you had undone that lot do you remember what else there was roughly?? nut bolts?? i know i had visions of bonnet wings etc coming off to do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdF Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 I've changed two bulkheads on 90's and on a S3 and you have to remove virtually all the front end.. Look at everything that bolts on to or goes through the bulkhead, it's all got to come off. The doors, wings (inner and outer) floor plates and gearbox tunnel, windscreen, pedals, roof - bolts out at least, wipers, linkage and motor, manual aircon (vents), the sill ends (best fully removed, IMHO) the loom has to be totally disconnected from the dash and fed out, all the dash removed, heater, fuse board, brake and clutch cylinders and pipes, etc.. It's not particularly difficult but very time-consuming. Getting the floor bolts out can take time depending on rustiness. I labelled all the wiring loom connectors and took digital photos of everything complicated before it was stripped out. You may find other little jobs that need doing when it's all stripped out.. First, find your bulkhead, though there have been new ones advertised (Craddocks?) in the last few months. I used stainless bolts and big self tappers for the floor when rebuilding. Get caravan strip mastic to seal them back in, cheaper than LR stuff. Screwfix cheap for the stainless bolts. Easier than trying to put rusty ones back in and if you need to get them out again, no sweat. The last bulkhead I bought was found near the M25, and I live near Inverness, and I collected it...! Beware bulkheads offered by breakers, I was offered ones rustier than the one I was taking off! Be thorough and allow plenty of time. Don't forget that the new one will undoubtedly be either in primer or another colour so you'll need to get it sprayed.. Still keen?? Helpful if it's not your only vehicle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike4444244 Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 Hi depends how bad yours is, changing a bulkhead is dead easy, I have done a couple now and its a nut and bolt job, the only thing to watch out for is that if you choose to do it the 'leave everything attached' way its pretty heavy and you'll need a couple of mates over to help, it is much faster to do it that way though. My bulkhead on the defender was made MOTable with a quick repair patch and used for another year while I sourced a replacement one and took my time blasting/welding/modifying and painting it so when it came time to swap it took me and my wife a day to do it, not working particularly hard, depends how confident you are mechanically? Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
letsgetdirty Posted May 14, 2008 Author Share Posted May 14, 2008 Thanks for that guys,it seems daunting now,i dont know many peaople as im not long in this area,i moved from inverness to the midlands,so i think a repair i can manage and bluff it so it looks presentable,then later this year i will change it for a new one,in the mean time if anybody does one in or around the mids id love to lend a hand and get some pointers,...thanks again fellas thats really helped!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 this refers to the repair patches I take it Ralph?to replace the bulkhead means removing brake servo etc. and what about the wiring loom? We did the 2 top outer corners & along to the dash vent outer hinge & down to just above front wing skin level, screen came off as did the dorrs to allow us to fold/make end plates above/behind the top door hinge & screen base. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 hi western,that sounds simple,once you had undone that lot do you remember what else there was roughly?? nut bolts?? i know i had visions of bonnet wings etc coming off to do it. bonnet/wings stayed in place, front doors off 4 bolts each, front screen off the 2 large screen hinges from inside 4 bolts per side, top of screen to roof 5 bolts/nut plates & headliner front section for access to roof/screen top bolts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
letsgetdirty Posted May 14, 2008 Author Share Posted May 14, 2008 bonnet/wings stayed in place, front doors off 4 bolts each, front screen off the 2 large screen hinges from inside 4 bolts per side, top of screen to roof 5 bolts/nut plates & headliner front section for access to roof/screen top bolts. okay that sounds easier than removing the front end,a lot easier,so doors, screen and dash, loom and whatever else is connected to the bulkhead or runs through it, i wish it was rotten somewhere else!!! apart from the chassis that is!! had some good detailed replys that have been really helpful, going to start looking for a bulkhead soon, but the fibre glass is coming out for a while first Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 if you take the dash loom out make sure you ident each end of each connection, it will make refitting much easier & quicker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coastcard Posted May 15, 2008 Share Posted May 15, 2008 Only point I would add here is that although it may look like a small area now, once you have the windscreen out and start cutting the rusty bits away, you may find you do need to take the wing off. I repaired my top corners and wanted to to a 'proper job' and working alone it took ages. Certainly time wise I don't think it make a lot of difference repair vs. replace. So if not your daily driver, my vote - replace with a new one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eightpot Posted May 15, 2008 Share Posted May 15, 2008 Didn't remove the wings when I did mine - in fact I would recommend leaving them on as it will make it easier to line everything up afterwards. Did the swap on my own over two days. When you list down all the things you have to remove it looks a daunting task, but it's just nuts and bolts. When you undo things like peddle box, heater and other gubbins on the engine side, just use zip ties, string, bungees to hold stuff back, no need to completey remove. Take measurements before you remove any bodywork or the bulkhead - measure to the millimeter how wide the door apertures are both sides, top middle and bottom. This will help enourmously when you fit the new bulkhead and try and get the doors and roof lined up. Park with your wheels straight ahead so when you reassemble the steering column it all goes back lined up. Buy a few of those captive nut things that the door hing bolts screw into on the bulkhead - the little buggers drop inside the bulkhead fairly easily and can snap if they're rusty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
letsgetdirty Posted May 15, 2008 Author Share Posted May 15, 2008 okay think ive got all that,its a k reg so theres bound to be nastys further down the repair,so it will be a proper job when i do it,ill use masking tape any wires etc i have to disconnect,i can write on the tape numbers.....im not looking forward to it, be difficult doing it on a small driveway to!! but i think with a bit of planning i will manage all this,there is a a hole or two in the inner wing so i could replace that while im there i think........its a good job its a landrover...that means theres plenty of people replaced bulkheads...cheers all!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted May 15, 2008 Share Posted May 15, 2008 there is a a hole or two in the inner wing 90/110's have galvanised inner wings, so they should be corrosion hole free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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