Footwell

[trooper82]

Hi there

I am new to this forum and have spent a couple of days reading all the useful advice from all you experts. I have a question, some time ago Bobrick posted a query about replacing footwells and was given details of YRM, Can anyone tell me if the repair panels are welded in or old ones taken out and nuts bolts or self tappers used to fit them? my welding skills are basic, any advice greatfully received.

Many Thanks

Jim (sprog)

[western]

footwells are welded in to the bulkhead, cut the rottemn material out otherwise the new panels won't last very long.

[trooper82]

footwells are welded in to the bulkhead, cut the rottemn material out otherwise the new panels won't last very long.

Thanks Western, quick service

[Mo Murphy]

Welding skills required to fit them are basic too.

Mo

[dantd5]

footwells are welded in to the bulkhead, cut the rottemn material out otherwise the new panels won't last very long.

Mine are not welded!! I used bolts and nuts 13mm and some coal-tar-look alike putty to seal them. No water gushes in anymore..This is more because in case I will like/want to work with chasis I could easily get access! But why weld? Might be far ignorant but am I missing something here?

[Les Henson]

Repairs have to be like for like with the original. When a complete panel is replaced, then it can be fitted the same as the factory do - spot welds. If a panel has a weld repair done (a footwell may fall into that category), then it has to be seam welded. Theoretically, a bolted on footwell should fail the MOT as an insufficiently strong repair with 30cm of a critical point (the door pillar). I think you can get away with spot welding a footwell in - that is after all how they are fitted to the bulkhead from new.

If you repair a rusty hole in a panel, then the repair plate has to be seam welded all the way round if it's within the panel, but can be 3-sides seam welded if the 4th (being the panel edge), is then spot welded to another part of the vehicle structure - as sills are.

Example of a footwell repair that is done in accordance with MOT regs.

Les.

[dantd5]

My footwells doesn't look like this! it is rather different on the TD5 110 99 model. Thus no need to weld. Ralph had a drawing with the td5 model! That truck has seen many good old days!!

[western]

you've got a better memory than me Dan, I can't recall the drawing you've mentioned, maybe it's within a thread on here somewhere.

[phil c]

question? does the 30cm from the door pillar still get included on a lr ie regarding the fact that the shell is not a structual component of the vechicle ie shell is bolted onto structual chassis as opposed to the likes of a say car where the shell incorporates the chassis?

[Cat_J]

I was told by a LR engineer that the drivers side foot well has to be fixed properly (welding) but the passengers side is not structural and can be fixed however. I cut out the rust in my passenger side and just bent some metal to shape and riveted it in, good and strong. No more water ingress.

[Les Henson]

The body shell still has MOT requirements and is still regarded in the main as part of the whole vehicle structure. Sills, seat belt mounts, seat security, handbrake security, windscreen, wipers, washers, mirrors, door catches, body mounts, corrosion in various places - are all testable items. A rotten footwell should fail the MOT (30cm of the door pillar, 30cm of the bulkhead securing bolt) - but it rarely does.

Les.

[Cat_J]

This is the problem with the defender. I'm sure those things were designed to rust away, they must have been.

[Andrew Chua]

how did you get it to rot that much??!! ok, it's not a Td5, but still it a lot of rot in the footwell.

ok, let's be fair, the land rover collect a lot of water in the footwell if you do not check. Hence it's good to have the insulating mat on the floor and a set of floor mat tray to collect any water dripping down from the cowl vents to behind the bulk head and finally onto the floor.

If you wade the landie frequently, do lift up the mat and dry the floor when possible. usually it seems to rot from the inside out, where the floor board meets the bulkhead, it's a nice place for water to sit. (recalls driving a flintstone SIII where you can see the road thru the footwell when you drive)

check the seal around your transmission tunnel, it's another place where water gets in as well, so might be worth well to open up the tunnel cover and apply the silicon to it even after changing the seal.

finally, try to touch up surface rust as soon as you see them. it's a small job, but can save you heck a lot of time when you discovered that rust spreads faster than you can think. It's all common sense, but sure works well.

spend time trying to trace leaks, they save you money in the long run as leaking landie = wet carpets = wet belonging = irritated wife / girlfriend / boyfriend = bad smelling = RUST somewhere.

that aside, i've a nice a shiny floor board (on a 2002) and no rust at the bulkhead joints , covered by 3 layers of mat and i do the checking once a month for water.

[dantd5]

Andy I do support your thoughts very much. After I bought my td5 110 99 mod, I thought I was in a water sealed cabin until one day I noticed the dam in my car.

I did change all the useless screws Rand Lover had used and used a blakish coal tar stuff to seal all the corners. Currently I feel the difference. I still get some little traces of water and working hard to find the loopholes. It saves a lot of cash even though it is stressful. I was in Masai Mara for 2 years ago and the defender we sat in had man holes which gave me the creeps. Rusted to the chasis!!