Will F Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 Not having any experience in rebuilding or repairing Defender body parts, what would the advise be for the following? Patient: 110 d/cab Complaint: build up of body putty on the right rear wing - specificaly around the door striker area and around the filler cap - due to leaning against one to many tree and or lamp post. This has now started cracking rather badly. Option 1: replace complete rear tub Option 2: replace only the rear panel concerned. Problem with option 2 is that it is spot welded horizontaly along the rear floor pan. So, how do I fit the new 'skin' back. Are the slight indentations running the length of the rear wing the spot weld marks? Assistance from the gurus much appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 Option 3: Stop trying to stick putty to flexible aluminium and live with the added character / hammer it out if it's too bad and live with it. Option 4: Stop driving into things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maverik Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 Well I re placed the panel on my 90. It looks neat enough pop riveted back on I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgnas Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 A mate put his very shiny 90 in to hve the same panel replaced. The bodyshop did the same thing. Glue and rivets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 Not having any experience in rebuilding or repairing Defender body parts, what would the advise be for the following? Patient: 110 d/cab Complaint: build up of body putty on the right rear wing - specificaly around the door striker area and around the filler cap - due to leaning against one to many tree and or lamp post. This has now started cracking rather badly. Option 1: replace complete rear tub Option 2: replace only the rear panel concerned. Problem with option 2 is that it is spot welded horizontaly along the rear floor pan. So, how do I fit the new 'skin' back. Are the slight indentations running the length of the rear wing the spot weld marks? Assistance from the gurus much appreciated. Yes, the indentations are the spot welds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will F Posted January 19, 2011 Author Share Posted January 19, 2011 Very nice Maverick. How easy is it to remove the spot welds? Is it as simple as using a mini grinder at the welds and rivets? Do you have a pic of the finished job? I am just concerned that the rivets stand out a bit much. I am also wondering if using only a Sikaflex 11FC type product wouldn't suffice.. It will still be riveted onto the capping and at the two ends. Finally, which do you guys think will be easier - replacing the 110 tub or replacing the rear wing panel? thanks for all the responses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happyoldgit Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 Removing the complete tub is obviously do-able but a chore as is finding a decent replacement. Replacing the panel is also a chore but that's probably the option I'd go for. Rivets and spot-welds can be drilled out easily enough. As long as it's the right type Sikaflex is good stuff and will do the job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maverik Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 Very nice Maverick. How easy is it to remove the spot welds? Is it as simple as using a mini grinder at the welds and rivets? Do you have a pic of the finished job? I am just concerned that the rivets stand out a bit much. I am also wondering if using only a Sikaflex 11FC type product wouldn't suffice.. It will still be riveted onto the capping and at the two ends. Finally, which do you guys think will be easier - replacing the 110 tub or replacing the rear wing panel? thanks for all the responses. The spot welds where straight forward, get a nice fat grinding disk and locate them with the dimples and carfully grind it away until you see start to ping away from the plate on the other side. Just watch for the alu snagging the grinding disc. On my 90 there are actually I think 3 rivets as standard, I think they must be the holding rivets for the spot welding process. Unfortuatly I don't have any painted photo's as my truck is still awaiting its date with the spray booth. I thought about it, but then in the end just went for it, it can't detract that much. I'm sure I've seen some series trucks with fully rivited panels on the back... As regards removal of the tub... well if you have a replacemnt tub for cheep then... but they you have cost of spraying the whole thing and not just the panel... changeing the panel is relativly straight forward as long as you keep good reference points (verious ways of doing this) etc. Changing the tub will require less finess at it where. For me it was cheaper and easy for me to do the panel ratehr than the whole tub. I thought it was a challange so I went for it, well chuffed with the outcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo Murphy Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 You can also use a spot weld cutter to remove the welds. This a tiny hole saw with a sprung loaded point in the middle that goes in your drill. Centre punch each spot weld, locate the sprung point in the pip and press gently. Cut through the outer skin only and not through the flange underneath (you'll see the panel seperate). I use a nice thin paint scraper to separate any reluctant spots Repeat for all the spot welds and remove the panel. You'll be left with a plug of the skin panel where each spot weld was on the flange and you can now gently remove these with your grinder. HTH Mo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will F Posted January 19, 2011 Author Share Posted January 19, 2011 Cool tips thanks guys. I'm feeling rather gung-ho 'bout the whole project now. Think I'll do both sides - because now I know I can!...I think... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo Murphy Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 Tally ho ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 That's what I used when I rebuilt my tub (because some idiot had put filler in it and ruined it). Very good bit of kit. I rivetted the sides back on, no-one's noticed yet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RustyNissanPrairie Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 yep-as above, entire tub side panel on a 110 hardtop and the two rear light panels, drill out the welds with the spot weld cutter, remove the panel, clean the joining surfaces, apply Wurth summat or other body sealing /joining gooey stuff, apply rivets through the holes already in the new panels, paint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maverik Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 You can also use a spot weld cutter to remove the welds. This a tiny hole saw with a sprung loaded point in the middle that goes in your drill. Centre punch each spot weld, locate the sprung point in the pip and press gently. Cut through the outer skin only and not through the flange underneath (you'll see the panel seperate). I use a nice thin paint scraper to separate any reluctant spots Repeat for all the spot welds and remove the panel. You'll be left with a plug of the skin panel where each spot weld was on the flange and you can now gently remove these with your grinder. HTH Mo Oh man, I wish someone had told me about one of them things earlier!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darthdicky Posted February 26, 2018 Share Posted February 26, 2018 I know it was a while ago but can anyone remember what size spot weld cutter is needed for this? Looking at something like this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Laser-1780-Spot-Weld-Cutter/dp/B003AMQ3VK or this: https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/clarke-cht685-spot-weld-cutter-set/ Richard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted February 27, 2018 Share Posted February 27, 2018 I bought both sizes, covers all bases then: https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/cht467-38in-spot-weld-drill/ https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/cht468-516in-spot-weld-drill/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AV8R Posted February 27, 2018 Share Posted February 27, 2018 When you want to pop-rivet the new panels there's a trick to make it all flush. Make your rivets countersunk before you pull them and countersink the corresponding holes in the outerskin. The result will be near spotweld-like. To make the rivets countersunk I drilled a 3/16" hole in a solid piece of steel using a pillar drill. Next countersink said hole with a drill the size of the rivet head, just deep enough to accept the thckness off the rivet head. To reshape the rivets you will need a flush snapper with a hole in the center to accept the pop rivet's stem, hole about 1/16" diameter and deep enough to fully insert the stem. Insert rivet in steel block, place snapper on top, give a good tap with a hammer. One flush rivet made. Off course you only have to make one steel part and one snapper. With the same drill you used to countersink the steel, you can now countersink the new panel holes. Newly formed rivet will fit exactly and will give a more factory finish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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