Land Rover repairs

[Endacy]

My Land Rover has stood idle for around 9 months now following buying a house, and an Audi which became my main, reliable, warm, comfy, fast, car. The time has come to get the Land ROver back on the road but it needs lots of work, so I thought i'd post some of the work here! It mainly needs new footwells due to the previous owner making them with pop rivets and sealant (which equals water traps, and rot). The wings have had to come off for this, while I was there I thought i'd repair the front panel...and so it goes on.

Firstly then some wing repairs, two parts had been repaired with steel, which on an aluminium wing is stupid so I replaced those section with ali. However one bit was steel from the factory and had rotted the panel out so I thought i'd copy it in ali sheet and fit it to stop it getting worse. I have never worked with thin sheet like this before so I didn't really know what I was doing. I got the 500x250x1mm sheet for £5ish inc postage off ebay.

I removed the old piece of steel, flattened it to make a temlate, copied it in ali, then bent and fitted it with pop rivets.

 

[Endacy]

Today I completed the repairs to the front panel:

Here is the old panel with rotted bottom bit, the 'new' one which appeared to only have surface rust, but when I removed the strengthening piece it revealed lots of deep pitted rust spots. Fearing it would fall apart when shot blasted, I decided to repair the 'new' one.

 

[Endacy]

I cut out the bottom of the panel using a 1mm cutting disc. I am using 35mm angle to replace it. I bought this from B&Q because it's local, easy and was a really nice square with a sharp corner, some angle has a rather poor shape i've found. You can see the old piece removed and new piece next to it. The ready for tacking together.

Oh and my 0.6mm wire needed some taking off as it had rust spots, after removing this much the reel didn't seem to have gone down at all!

 

[Endacy]

And the result, welded and ground down, I also wleded up a few holes, insluding a 1" hole which was on the bottom left as you look at it, don't know what it was for but it wasn't meant to be there! I'll drill new numberplate holes when the number plate goes on.

 

[paulmowers]

Nice work, I used to do a fair bit of work on them, 11A's were may favourite, steel seemed better (chassis obviously), although the bulk was ser 111's. Fitted many an outrigger and rear crossmembers (bumper), the only bit i detested was the shaped crossmember above the rear axle.
Good luck with it.

Paul

 

[side-show-bob]

Hi Matey

Looks good I have a 2a which once the yard and garage is sorted is going to get some TLC.

Where abouts in Kent are you from? There is an engineering firm in Tonbridge who used to let you raid their scrap metal bin for a charity donation, i have in the past used it to get materials to fix up some old VW..

 

[Endacy]

I'll resurret this thread! I've only just started working on this again due to being too snowy / busy. The drivers footwell has been cut out and rebuilt using 1.2mm steel sheet. First time i've worked with sheet steel, all a bit new really, welds aren't pretty but are strong and do the job!

Here is the old footwell, multiple layers of steel all collecting water and rusting through.

 

[Endacy]

And new steel, I am pleased with the end result, just need lots of other new bits now, the clutch pedal box itself has rotted...

 

[naughtyboy]

nice work just finished putting new chassis on my 110.
welded up bulkhead and other bits that were needed but more or less body went back on as was due to each dent and scratch beingpart of our story together.
had to do full rewire down to burnt wiring inside chassis and all the bodges from preious owners.
but being a vehicle electrician helped here.
got my eyes on a s3 thats been parked at back of an house nr me for 10yrs i know of.

but guy who owns it says its a classic and worth at least15k.
apparently took it off rd when it failed mot on rust.

 

[cjbp]

but guy who owns it says its a classic and worth at least15k.
apparently took it off rd when it failed mot on rust.

I think he needs to lay off the crack pipe.

I'm doing the same thing to my series 1 at the moment, only I opted for the ready made panels as they save a bit of time.

Do you know of anyone who makes repair panels for the front panel? I have a steel one which I've replaced with ally but would like to make an attempt at repairing the steel one, as a project and also to sell on after to reclaim the cost!

Problem is that its a rolled edge so the only option I can see is to break out dollys.

What engine is it running?

 

[Endacy]

**********

This had a new chassis about 5 years ago, the footwells were only bit I left pretty much. I agree with leaving the dents. I'm painting this but there is only so much missing paint you can stand.

I had my eye on a LWB near me once, I at least wanted some parts off of it, it was in someone front garden and never moved - just sank gently into the soft ground. The owner said he was repairing it, and showed me the front crank bolt which he said he couldn't get off (can't remember what he was trying to repair). He tried to take the bolt off about 10 years ago, couldn't, left it.

I think he eventually died and it got scrapped.

cjbp

I was going to use ready made panels, but couldn't really afford them, this was half the price by buying steel, and it's thicker. And i've got loads left over! I bought two 4'x2' sheets of 1.2mm, and only partly used one of them.

I've not seen front panel repair panels. Shouldn't be too hard. The rolled edge on straight bits could be made from sheet folded first then welded in as I did with the angle iron. The rolled edge on the corners could be made with thin strips of steel bent around a piece of tube then welded on separately.

The engine is a 2.25 petrol, 8.8:1 compression ratio head (specially machined for me), ported, 3 angle valve seats, twin choke weber carb, LPG conversion.

 

[Robotstar5]

The owner said he was repairing it, and showed me the front crank bolt which he said he couldn't get off (can't remember what he was trying to repair). He tried to take the bolt off about 10 years ago, couldn't, left it.

I was shown how to loosen the crank bolt many years ago - socket and breaker bar over nut with bar wedged against chassis rail then flick the starter motor!

 

[Endacy]

That is one way, sounds slightly dodgy, i've never failed with a large stilsons wrench or a stout adjustable and a hammer to shock it loose.

 

[Robotstar5]

That is one way, sounds slightly dodgy, i've never failed with a large stilsons wrench or a stout adjustable and a hammer to shock it loose.

OK, safety note - put a strap round bar and chassis

I'm having trouble shifting the nut holding the fan onto the viscous unit on a V8 at the moment, any suggestions?

 

[Endacy]

Is it a large bolt and if you just turn it slowly does the unit turn too, is that the issue? I've not seen one of these before not having a V8, sadly.

 

[Robotstar5]

Is it a large bolt and if you just turn it slowly does the unit turn too, is that the issue? I've not seen one of these before not having a V8, sadly.

The problem is stopping the drive pulley turning while undoing the nut, tightened the belt to near breaking point but still slips (not even sure if it's a R/H thread!).
Your previous post about stilsons gave me an idea though, I'll borrow some large (48") ones from work to grip the pulley when the weather gets warmer.

 

[Endacy]

Understand. Yup i'd suggest stilsons on the pulley, that's how I get alternator pulley securing nuts off. Be careful as on pressed steel pulleys they can get distorted someimes. I assume you tried the spanner-on-the-nut-hit-it-with-a-hammer method to shock it loose?

Or try a strap wrench. Or a rope and metal bar? Wrap the rope around the pulley and tie it to a bar making a strap wrench type affair, I just made that up, so it might not work...

 

[Robotstar5]

Tried the shock tactics, might try the rope / strap approach maybe a spanish windlass (a trick my father showed me many years ago!)

 

[naughtyboy]

endacy
our lass as just said if i get garden done and second shed built, get my stuff from out house into shed and convert outhouse into cloakroom ( with 6 kids need somewhere other than hall for all junk ) then i can have another series as project.

had to sell my s3 army amby that i had converted into camper when made redundant couple of years ago and missed it ever since.
scratch built bulkhead for that and quite a bit of other bits were rotten.

 

[weldingscotty803]

Tried the shock tactics, might try the rope / strap approach maybe a spanish windlass (a trick my father showed me many years ago!)

you tried an impact wrench?