Chassis leg, replace all or part?

[Chris Clarke]

gods no ,,, thats the worst thing you can ever do
google ACF50 ,,, I give a three year warranty on land rover chassis repairs , I can only do that because I usse acf50 ,,,, never never never use wax

I normally use Cortanin F where rust has been previously, and then either paint or wax depending on where the repair is... has seemd to do the trick so far... but will have a look at ACF50 for sure

 

[tom2207]

I normally use Cortanin F where rust has been previously, and then either paint or wax depending on where the repair is... has seemd to do the trick so far... but will have a look at ACF50 for sure

I see more things ruined by wax , [ waxol ] than I do cured by it .... and it causes grief if you have to go back again in the future .

 

[Chris Clarke]

Replace the section back to the forward-most keyhole in the pics (that keyhole has been ravaged and is ripped - maybe bc its weak or maybe bc it's been brutalised but leaving it as is won't look good on a finished repair). Mark on the inner wheel arch the position where the double skin ends - that gives you alignment reference for the new part.
Structurally you don't need to puddle weld flitch plates inside the remaining U section but if you think it might help alignment of the new section do it (if it was a separate chassis then it's mandatory to have flitch plates, but this is just a U section welded to the floor).
At the forwards end of the leg are you joining the donor part forwards of where the double skin ends? That would be simplest

Spot on thanks... the keyhole has been brutalised as it's the mounting for the fuel pump which would not come apart, strange way to fix it in my opinion a 'normal' nut and bolt would be better... it is just U section spot welded to the floor yes, I do fancy the idea of a flitch to match the panels in - what harm can it do??
And yes, joining past the double skin all the way up to the back of the rear floor - thanks agian for your input.

 

[Chris Clarke]

Personally I'd weld up a little jig to locate that top bolt hole so you get it back perfect.

Probably doesn't need saying...but the factory joint needs disassembling (peel off the top layer)...than should then allow you to plug weld in the repair....assuming it's a factory lap of course.

It's a reinforcement panel over the top of the chassis leg, all will be replaced (donor part) one way or another, I think that's what causes the problems in this location.

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

Also just to clarify, when I said fill with wax I meant something like Dinitrol cavity wax...not waxoyl!!!

 

[Chris Clarke]

Rest assured, whatever you do, it will be better than the last 3 years it was on the road. Geometrically, the axle bracket is the only thing that needs to go back with any sort of accuracy.

Nice to see someone else keeping Cavaliers alive. I'm assuming hatchback from the rear valance, but what body style is it?

I used to run this one at uni, it looked quite smart when it still had all the paint on the bonnet and the full calibre kit. My dad still has 4 and runs one as a daily.

View attachment 521488

It's a cabrio and if I'm honest it was a toss up to keep it alive or let it go... for sure I chose the most expensive / hardest option... once I've done all of the welding (and there's plenty of it !!) then it needs a new roof, then the mechanicals... but at least once it's done I won't have any nasty surprises in the near future... quite looking forward to getting it there now but it won't be a quick one that's for sure.... I've stripped it right back to the bodyshell and will build back up from there once the body is right.

 

[Chris Clarke]

At least pretty strong till next year if you drive it in the rain

Yeah, we weren't very good at designing rust proof cars back in the 80's - lots of extra treatments and coverings available these days that I shall be making the most of that's for sure

 

[Chris Clarke]

If the "leg" is good change as much as you can, cut the old leg off leaving the flange behind which will make it easier to remove after, get as many spot welds from above and dont bother using spot weld drills as your not saving the old flange
The downside is its mostly lying on your back so good eye protection required, and as mentioned above you may also need to put the axle beam back on to make sure everything lines up before welding the replacement leg on
Looks like you could get 2 lengths of leg depending on repairs required which is where that joint is i guess
View attachment 521493

I bought a rotisserrie so car is rolled over on its' side, much better and in my opinion well worth the £500... not sure what the 2 leg length options are, there's a reinforcement and a chassis leg but they don't really look like that's the options in the picture... panels almost impossible to buy now though anyway, hence the donor car.

 

[Chris Clarke]

Also just to clarify, when I said fill with wax I meant something like Dinitrol cavity wax...not waxoyl!!!

How about something like lanoguard? Any experience of that sort of thing?

 

[tom2207]

How about something like lanoguard? Any experience of that sort of thing?

Ive a friend swears by it ,,,, he keeps it beside his betamax tapes ,,,

Dinatrol seem to turn out good stuff , so do kent ,,, their brown stuff seems ok ,,,
I use what I know works , so I stick with ACF but then again I use it for a lot of things

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

How about something like lanoguard? Any experience of that sort of thing?

Not used it but had a quick look and looks similar...there's quite a lot of choice out there I think. With Dinitrol chassis wax I stick the can in warm water...can also warm the panel with a heat gun too.

 

[Blobber]

There still a bit about for them, if you need Vauxhall/Opel part numbers give me a shout, don't think I've any panels left apart from the front slam panel with headlamp mountings and the lower valence, I may have a rear panel but would have to check

 

[Chris Clarke]

There still a bit about for them, if you need Vauxhall/Opel part numbers give me a shout, don't think I've any panels left apart from the front slam panel with headlamp mountings and the lower valence, I may have a rear panel but would have to check

Thanks, there's a few bits about but I have a whole other donor car so remains to be seen what I might need... but thank you

 

[jo1010]

Spot on thanks... I do fancy the idea of a flitch to match the panels in - what harm can it do??.....

No harm at all... but a flitch plate on what is probably a 50mm deep U section is a bit fiddly to do, and the top of the U section is closed off by the rigidity of floor section, so I wouldn't think it structurally necessary. As I say if you want to do it it's fine. (But I'd normally use flitches on a vehicle with a 6 or 8 inch deep chassis section that doesn't have any other means of support, rather than on a monocoque body where the stresses are very different)
The big advantage of a support plate though as said is that if the cuts are a few mm off it doesn't matter too much

 

[Smallfry]

How about something like lanoguard? Any experience of that sort of thing?

Absolutely not. Lanolin stuff is a waste of time. I had test pieces in the garden, and it doesn't last long, probably even less so on a vehicle used on the road.