First welding project - Rusty Disco

[Robotstar5]

Check out www.ncfblitz.co.uk for Disco based Sahara model

I'm working on building one of these



Work and weather are making it slow going, check out progress in my photo album.
Regards, Stuart

 

[Paul90]

Dodging the rain to do 110 plug welds . . .

Progress has been a bit stop go as the weather has been a bit umm, summer like.

Got all the floor crossmembers in and patched the rear body crossmember:

And then 110 holes to be be drilled, deburred, paint cleaned off both sides and plug welded.

I wasn't sure if I should just stitch it around the edge, plug weld as per original spot weld spacing or both. Given I'm new to welding I decided to do both in case some of the plug welds weren't 100%.

Having done some plug welds I put some blocks under the new floor panel and put a bottle jack under it to test them out. Let just say that floor panel isn't going anywhere in a hurry and I have a few new jacking points if I need them.

I'm getting to like this welding business, I'm going to have to find another project once this one is finished.

 

[Highway_Star]

You are doing a fine job, something we could all aspire to.

Personally I'd have pop riveted the new floor in, this is how it was was done on earlier Range Rover, and you never saw one with a rotten floor. Point of fact it's a fairly common way to repair a Rangie floor, get one from an old Rangie!

Makes getting at the tank etc in the future a lot easier too.

Mind you really need one of those Lazy Tongs riveters, otherwise your in for arm ache!

 

[Paul90]

Personally I'd have pop riveted the new floor in

I did think about pop rivets and/or bolts but as it's not original construction I was a bit concerned about future MOT's, etc. I'm sure some testers would be ok with it but after reading the rules (all thanks to this site) I thought it could be a fail. With it all computerised these days I didn't fancy trying to go somewhere else for an MOT when someone had already failed it for a pop rivited floor.

No doubt all my welding presents future rust traps but next time around I'm going to build one of those Sahara things posted above

 

[Robotstar5]

Personally I'd have pop riveted the new floor in, this is how it was was done on earlier Range Rover, and you never saw one with a rotten floor. Point of fact it's a fairly common way to repair a Rangie floor, get one from an old Rangie!

Yes it took a while to drill all the pop rivets out of mine, still got the floor behind the garage somewhere!

 

[Paul90]

It's been a while since I posted an update so just in case anyone is still interested.

I'm working on the sills now.
I debated buying replacement sills but in the end decided to cut out the rot and make up repair panels as required.

First pic with the rot cut out.

The repair panel I made for where the sill joins the front door pillar (I had to guess a bit as it had mostly rusted away).

The repair panel I made for the sill.

And after much clamping and tacking

 

[Robotstar5]

Nice bit of metal folding in the 3rd pic, looking at the 1st pic, are you going to Polybush the suspension?
Stuart

 

[Paul90]

are you going to Polybush the suspension?

Some of the bushes do look a bit iffy but nothing dangerous and nothing that failed the MoT. I've Polybushed most of my 90 at various points in the past and I expect the Disco will follow at some point but probabaly not for this year's MoT.

Some people seem to have had problems with Polybushes breaking up but I've not had that problem myself.

Re the 3rd pic. I was quite pleased with the way the sill turned out. Amazing what you can do with a couple of bits of angle, a vice and a few hammers after a bit of practice.

Paul

 

[whycanismellburning]

I don't know if you'd be interested paul but i found this guy on the net and he produces quite a lot of the pannels for about the same cost as the steel. I've just had an inner wing from him and i was very pleased. here's the link: http://www.yrm-metal-solutions.com/

 

[Paul90]

Umm, outer sill £19.75 + £10.24 P&P vs £30 (delivered) for an 8 foot x 4 foot sheet of steel.

Not a bad price though if you want to save time or can't bend the panels up yourself.

Some of the spring / chassis brackets look good, I think I'd struggle to make those up accurately at home.

Paul

 

[whycanismellburning]

Kinda my thoughts too!

 

[bobtail]

Have I overdone it cutting the rust out?

View attachment 3960

There's no cure for the green oval disease!

NO you missed a bit on the bulk head

As a Classic owner myself i have just found the joys of ferrous oxide

Thats how i came to find this website

As i do not have the money to pay someone else to do mine so

I am biting the bullet and trying to learn to WELD

so good luck

 

[Bobtail4x4]

and as soon as you finish welding and pack away, you spot another bit.

 

[MrFluffy]

Personally I'd have pop riveted the new floor in, this is how it was was done on earlier Range Rover, and you never saw one with a rotten floor. Point of fact it's a fairly common way to repair a Rangie floor, get one from an old Rangie!

I think thats because the rear floor section was made of ally
The well it pop rivetted in usually is lucky to be held on by a layer of mud, mine was that way...


A friend just bought a v8 disco, and he told me it was solid, so quick once round and hey ho, inner wings, sils, rear floor in loading area

Keep it up paul, you probably will have the worlds most solid disco in the end...

 

[NRS91]

nice project...
at least you have sills haha
or front wings come to think of it haha
thanks
Nick