This site saved my sanity

[RepairMyLandrover]

Here's How.

November 2009 I bought a Landrover Defender 110 from St Austell in Cornwall.
I travelled down by Train and the seller picked me up from the train station, on first glance the Landy seemed to be perfect and just what i was looking for.

It was hammering down with rain so I just had a quick poke about and saw nothing that worried me so I gave what the seller was asking for and set off on my merry way back to Dorset. All good and many months of happy Landy driving was had until MOT time cometh.

MOT time became D-Day for me because after haveing a pre-mot poke about to see what minor work needed doing I found myself in the most worrying and potentially wallet crippling situation that I have been in for sometime.

If you want to see the situation I found myself in then please take a look at this photo gallery of my August 2010 Weldathon http://www.repairmylandrover.co.uk/defender-repairguides/defender-write-off

I just wanted to say thanks to the owners of the MigWelding as it's sites like this that help empower people to attempt to work that is so far from their normal skillset. Without the help and assurance that this site gave me I almost definetely would not have my defender now as I would have had to pass it onto others more skilled people.

So once again thanks to MigWelding and may others get the help and inspiration that the discussions and How-To's on here offer.

Thanks for saving my Sanity.

 

[slimjim]

Well done, you did a nice job there

 

[madkayaker]

credit where credit is due that's a very good job! many would have thrown in the towel (me included) and walked away from that. now get lots of under seal on it and lots of waxol mixed with old gear oil inside the chassis!

 

[chunkolini]

A good report, it must be depressing to be part of an unfolding horror story like that.
I have a mate going through the same process.
We must promise not to laugh asa his tale of woe unfolds.
I admire people who get this stuff done.
Reminds why I promise myself 'I will never ever mess with old shagged vehicles'

Well done.

Chunko'.

 

[rtbcomp]

If you repaired that without fitting a new chassis you deserve a medal!

 

[drivewasher]

Thats BRILLIANT! WELL DOJNE! youv'e just spured me on to get stuck into my moggie van!
Time to stop thinking and get doing!

 

[drivewasher]

By the way WELCOME TO THE FORUM

 

[tigler]

Reminds why I promise myself 'I will never ever mess with old shagged vehicles'

Well done.

Chunko'.

And yet you bought that Pan though

 

[tigler]

I just wanted to say thanks to the owners of the MigWelding as it's sites like this that help empower people to attempt to work that is so far from their normal skillset. Without the help and assurance that this site gave me I almost definetely would not have my defender now as I would have had to pass it onto others more skilled people.

So once again thanks to MigWelding and may others get the help and inspiration that the discussions and How-To's on here offer.

Thanks for saving my Sanity.

Holy 8uggery mate, you deserve a medal for that, I would have just put a match to it !! If you're ever down my way drop in and claim a well earned pint or three !!

 

[Drains]

RML, well done, and I hope you sent the boys round to have a word with the shyster who sold you that lump of rusty hole.

 

[madkayaker]

i'd be contacting VOSA about the MOT station that passed it. no way that got that bad in 8 months

 

[Chickenjohn]

Good job! Have you painted the inside of the chassis as well? (Zinc weld thru spray etc) and sprayed wax inside, or it will rust out again soon.

 

[tigler]

Also a sad indictment of shocking Land Rover build quality !

 

[Robotstar5]

Also a sad indictment of shocking Land Rover build quality !

But once you've got "green ovalitis" you can't help it! we've got 3 at the moment

Footnote: Mrs Robo had a Vitara and I found the Japanese don't bother painting/protecting anything that can't be seen, had to get rid when the front wings rotted and over £300 for a pair was too much

 

[Engineer]

Used to do a lot of welding on Landrovers and it appeared as though the later ones had chassis members formed out of much thinner material, with extra skins added to increase strength is high load areas. Did plenty of outriggers and rear cross members on the earlier ones, but chassis was good in most cases. Later ones suffered from the same problems as the older ones, but in some cases major corrosion on the chassis itself also had to be dealt with.

 

[madkayaker]

the series 3 chassis i cut up and scraped yesterday had rotted all along the bottom and while a lot of it looked good once you could see the inside it was a very different story

 

[Rubber Duck]

Here's How.

November 2009 I bought a Landrover Defender 110 from St Austell in Cornwall.
I travelled down by Train and the seller picked me up from the train station, on first glance the Landy seemed to be perfect and just what i was looking for.

It was hammering down with rain so I just had a quick poke about and saw nothing that worried me so I gave what the seller was asking for and set off on my merry way back to Dorset. All good and many months of happy Landy driving was had until MOT time cometh.

MOT time became D-Day for me because after haveing a pre-mot poke about to see what minor work needed doing I found myself in the most worrying and potentially wallet crippling situation that I have been in for sometime.

If you want to see the situation I found myself in then please take a look at this photo gallery of my August 2010 Weldathon http://www.repairmylandrover.co.uk/defender-repairguides/defender-write-off

I just wanted to say thanks to the owners of the MigWelding as it's sites like this that help empower people to attempt to work that is so far from their normal skillset. Without the help and assurance that this site gave me I almost definetely would not have my defender now as I would have had to pass it onto others more skilled people.

So once again thanks to MigWelding and may others get the help and inspiration that the discussions and How-To's on here offer.

Thanks for saving my Sanity.

Hi dude, cool site. I've been filling in a few holes in my RRC but nothing quite on the scale as you've had.
Those are Maxxis Mudzilla tyres aren't they? Am thinking of getting some for the Rangie, how are they?

Where about's in Dorset are you I'm in Bovington.

Wecome to the forum by the way.

 

[the snooper]

i'd be contacting VOSA about the MOT station that passed it. no way that got that bad in 8 months

doubt they would be interested in an mot over six months old

 

[octo0072000]

mot

it used to say on the back of the old mots not to take that it meant the vehicle was roadworthy and that the it only was valid for a 24 hour period after the test sounds daft but can't remember the wording now

the last series 3 i repaired used a full 4 foot x 4 foot sheet of 3 mm went into that chassis and a rear cross member i made 4 out riggers one dumb iron for it vowed never again worked out to a full 48 hours of welding
an no a new chassis was out of price range as i bought a 88 and a 109 for £ 40 each from what was CEGB then did all that work then went and sold it
6 months later
but now running a disco with a bit of tin worm usual body not chassis the main point with welding lands is to get the back body off so you can get to the top of the rails a lot of series s used to break there back and sag in the middle they rot from the inside out so look ok till you get the body off
all good fun just keep the welder on hand it will need a bit more welding next year or two they all do 110s seem to rot more than the series though saw a R reg 110 ex military last very tidy 40000 miles back cross member rotten on that

 

[Ducati]

i'd be contacting VOSA about the MOT station that passed it. no way that got that bad in 8 months

If you go here:

http://motinfo.direct.gov.uk/internet/jsp/ECHID-Internet-History-Request.jsp

Type in your reg. no. don't put spaces it won't work, ie AD03ABC, not AD03 ABC.

Then either the test number from the VT20, or doc. reference number from your V5.

It is best to use the test number from your VT20 where possible, sometimes when using the V5 doc. reference number it won't work

You will then get all the previous MOT's

You will be able to see the mileage at each test, where it was tested, if it failed and what for, also any previous advisories which could be interesting in RepairMyLandrovers case

Re. contacting Vosa about the testing station, from memory you can only contact them and expect an examination regarding corrosion up to three months after the test, however it might be as well if RepairMyLandrover wrote to them including photo's of the chassis, which could not have corroded to that extent since its last MOT.

Vosa are always, quite rightly on the lookout for dodgy MOT stations and though just one vehicle slipping through can happen, there are still the absent vehicle MOT's being issued, hence sometimes a pattern has to emerge, as here:

http://www.motester.co.uk/TradeMagazines/MOTTestingMagazine/UKsBiggestMOTFraud.aspx

And here:

http://www.dft.gov.uk/vosa/newsande...03-11-10garageownerguiltyoffakingmottests.htm