Some welding advice

[BrianH]

Hi everyone,

I spoke in another post about taking my Land Rover off the road so that I could pay some attension to some corrosion problems that are cropping up. Since then I've had the rear bumper and the tow bar off so that I could get a better look and I've found that the two rear body mountings near each side of the rear cross member are badly corroded, and basically the entire metalwork which connects both rear bodymountings and travels in parallel to the rear crossmember (slightly behind it) is completely shafted.
I could patch it all over the place and then face the same misery a couple of years down the line so I've decided the whole lot has got to come out. This involves cutting where the seams are each side of the Land Rover and taking the bad metal away in it's entirety!!!

Now, my question is regarding parts. I presume you can't buy bodywork parts like that and I'm fully expecting that I'll have to fabricate something to go back in it's place. I'm hoping not to have to fabricate some body mountings but I guess it's do-able if I have to.

Is anyone aware of any replacement body parts in this area? It's prefferable to cut the rotten piece out and replace with a new ready made part, but I'm unsure if that's even an option. Cutting from a broken Land Rover probably isn't an option either because no doubt that one will be rusted as well!

If anyone has any advice they can offer with regard to replacement parts I'd appreciate that. Alernatively, if you've done this job before and had to fabricate parts yourself do you have any pictures you can send me? I'd welcome any ideas. Other than that I'm going to get cracking the end of this week. When I'm done I'm going to plaster the lot in underbody seal, and I've decided that I may as well replace the boot floor at the same time since I'm going to have to remove the fuel tank anyway. I'll plaster that too, I don't want to find my Land Rover in this mess again!!!

Advice appreciated, thanks all.

Brian

[redhand]

Hi everyone,

Is anyone aware of any replacement body parts in this area? It's prefferable to cut the rotten piece out and replace with a new ready made part, but I'm unsure if that's even an option. Cutting from a broken Land Rover probably isn't an option either because no doubt that one will be rusted as well!



Advice appreciated, thanks all.

Brian

I assume what you're talking about is the rear crossmember. If it is then yes it is available as a replacement part. As are the body mounting brackets

[BrianH]

No, not the rear cross-member. The chassis is fine. It's the metalwork which connects between the body mountings and is actually part of the bodywork itself. It's the whole bit of metal which sits underneath the rubber plate beneath the rear door.

I'm pleased to hear that the body mountings can be ordered as replacements. It'd be even nicer if I could order the entire assembly with the two body mountings attached. It would also help me understand where is best to cut with regard to getting the rotten part out!

Any further advice appreciated.

Brian

[redhand]

No, not the rear cross-member. The chassis is fine. It's the metalwork which connects between the body mountings and is actually part of the bodywork itself. It's the whole bit of metal which sits underneath the rubber plate beneath the rear door.

I'm pleased to hear that the body mountings can be ordered as replacements. It'd be even nicer if I could order the entire assembly with the two body mountings attached. It would also help me understand where is best to cut with regard to getting the rotten part out!

Any further advice appreciated.

Brian

Let me know if you have any luck as mine needs welding there as well. Might go down the same road if you have any luck with it.

[BrianH]

Ok will do. If you check out the pic I attached to my first post you can see exactly what I'm talking about. I've arrowed where I'm thinking about cutting, and I've drawn a big arrow going across, underneath which is the rotten area. If you look closely you can see some of the evidence, there's a rusty hole where some shiny metal should be. It gets worse when you get underneath and take a closer look!!!

Brian

[BrianH]

One thing I really can't understand, is why I didn't have an advisories on my last MOT. I'm sure all that corrosion didn't happen in a year!!!

Anyway keep the advice coming all, especially with regard to potential replacement parts.

Brian

[redhand]

One thing I really can't understand, is why I didn't have an advisories on my last MOT. I'm sure all that corrosion didn't happen in a year!!!

Anyway keep the advice coming all, especially with regard to potential replacement parts.

Brian

Don't get me started on Mot's mine passed 2 weeks before I bought it.

The chassis is rotten round the towbar mounting/lashing eye. Rear crossmember needs replacing, both inner sills are rotten, steering box is gushing PAS fluid. the O/S wiper arm mounting is knackered and flops about all over the place. the N/S headlight thinks it's a searchlight and points skywards and cant be adjusted. and that's only the stuff I've found so far.

The body doesn't count as structural so isn't part of the MOT but the mountings are.

[Rangienut]

The bit with the body mountings on is classed as rear crossmember, nothing to do with the chassis and is readily available from the likes of paddock.
http://www.paddockspares.com/pp/DISCOVERY_1/Body_and_Panels/Rear_Body_Crossmember.html

[Rangienut]

The body doesn't count as structural so isn't part of the MOT but the mountings are.
But if the corrosion is within 30cm of the seatbelt mountings it will fail.

[Rangienut]

Don't get me started on Mot's mine passed 2 weeks before I bought it.

The chassis is rotten round the towbar mounting/lashing eye. Rear crossmember needs replacing, both inner sills are rotten, steering box is gushing PAS fluid. the O/S wiper arm mounting is knackered and flops about all over the place. the N/S headlight thinks it's a searchlight and points skywards and cant be adjusted. and that's only the stuff I've found so far.
I'd take it to where it was tested and mention getting VOSA involved, see what they come up with.

[BrianH]

Excellent, thanks for that.

I need to clear up some misunderstanding here though. My understanding of the rear-cross member is the very rear end of the chassis. Are you saying this understanding is wrong, or that the body part I'm talking about is called a rear body cross member as well as the rear chassis being called a rear crossmember?

I checked out the web link you gave me. £114 sounds reasonable for the part I require, but unfortunately they don't show a picture. I'd like to see it first. I think a trip to my local Bearmach store is in order.

Brian

[Rangienut]

The rear body crossmember is generally just called the rear crossmember although I suppose the rear end of the chassis is in theory a crossmember as well, just to confuse matters.