The paint looks quite glossy while it's wet but it dries flat.
First repair job was the front of the chassis rail, I cut the square cap from the front of the rail, removed the dirt and debris, wire brushed the inside and splashed some rust converter around inside. Followed by welding a new square piece of steel on the front.
Bulkhead outriggers were next, passenger side was repairable so I chopped out the swiss cheese sections and the angle brace. Cut new steel, welded in, then linished back to smooth. I used a piece of 30x30 angle iron to replace the brace. The original was a piece of folded steel, so I smoothed the sharp angle off the new piece for the original look.
Drivers side outrigger was beyond help, so I took some reference measurements and cut it off. You can buy replacements but as it's a pretty basic piece of fabrication I made my own. I cut the square blocks off the original and welded them to the new one, so it looks authentic.
I have only tacked it to the chassis, I'll fully weld it once the bulkhead has been fitted, just incase there are alignment issues. Although given the variations from side to side on the chassis, I guess you could drive a truck through Land Rover's tolerances, so it should be fine.
Next was the rear cross member, the most common area of a Land Rover chassis for rust to inhabit. I considered patching it, but it looks way too rusty on the inside, and it's made of all sorts of intricate folds so would be hard to replicate the parts. So I wanted to remove the cross member without disturbing the chassis rail ends (which also need repairing) so that I can measure their original length to re-create them. Before cutting, I made a jig so that a new cross member can be fitted in the exact same place.
Took a lot of perseverance with the angle grinder, but I got it off without cutting through the chassis rails, well what was left of them. I then made a cardboard template to give the shape and length of the ends of the rails. Then they were cut back flush with the spring hangers. The reason I'm doing this, is so that I can use a new crossmember without the extension rails, as the type with extension rails make the repair really obvious as it slips over the existing chassis. This way my repair can be more or less hidden.
Chassis work is on hold now until I can get my hands on a new crossmember. Still unsure whether I will buy one locally or from the UK. Still need to figure out what is cheaper.
While all this chassis work has been going on, my order from LRdirect.com arrived with all the parts to start assembling the rear axle.
'Distance Pieces' shrunk onto the stub axles using an induction heater.
Diff centre fitted with new gasket. Pinion seal and mud slinger also replaced. I need to wait until the axle is back under the chassis with some weight on the wheels, so I can torque up the pinion nut.
Then assembled and fitted the hubs and brake backing plates. I haven't set the hub end float, as they may need to come back off to fit the brakes, but it's good to have it all together loosely, just so the parts are all accounted for.
