Body panel alignment
- Thread starter Rorie
- Start date
This site contains affiliate links for which LandyZone may be compensated if you make a purchase.
Hicap phill
Well-Known Member
- Posts
- 16,337
- Location
- Wiltshire
Nice work. Have you changed the shim quantity on the outriggers form your old bulkhead?
Could try the following
Slacken the windscreen bracket on passenger side.
Slacken chassis/footwell bracket
See if you can push the top of bulkhead to the front. This may drop the roof down.
this may increase the door gap by the lock.
Good luck
Could try the following
Slacken the windscreen bracket on passenger side.
Slacken chassis/footwell bracket
See if you can push the top of bulkhead to the front. This may drop the roof down.
this may increase the door gap by the lock.
Good luck
- Posts
- 11,023
- Location
- North of the Wall
That's looking like a smart job.
You'd be extraordinarily lucky if you bolted parts in place, in sequence, to find that they fitted together perfectly. There's just too much tolerance and play between the parts, so you can't bolt one part in place on it's own. You have no, reliable, point of reference to know that it is in the right place. If one part is 1/4" out it can push the next part 3/8" out and over a couple of feet that can grow to an inch at the other end!
I'd take out the front floor plates. Take out the gearbox tunnel. Remove the inner sills. Or, at least, completely slacken off the adjuster joint. (I'd take them off though) Take the roof off and fit the roof seals (might have done this before slackening chassis to bulkhead bracket) put the roof back on. Put the bolts in and nip them up a bit by hand. Slacken the outrigger to bulkhead bolts. Everything should be slack and move-able. Now you push it around and nip nuts and bolts up as you go along, teasing it in to shape and getting the shut lines, body alignments etc as close as you can. Note I don't say perfect. Be prepared to spend a few days doing this again and again, learning by what you did before. You may need to add washers in to the outrigger to bulkhead bolt on one side and take them out on the other. Don't think of it as a set of rigid parts that should just line up and bolt together. Think of it as an amorphous form that needs to be cajoled in to position. And remember, a 2mm washer in the outrigger bolt can create a much bigger movement when magnified over the width of the door! Same goes for all fine adjustments.
Your bulkhead is obviously high on the bad side, measure it to make sure its correct to the other side. Thats your first port of call. To align the bodywork I found it easiest to do it without the floor in. That gap from tub to bulkhead should be fixed, unless you shim it out to account for inaccuracies in the chassis alignment.
Last edited:
Henry_b
Think outside, no box required.
- Posts
- 15,509
- Location
- somewhere else
All ya need is a big 'ammer!
Scooby22
Well-Known Member
- Posts
- 1,251
- Location
- County Durham
A couple of videos on door alignment.
Those are the videos I watched for my door line up. Really helpful!
I will take out the floor plated and try to loosen everything off, that's a good option.
I'd be surprised (or perhaps just really disapointed) if the bulkhead was taller on one side than the other. I'll try measure from the chassis bolt to the top on each side and see how they compare.
Moving forward though, if it is the bulkhead....what can I do?! Obviously taking it all apart again is a terrible answer....
I will take out the floor plated and try to loosen everything off, that's a good option.
I'd be surprised (or perhaps just really disapointed) if the bulkhead was taller on one side than the other. I'll try measure from the chassis bolt to the top on each side and see how they compare.
Moving forward though, if it is the bulkhead....what can I do?! Obviously taking it all apart again is a terrible answer....
Scooby22
Well-Known Member
- Posts
- 1,251
- Location
- County Durham
Just a thought: I notice from your video your chassis is on stands, is it level and not twisted and lower on the side you are having trouble with.
Last edited:
I did consider this, but more from the point if the bodywork was twisted. But, I'm supporting on the break discs on the rear axle and the very front of chassis (bumper) at the front, so I'm thinking it should be ok? But, potentially a twist if the rear axle isn't level due to lifting from the diff? Maybe I should try putting wheels back on first?
So, I have taken a measurement from the bulkhead to outrigger bolt to the top of the bulkhead, and its the same dimension on each side! Which is what I would have hoped to be honest.
While it doesn't make sense to me, I think i'll try get the axle on and wheels incase there is a twist being applied via the axle stands. It is a galvy chassis in good condition and it hasnt changed during the bulkhead swap, so would be surprised if there was an issue.
Any other thoughts?
While it doesn't make sense to me, I think i'll try get the axle on and wheels incase there is a twist being applied via the axle stands. It is a galvy chassis in good condition and it hasnt changed during the bulkhead swap, so would be surprised if there was an issue.
Any other thoughts?
Hicap phill
Well-Known Member
- Posts
- 16,337
- Location
- Wiltshire
While your on measuring, see if you can measure the angle of the bulkhead, up at the windscreen mount. If the LHS is out slightly, a few degrees, it could make that side higher.
yup, 34 3/4" at top and bottom of bulkhead to B post.
Just checked the angle of the bulkhead and the same on both sides...
I've just put the seals in to see (dunno what i was hoping for!) if the gap evened out at all, but obviously not haha
Really at a loss here....
Just checked the angle of the bulkhead and the same on both sides...
I've just put the seals in to see (dunno what i was hoping for!) if the gap evened out at all, but obviously not haha
Really at a loss here....
Hicap phill
Well-Known Member
- Posts
- 16,337
- Location
- Wiltshire
Any chance then the back body is twisted then?
May need shimming behind the seat base & lifting
May need shimming behind the seat base & lifting
jamesmartin
Well-Known Member
- Posts
- 91,879
- Location
- louth lincs
its quite common to find bulkhead with quite a few washers more one side than the other
You have me thinking now. the rear tub to chassis was rotten so i replaced a bit of plate there, but i lined up all the holes so should have been identical, but perhaps somethings gone amiss there. I'll look tomorrow....
I was shimming to align to the door measurements, so both sides do have different amount of shims, but still no luck getting the side wall to align with the roof....
jamesmartin
Well-Known Member
- Posts
- 91,879
- Location
- louth lincs
meaning rear tub too low at the front?
yeh thats what i'm thinking. Didn't even consider that as an option as i just copped the bolt locations.
Here is a photo looking from rear wheel arch forward. Before i go and muck about with this, do we think there is enough flexibility in the body that a slight misalignment here could result in around a 1 inch drop on the side wall from the roof line? It is in the right place to suggest so - directly below the B-post...
In the photo you can see the new rock sliders (with the coppaslip), replacement plate (shiny black) and the matt textured black behind/below that is the new battery box.
Similar threads
