bulkheads and MOT

my son and I have just about got the series 3 (short wheel base van 1978) ready for MOT.
It was bought 5 years ago in a mess but with a valid MOT (cannot see how as we had to weld up the chassis sort the steering, suspension and just about everything else).
During the final checks I find that the very bottom of the bulkheads on either side (i.e. just below the bottom door hinge) are rusted through on both sides. They have been filled with bodge and sprayed. The rest of the bulkhead is sound. I reckon it is OK as it is below the hinge and thus unstressed but my son, being a model maker and thus pedantic and a perfectionist (that is why it has taken 5 years to get it sorted) reckons the doors need to come off and a bottom pillar bracket repair welded in. I want it MOT'd before I go back to work as I can see it under a tarp on the front drive for another winter - a disaster as it need to be rolling.
If the rot is below the bottom hinge is it an MOT failure?
- frustrated and ready to beat my son with a MIG welder or permanently afix him to the bonnet as a mascot!

the door pillar bases are the points at which the bulkhead is attached to the chassis therefore are structurally very important - get it done

many thanks, I will have to suffer my son being right as usual!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

for the price of it , get it done,

Door pillar bottom bracket RH | Land Rover spare parts and accessories

well fancy that. you can get all kinds of repair rust bits, I have a load of tin and a nibbler machine and folder, its a lot easier tough if you get the right bits.
Door pillars are thouroughly inspected at the mot, its a critical part of most cars.

My MoTer reckons that the only important feature is the steering box, and that is bolted directly to the chassis (and through it the brake pedal box) so the bulkhead feet are not structural

Thanks for the replies - In between painting my newly constructed solid fuel bunker (between the rain showers) I have had a thorough look (yes I should have done so earlier!). I can see why I was confused and possibly how it went through the MOT five years ago (it has been under cover during bad weather so has not rusted much if at all since then).
The whole of the lower part of the bulkhead bottom corners has had liberal treatment from Willy the Welder. I had to lie underneath and look at diagrams from the manual and the parts catalogue to see what was going on. The whole bottom of the pillar and the floor are an assemblage. The bottom of the bulkhead bracket itself (i.e. not the outer part which forms the exterior of the door pillar) has been cut off and had a section of U tube steel welded to the floor and the Chassis leg. Actually the big bolt which locks the bracket to the chassis leg has a tube steel sleeve on it which has been welded to the floor and the Chassis. The U Tube has however not been welded to the internal remains of the Door Pillar. It is the bottom of the outer part which had filler in it. I am inclined to weld the U Tube to the remains of the inner door pillar and hope that it passes. If the MOT man wants to do some more welding fine as it will all be eventually cut out anyway. Next year we were going to replace the inner and outer wings (they are butchered) and also sort out the floor which is like a patchwork welded together. Whilst we were on we intended to replace chunks of the bulkhead if required (definitely is now!). Whilst the appearance of it is not satisfactory, having passed once it should surely pass again and it is solid. I want this machine on the road as an ongoing project not parked up for another 7 months.

If you weld up the structure so it feels and looks solid, it should pass, also if it looks like you've put a lot of work into it the guy will know your not just trying to run a shed on the cheap and do care about it.
Snot it all up and see what happens.

my thoughts entirely, PS if anyone thinks about buying a Rover 25/45/75 do not - the components used in them are crap and are ridiculously expensive to buy. Had nowt but trouble with my 25 sport - need to get a new motor before going back to work on the Beast.

porta said:

my thoughts entirely, PS if anyone thinks about buying a Rover 25/45/75 do not - the components used in them are crap and are ridiculously expensive to buy. Had nowt but trouble with my 25 sport - need to get a new motor before going back to work on the Beast.

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Unless yu have a Hippoo - the Rover 75 injun bits are cheaper than the Hippoo KV6.

Is your sport a 1400 k series 16V, I have one and I think its a goodun.