Land Rover 90 - First Landy

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IK7

IK7

Member
Posts
23
Location
Chichester
Hi guys,

I've recently bought my first Land Rover! Its a 1984 90 with a 200TDI conversion in it.

Its going to be a long term project, but I've already got stuck in by changing the rear door handle and lock, changed the passenger and drivers door lock to the same key and patching up the chassis.

Which brings me to my next question, at some point in the next couple of years the chassis will definitely need to be changed, however they seem to be rarer to find than I thought, so where would be the best place to find a decent one?
 
IK7 said:
Hi guys,

I've recently bought my first Land Rover! Its a 1984 90 with a 200TDI conversion in it.

Its going to be a long term project, but I've already got stuck in by changing the rear door handle and lock, changed the passenger and drivers door lock to the same key and patching up the chassis.

Which brings me to my next question, at some point in the next couple of years the chassis will definitely need to be changed, however they seem to be rarer to find than I thought, so where would be the best place to find a decent one?
Click to expand...

Good, you have selected a fantastic motor, you will enjoy it.

How bad is the chassis, they are very repairable. Welding, coupled with the use of rustkillers and paint, can bring them back from a very poor state.

If you really need to rechassis, get a new galvanised chassis, google Richards, Marslands, or try forum search box at top of page! ;)
 
Yes, it is mine, however having 3 different keys for 3 different locks is really annoying!!

I've driven Defenders for a couple of years at work (Holiday Park, moving static caravans, which is why I wanted one when I saw how good they really are!), but this my first one I've owned and can enjoy in the summer AND winter!

The chassis is pretty rotten and has been patched up several times before, which is why I'm going to patch it up this time and use it until I can find another one to transfer it onto. The bodywork and bulkhead are pretty solid and barely have any rust or dings on them.
 
I haven't got any on me, but will grab some the next time I get the Landy on the concrete ramp at work.

It has spent most of its life on a farm, and when I was patching the front where the bumper connects to, I had to clear out a LOT of dirt. I've got a feeling its rotting from inside out.

On the plus side, I've got every MOT certificate its ever done and i'm only the 3rd keeper!
 
My 90 came from a farm, to an extent the mud and cow muck protected it!

To be honest you could get into quite a bit of trouble for putting it onto a used chassis as the VIN number would either not match, or not be there (though I am not sure how many places check as it is hard to find). For piece of mind I would get a new chassis from either Richards or Marslands as then you have a receipt for the purchase of the new chassis if it ever gets asked for.
 
If you aren't sure, get someone else to look at the chassis. What some people consider rotten, may in fact be perfectly fine and have loads of life left in it.

The reason I say this is, a chassis swap is a pretty major thing to do. Not overly difficult, but a lot of hours. And when you start taking something apart you'll find loads of other things you'll want to replace. This tends to make it a ££££ pricey thing overall.

A chassis can be patched, or you can buy entire repair sections, e.g. the rear cross member is a very common bit to rot. You can either buy just the rear, or the cross member and legs/rear stays.

This is no a body off job and is likely £150-£200 in labour + parts.

Body outriggers can be replaced just as easily.


For a new chassis, as others have said. Don't look at 2nd hand. You'll want a new one from the places posted above.

But you are probably looking at more like £2500 for a chassis swap +-

If you do it yourself assuming you have space/tools to do so. Then you can get it done in a week, but may take two depending on how much help you get. But as I said, doing this will likely result in other new parts, e.g.

engine/gearbox mounts.
Might want to throw a new clutch in while it's easy to get at.
New suspension.
New bushes.
New nuts & bolts everywhere.
Refresh the A frame/ball, radius arms etc.

But if you are doing this, then you might as well check the brakes. And if all the under pinnings are now new, will you want to put a tatty body back on? So paint, panels and maybe even interior parts.

So a simple chassis swap might turn into a 6-12 month project and £10,000-14,000+
 
There is no limit to what you can spend on a chassis swap. However, if it helps, I paid a bit over £3300 for a new Richards galvanised chassis, new brake lines, new clutch and new bushes throughout. That includes labour.
A new chassis delivered should be around £1500. Once rebuilt, it means one major thing less to worry about, and increases the resale value.
 
Thanks for the input guys.

Me and my mate (ex-Navy engineer) looked over the chassis and the main rails looked pretty sturdy, it was mainly small holes (20mmx20mm) on outriggers. The only real concern was the front section(s) that hold the bumper on were pretty far gone, can you buy replacements for these or is it a case of some fabrication work?

If I can get at least a couple of years out of it, that will give me enough time to save up for a chassis and other bits which will need doing. The body work and panels don't bother me as they are straight, just a bit faded.
 
IK7 said:
It has spent most of its life on a farm, and when I was patching the front where the bumper connects to, I had to clear out a LOT of dirt. I've got a feeling its rotting from inside out.
Click to expand...

You are right, problems usually start inside.

Pretty normal to find a lot of mud inside the front chassis irons, especially a working vehicle.

Try and post some pics, especially rear chassis legs, around the spring mounts and outriggers, and where the upper rear crossmember joins to chassis.
 
I saw those parts on Paddocks, but can't see anything for the front bumper section of the chassis.

Whats the best way to go about doing the timing on a 200TDI?
 
300bhp/ton said:
If you aren't sure, get someone else to look at the chassis. What some people consider rotten, may in fact be perfectly fine and have loads of life left in it.

The reason I say this is, a chassis swap is a pretty major thing to do. Not overly difficult, but a lot of hours. And when you start taking something apart you'll find loads of other things you'll want to replace. This tends to make it a ££££ pricey thing overall.

A chassis can be patched, or you can buy entire repair sections, e.g. the rear cross member is a very common bit to rot. You can either buy just the rear, or the cross member and legs/rear stays.

This is no a body off job and is likely £150-£200 in labour + parts.

Body outriggers can be replaced just as easily.


For a new chassis, as others have said. Don't look at 2nd hand. You'll want a new one from the places posted above.

But you are probably looking at more like £2500 for a chassis swap +-

If you do it yourself assuming you have space/tools to do so. Then you can get it done in a week, but may take two depending on how much help you get. But as I said, doing this will likely result in other new parts, e.g.

engine/gearbox mounts.
Might want to throw a new clutch in while it's easy to get at.
New suspension.
New bushes.
New nuts & bolts everywhere.
Refresh the A frame/ball, radius arms etc.

But if you are doing this, then you might as well check the brakes. And if all the under pinnings are now new, will you want to put a tatty body back on? So paint, panels and maybe even interior parts.

So a simple chassis swap might turn into a 6-12 month project and £10,000-14,000+
Click to expand...

+1 for 300bhp/ton's detailed account of what can happen. I think the time scale is out, unless you are retired or unemployed and have a 4 car garage or industrial unit. :)
 
Finally managed to grab some pics of the worst bits on the chassis.

O/S/F out-rigger:


O/S/R Cross-member:


N/S Main chassis rail; side:


And the worst of the lot;
N/S/F Chassis leg:


Apologies for the weird angles, I had to crawl under it to get them. Once all the welding is done I'm going to either hammerite it all, or get a hold of some Schutz.
 
There are varying opinions as to what protection works best for the chassis. Generally Hammerite is a bit low down on the list of choices, Waxoyl fairs a bit better and then the likes of Schutz/Dinitrol. It's vitally important you get a cavity protector too, i.e. one that can be sprayed into every hole ( that's meant to be there! ) you find on the chassis.
Good luck with it all.
 
In between all the welding and grinding I've been doing all the little jobs. So today I bought a new bulb for the rear indicator to sort that out.

I need a little help identifying a part:


The hose that goes from the rocker under the intercooler pipe has been shredded by the alternator. What is it, or what pipe size do I need?
 
I'm guessing you mean the cyclone/crankcase breather pipe ( runs back to the air box ? ). No idea what size it is, but no big problem if you've broke it! Won't cause any issues until you get it fixed.
 
IK7 said:
Finally managed to grab some pics of the worst bits on the chassis.

O/S/F out-rigger:


O/S/R Cross-member:


N/S Main chassis rail; side:


And the worst of the lot;
N/S/F Chassis leg:


Apologies for the weird angles, I had to crawl under it to get them. Once all the welding is done I'm going to either hammerite it all, or get a hold of some Schutz.
Click to expand...

It is quite bad, but a decent welder/fabricator could probably repair that for many years.

What has caused that is that the chassis is completely dry, and has no coating whatsoever on it, and probably nothing inside, either.

Try searching on the forum for suggestions, most experienced restorers would not use Hammerite, the modern stuff is no good. Underseal/schutz tends to make matters worse.

You really need something that will kill rust, not just cover it up. Good rust resisting primer, Jenolite or similar first, followed by enamel is good. For the inside spray in masses of Dinitrol, or if funds are tight used gear or other oil.

If the chassis is dry like that, it will always rust out again in short order! :eek:
 
Its spent nearly all of its life on a farm and I don't think its been looked after other than scraping it through an MOT every year.

The only reason I suggest Hammerite is because I can get it free from where I work. I've only been using it to cover/seal the welding I've done so far, but I'll look into cover it in something better.

On other news, I've now got all lights working, but just need to fix the front side repeater as its cracked and broken.
 
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