Not the rear crossmember...

gidgrace · Sep 1, 2009

hi all,
While I was busy swapping the dislocation cones on my 1985 90 for a pair of the long travel terrafirma hook ones I had dropped the rear axle and so was able to see some advanced corrosion on the crossmember to which the a-frame attaches. What is this crossmember referred to as?

Anyway I welded a couple of plates in as best I could but it is quite difficult to weld the top well because of the body sitting on top. I reckon the whole member needs to be replaced because the left hand body mount has crumbled away completely so it is no longer attached. Is this a problem to worry about urgently?

So,e if I'm going to replace it, is it a hard job? Do I need to take the body off to do it properly? What bits do I need to buy ie the member itself and the body mounts which I would need part numbers for and what problems am I likely to encounter?

Thanks as always. Gid

Vagrent · Sep 1, 2009

hi
I had the same problem on my 90 the only reason i found it was because i had all the interia out floor ect and i was scraping about on the top and it was fekked. that plus the rear x member and both bulkhead out riggers

very sad moment.
replacing the chassis is my least headache option, methinks.

But i recon if your gonna replace it it will be loads easier with out the body, canstantly in yer way, also you can seek out more holes if you so wish and if its to far gone your halfway to rebuilding it on a nice galvie number

arc · Sep 1, 2009

Yeah - know the feeling only too well!
Started off replacing the outriggers & the job just grew and grew. Had to cut most of the 'centre section' away and fabricate it again from scratch.

Not sure if it is available as a repair section but if it is so far gone, there will be a lot more not far behind..... The sensible option is a galv chassis but costs are very real.

I finished this section on my '85 ninety a few weeks ago and wouldn't want to do it again. Lots of pics on my site. This is how it looked initially with the tub off after a bit of firm prodding:

Vagrent · Sep 2, 2009

WOWEE!
Thats some hole. Fair play to you man for fabricating it from scratch. I am in the process of rebuilding my 90 and seeing that and your persistance in fixing it have given me new found vigour on my job. gotta bit depressed when it rained on all my tools after i found ANOTHER hole in the chassis

But they are all on the rear x member and Brookwells do a fair priced one.

gidgrace · Sep 3, 2009

Thanks for the comments so far. I narrowly avoided a re-chassis last year and spent hundreds on welding

(and have since taken a welding course and bought the gear myself) to get it through MOT, so I'd like to get another few years out of the old girl yet.

Does anyone know if this (for want of a better description) "A-Frame crossmember" is available as a repair section and if so, from where?

In theory, it looks like I could prop the rear chassis on axle stands and drop off the rear suspension, unbolting the a-frame then just cut the whole "A-Frame crossmember" off the top of the chassis rails, welding a new one in place.

I wouldn't know where to start with removing the "tub" and I've got no-one to help me and the beast is too tall to fit in my garage unless the whole body is removed so that might be tricky, in which case, the re-chassis will start to look more appealing.

arc · Sep 3, 2009

gidgrace said:
Thanks for the comments so far. I narrowly avoided a re-chassis last year and spent hundreds on welding (and have since taken a welding course and bought the gear myself) to get it through MOT, so I'd like to get another few years out of the old girl yet.

Does anyone know if this (for want of a better description) "A-Frame crossmember" is available as a repair section and if so, from where?

In theory, it looks like I could prop the rear chassis on axle stands and drop off the rear suspension, unbolting the a-frame then just cut the whole "A-Frame crossmember" off the top of the chassis rails, welding a new one in place.

I wouldn't know where to start with removing the "tub" and I've got no-one to help me and the beast is too tall to fit in my garage unless the whole body is removed so that might be tricky, in which case, the re-chassis will start to look more appealing.

Can't help with the replacement part sourcing, but I had to take the garage door off to get mine inside!

Getting the tub off isn't too bad but does involve quite a few bits being unbolted. The tub itself only has 10 bolts into the rear x member, 2 bolts into each rear outrigger and then two more bolts into brackets on the centre x member. Two people can then lift it off intact. I'd very much doubt you could replace the member without having the tub off.....

Mine had had 'hundreds spent on welding' before purchase too. It wasn't a bad job but still wasn't the sort of quality as it would be had you been fixing your own. As a result, £500 worth of welding has nnow been chopped out less than 12 months later!

Re-chassis is the best long term but how sensible is it on a £1000 defender......

Landy-ads · Sep 10, 2009

Take heart. Get that rear tub off and get busy with the welder, its never as bad as it looks at first. If you don't have or can't weld, buy yourself a mig welder from e-bay, you will need it if you have plans to own an old Landy long term, a small 135 amp jobby will do and they are a piece of **** to use with a little practice. I use 18 gauge (1.2mm) MS sheet for small patches but it should really be at least 2mm for hefty bits.

You will probably find other problems with the tub off, but just weld em all whilst you've got the chance. By the time you've got the hang of it you'll be weldin everything in site, nobody'll be safe

sypher · Sep 13, 2009

Same thing happend with mine but i mannaged to weld it all in situe ( soz no pics ) but having my own shot blaster helps LOADS for the clean up process

.
If that section has gone , take a look at your centre crossmember ( under the G/ box ) if its starting flake between the member and the chassis then wip it off as I had a gaping hole under it . ( see my pics from my profile page ) .

Not the rear crossmember...

gidgrace

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Vagrent

Yaaaar

arc

Active Member

Vagrent

Yaaaar

gidgrace

New Member

arc

Active Member

Landy-ads

Active Member

sypher

Well-Known Member

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