replacement bulkhead

My plan was to
1) get new Richards chassis in place, sort out wheels, brakes and suspension
2) get replacement bulkhead in place (as old one would need every panel rebuilt!)
3) rebuild gearbox and install
4) get engine re-bored, rebuilt and installed
5) the rest.

I have done 1).
My plan has gone awry. I was going to get a bulkhead from Richards, but there is a big delay.

So I either get a bulkhead from elsewhere or i change my plan.

From what i can see, I could get a bulkhead from:
1) Robert Owen (but I believe they have a similar long lead time)
2) Shielder (£1.6k)
3) Pegasus (£2.6k)

My aim is to get my Landy working well, and as reasonably close to how i got it (original-ish) as I can, but i am not aiming for concours.

Any advice appreciated?

is the chassis really un-serviceable? or can you patch it up to a suitable level while you do other works? then transfer everything in one go when you get a new chassis?
from experience, i would say it will be easier to replace the bulkhead on its own to get everything lined up again. I've done a complete strip and it was really hard making things fit

kermit_rr said:

is the chassis really un-serviceable? or can you patch it up to a suitable level while you do other works? then transfer everything in one go when you get a new chassis?
from experience, i would say it will be easier to replace the bulkhead on its own to get everything lined up again. I've done a complete strip and it was really hard making things fit

Click to expand...

I have replaced the chassis, have the nice new one from Richards in place. Old one is cut up into a rusty pile.

sprie said:

I have replaced the chassis, have the nice new one from Richards in place. Old one is cut up into a rusty pile.

Click to expand...

Some peeps say to keep the dumb iron bit with the chassis number on.

Maer does a nice stainless steel bulkhead too, the price seems good

J

marjon said:

Some peeps say to keep the dumb iron bit with the chassis number on.

Maer does a nice stainless steel bulkhead too, the price seems good

J

Click to expand...

I teaped the original number back onto the new chassis, did keep the original bit for nostalgic reasons

BikerB said:

I teaped the original number back onto the new chassis, did keep the original bit for nostalgic reasons

Click to expand...

I goggled teaped and I don't think you put a cup of tea on or in your chassis, so guessing you mean tapped/stamped.
Which is sort of wrong too .
But I whole heartily agree with giving it an identifiable number for its future safety, Chassis manufacturer should do it for trace ability it wouldn't take much

J

marjon said:

I goggled teaped and I don't think you put a cup of tea on or in your chassis, so guessing you mean tapped/stamped.
Which is sort of wrong too .
But I whole heartily agree with giving it an identifiable number for its future safety, Chassis manufacturer should do it for trace ability it wouldn't take much

J

Click to expand...

Teaps a local name for metal stamps, always known them as teaps.
Anyway since the chassis is a spare part available from LR and it is allowed to change it as long as it is not modified under DVLA rules I cannot see how it would be a problem.
Its the equivalent of a VIN plate and this is behind the rad on mine so they should match.
Personally I can't say I lose sleep over it, its not as if its visible unless you look for it but I know its there.

BikerB said:

Teaps a local name for metal stamps, always known them as teaps.
Anyway since the chassis is a spare part available from LR and it is allowed to change it as long as it is not modified under DVLA rules I cannot see how it would be a problem.
Its the equivalent of a VIN plate and this is behind the rad on mine so they should match.
Personally I can't say I lose sleep over it, its not as if its visible unless you look for it but I know its there.

Click to expand...

And I totally agree.
We all know how secure those VIN plates are too, and how easy they are to change .
Its the security aspect for me (well not here but UK for sure) So I am surprised the chassis manufacturers don't give an Identifying number, and as its like for like DVLA should accept the change on the V5.
Or is that far to sensible

J

....but back to my question, where is the best place to get a bulkhead?

sprie said:

....but back to my question, where is the best place to get a bulkhead?

Click to expand...

Do you need it now, like yesterday?
Or willing to wait a bit? (how long) The SS seem to be out of stock at the moment but that's a hell of a price.

Oh and so we waffle a bit , but check the waffle there's good info in there to.

J

sprie said:

....but back to my question, where is the best place to get a bulkhead?

Click to expand...

I fitted a shielder bulkhead on my rebuild but wasn't too impressed with the finish.

Fitting wise it was okay, but various holes out of place or not tapped as you'd expect them to be. Clearly old vehicles and new parts aren't going to marry up perfectly but I expected better and have heard reviews of similar from others using shielder.

Pegasus is near me and I've seen their bulkheads. I can't vouch of their accuracy but they look excellent and knowing Paul (and his father) I'd be staggered if they weren't perfect. Herruva lorra money though.

Paul Halley died Dec 2021. I've no idea who runs Pegasus now.

nathanglasgow said:

Paul Halley died Dec 2021. I've no idea who runs Pegasus now.

Click to expand...

Ah, I didn't know that, shame. I'll go and have a look in next week some time.

edit. No I won't, seems they've moved to Liverpool.

In the end, i have found a second hand bulkhead from someone local, and it just needs a bit of work on it to make it OK.

I have bought 2 bulkheads from Robert owen in the last 3 years and fitted them to Richards chassis. They are perfectly matched to that chassis and I would highly recommend them despite the wait. I had to do absolutely no fettling or alterations.

sprie said:

My plan was to
1) get new Richards chassis in place, sort out wheels, brakes and suspension
2) get replacement bulkhead in place (as old one would need every panel rebuilt!)
3) rebuild gearbox and install
4) get engine re-bored, rebuilt and installed
5) the rest.

I have done 1).
My plan has gone awry. I was going to get a bulkhead from Richards, but there is a big delay.

So I either get a bulkhead from elsewhere or i change my plan.

From what i can see, I could get a bulkhead from:
1) Robert Owen (but I believe they have a similar long lead time)
2) Shielder (£1.6k)
3) Pegasus (£2.6k)

My aim is to get my Landy working well, and as reasonably close to how i got it (original-ish) as I can, but i am not aiming for concours.

Any advice appreciated?

Click to expand...

I've just fitted a Shielder bulkhead to my 1972 Series 3. Some rippling in places from galvanising, but the bulkhead is straight enough and everything has aligned ok without too much fettling. I'll second someone else's comments about holes; some missing where they should be e.g. on the inboard side of the steering box bracket and on the inboard side of the heater matrix unit and some extra bonus ones which I have filled or plugged with grommets. I like that they have used thicker steel in the footwells and happy that I've invested in a galv bulkhead (I have a Richards chassis too) rather than repairing my doggy 50y.o. one yet again. Lead time was about 8 weeks I think but I had to hassle them a lot and I felt that I was getting the runaround a lot of the time. Overall, I'm happy though and I can't blame Shielder for my painting...

Is that a red oxide primer not the topcoat?

steve2286w said:

Is that a red oxide primer nor the topcoat?

Click to expand...

It's the topcoat. Portofino red. Too cold for painting so I suspect that I'll be redoing it at some point.

A later Defender colour, I used a synthetic enamel but thinned it down a touch with white spirit and hand painted gave a nice shiny colour with no brush marks, agree far too cold for painting unless you got a heated garage