Seatbox attaching

Hi all,

So i'm still in the process of tearing down elements of the series 3 and seeing what needs working and the like.
I took of the seatbox the other day in prep for some gearbox work. When I took all the rusty bolts out, at the rear there was stuff almost like blu-tac acting as a seal maybe? I was wondering if this is standard and must I replace it?
Also should I replace the bolts with galvanised ones or stainless?

Cheers,

Dylan

Your post is unclear. The middle cover is usually just screwed in place. If it's this you are referring to then it's possible someone may have just used some kind of ectoplasm stuff to seal the hatch. In reality it doesn't need that. Respect the original design and replace the screws so that the plate is secure.

I think Dylan is talking about the whole seat box not just the middle plate. Landrover did put a sort of mastic seal between the seat box and the floor, also around the gearbox tunnel where it meets the bulkhead etc. They did this to fill any little gaps between the mating surface and it also helped the soundproofing a little. It's up to you to decide whether to replace it and what with. I suppose it depends on how well it all goes back together.

Col

Just had mine out of my defender.
I bought some single sideded foam tape from e bay, and used it between the seat box and the frame not only at the back but under the box side where it sits.
I used stainless bolts in every position possible.
One tip is put a bit of grease or molly slip on the bolts, I know they are stainless but because of the nature of stainless the threads can be damaged when you tighten them it called gauling where the threads of the nut and bolt pick up and damage one another.
I also made some thin rubber washers and put them under the stainless washers to try and lessen the galvanic corrosion, but you will never stop it completely.

Not a great thread but may help :
https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/bit-of-a-sort-out.315119/

The original bolts have worked fine for many years why change them , if you need some replacements get the same or zinc coated ones.

Found it
Here is the sponge tape I used:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/D6-5m-Bla...de603f7&pid=100012&rk=1&rkt=3&sd=131968014780

Cheers for the info lads, I like the idea of adding the rubber washers to the equation

The bolts are a mix and gather from the last owners work so i'm thinking a set of stainless bolts would be the way to go.

Since ill be taking the box out a fair bit over the next while ill leave out the seal however, it'll be done when I try to weather seal the cab in the future! Here's to trying anyway!

I believe most of the water comes down from above, not up from below, but I suppose it depends on how deep the stream you're fording is!