Series 3 1/4 chassiss doo's and dont's

Hi guys.

I'm a new member, and would like to pick your brains on replacing a rear 1/4 chassis on a swb series 3.

Just bought the Lanndy and needs a 1/4 chassis to get it back on the road, then hopefully a "pull off - put on" type of project while still in use.

Been searching the forum, web sites and youtube, and have found loads of great info, so I get the basic idea.


Best place to get one ( or best place to avoid), some after market products are poor quality and just want to make sure I get a decent one.

Re-inforcing, I hope to Tow a lot with it, nothing major (not sure what the maximum legal weight It can Tow is) but in an emergency, the stronger the better i supose, is it worth re-inforcing the cross member or even a couple of tension type bars from the bottom of the tow ball similar to the newer 90/110 models?

Need to patch a couple of areas on the chassis, what thickness steel plate would you advise?

Last question, any other tricks of the trade would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

Is it standard or military as the steel thickness can be different. Match the thickness with replacement sections.
Shouldnt need to reinforce as long as you get a decent drop plate and fill 'all' the bolt holes with relevant sized bolts. I have heard of some cheaper rear crossmembers not having the correct internal bracings and reinforcing sections so thats something to look out for.
As for tricks, number one must be to make a jig so you line up the new section where the old one was. I used the welded brackets that join the rear crossmember to the tub as my guide points but was only replacing the rear so I could simply lift the tub, cut out the old, slide in the new and bolt the tub back in before tack welding. The tub could then be unbolted and lifted out of the way for full welding.

Thank you so much for the advice.

It's a standard Land rover, to be honest, the rusty parts aren't too bad apart from the rear 1/4, gone thin in areas and only a couple of small holes, I'm considering just over-plating them with some 1.5 mm steel. Don't know if you would agree?

I was considering Paddock Spares or John Craddock for the rear 1/4, do you have any experience of their products?

Thanks again.

I would cut out any areas that are holed or thin and weld in fresh 3mm. One problem is the wiring loom to the rear runs inside the chassis leg. You can either fix it to some stiff wire and shove it up the chassis rail out of harms way and pull back out after the jobs done or run a new loom section [ trailer cable ] along the outside.

You could try DDS metal services.

Hey, thank you!

Will contact DDS for some info.

Really good advice about the loom, especially the trailer cable, fancy that, just to freshen up the cables!

Thanks again.

Towing limit for SWB is 2 tons....and you'll know it cos you'll be chugging along very slowly, lucky to get to 40 mph. BTH that's fast enough towing that weight in a series.

Oh and obviously, set your paint brush to 3/4 of an inch when hiding it from the MOT inspector.

Ha ha. Thank you all for your advice and comments, sure to take them aboard, especially the settings for the paint brush!

Naturally I stand over the 10 stone inspector and jokingly tell him if he chips my newly painted underseal whilst tapping for rust spots I 'will' break his arms.

Ha ha ha ha

Nothing but great advice! I'm an 18 stone, Land rover driving, bearded rugby player, i'll just have to use the same gentle Persuasion .

Thanks Bobsticle!