Steep learning curve

dieseldog69 said:

Bit of CAD (cardboard assisted design) will help here, take card big enough to cover all rot being cut out, cut as a template, wallop bolts through to mark holes and use a hole punch to make them oversize to accommodate the crush tubes, I like a 1 to 1.5mm gap all round the tube to ensure perfect welding in of the tubes, cut the rot out and grind round the tubes to clean them back or buy some new tube and fit new, it's up to you, geometry is not affected so you can be a half inch out without worry.

If you want I will try to explain with pics when I gets home tonight.

What is the chassis rail like under them caps? Bet its shot to bits too

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If you could mate I'd appreciate it. Picture speaks a thousand words n all that! I think I understand though. Oversize my holes to accommodate a weld to hold tubes in place. This would mean that the tubes are welded in place from the outside visible edge? The inside (tank side) of the rail should hopefully hold them in place too if secured both sides?

I cant really tell how bad she is under them. I think this truck was an beach dwelling series in its former life lol

resto_d1 said:

If you could mate I'd appreciate it. Picture speaks a thousand words n all that! I think I understand though. Oversize my holes to accommodate a weld to hold tubes in place. This would mean that the tubes are welded in place from the outside visible edge? The inside (tank side) of the rail should hopefully hold them in place too if secured both sides?

I cant really tell how bad she is under them. I think this truck was an beach dwelling series in its former life lol

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Lol she has been a little neglected that's for sure!

No problem with pics, will do when I get home for you, much easier to see it, plus I'm crap at explaining things in a post

dieseldog69 said:

Lol she has been a little neglected that's for sure!

No problem with pics, will do when I get home for you, much easier to see it, plus I'm crap at explaining things in a post

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Thanks and also thanks for body mount info - was driving so could read but not reply and forgot to when I parked up. Your explanations are thorough and appreciated its just often easier to point at a picture on these things. I have a whole weekend on her this weekend. Hopefully everyone else on the street is making garden noise so I can chop half the car out without feeling too guilty about the racket!

Started chopping when I got in and it' just so loud. Wonder if a dremel cutting blade would be quieter...

Just explain to the neighbours about the noise & a bottle of wine may help keep them happy.

Then say this is going to continue for the exact length of time I have a
landy

Grinders are quicker

Hicap phill said:

Just explain to the neighbours about the noise & a bottle of wine may help keep them happy.

Then say this is going to continue for the exact length of time I have a
landy

Grinders are quicker

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my next door neighbour is cool with it and the other side probably can't hear. I'm just aware it' an annoying noise!!!

I've made some little discs. I cut out a big section of rear quarters and she should be ready for welding sat. Just read another d1 rebuild and it helped morale lol. The whole attraction to 300tdi for me was that pretty much anything can be fixed. I've learnt lots in last couple of months too. Hopefully, I see this through and she becomes my trusty fishing and exploring truck for a while

Gentts are the holes in the rear door pillars near the base just for catch access and not some sort of strengthening gusset? I need to chop around an inch into the hole from the arch up

So, please educate me if you think I'm wrong but I'm going to drill out the spot welds on that bit of lip attached to the pillar then patch the pillar retaining said lip. I can then put a Tie in lip on my rear quarters repair panel and puddle weld it to the lip I retained plus a seam to the pillar. 90 degree angle to under the window and butt weld remaining. I hope that makes an ounce of sense in writing lol

@dieseldog69 am I good to chop through that post bottom as per above tomorrow please?

resto_d1 said:

@dieseldog69 am I good to chop through that post bottom as per above tomorrow please?

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Sorry mate been a bit hectic with work the last couple of days an life gets in the way sometimes

As long as you are putting in a support that will hold that C post in alignment, I struggled to understand the post, made some but not perfect sense

Even if it is only a couple of short pieces of angle bracing it in place, this is the piece of C channel I use.



It enables me to cut right through the door posts with a 9" grinder safe in the knowledge that it ain't going no where the Mad Hat Man and I must have spent about 3/4 hr tonight realigning the passenger door post where it is no longer attached to anything in particular and flapping about in the breeze, takes a lot of measuring and a few clamps to wrestle it back into place I can tell ya

And that big hole in the back of the post is for access to the nut for the lock catch, it uses an 8 or 10mm allen key to loosen or slacken that peg and you can move it around to set the door shut properly.

Cheers mate and sorry to nag just wanted to get my head straight before starting today. Yes thankfully it's still held in place at the moment. I'll fashion something similar. Thanks for the help

resto_d1 said:

Cheers mate and sorry to nag just wanted to get my head straight before starting today. Yes thankfully it's still held in place at the moment. I'll fashion something similar. Thanks for the help

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No problem, it can get a little nerve wracking when its the first time you have to do it, I tend to be a bit blasé about it these days having sliced and diced so many.

Always make a datum or 2 and measure, if it goes square shaped the measurement will help get you out of trouble.

If you get stuck ring me OK.

Cheers. Got my first bit of panel welded in. Chuffed! Pics to follow..

Not pretty but decent penetration and I'm happy with it. Dusted with some cheap spray that I'll sand back off and then electrox once more of puzzle is complete. Also chopped a few bits out c pillar. Im happy

Getting there, I do the same as you with the spots then run a continuous bead over the top, the nice thing about MIG is that you can indeed run it down hill without fear of weld contamination with slag.

I use a lower case "e" and try to control the bead and pool in a way in which the heat is concentrated on the previous weld and flood the pool over the edge onto the plates to fuse them as one and fill any gaps left behind.

As always the weld can be dressed with a flap wheel to clean it up, good effort so far though

On with a bit more cad then to fill the gap. Computer aided design by day, cardboard aided design by night!
I figured I'd keep this 90 angle bottom edge. I don't know if it has it standard as mine are eaten but if I drill all the angle edges I can puddle weld to the boot floor and arch via an overlap? It also allows me to strengthen a bit. So, I've cut to shape of arch and I'll run a strip at 90 against the edge and weld in place. Tie in to the pillar at the top

I can't believe this cars rear. I'm struggling to find bits that aren't patches around the rear arch to weld to lol.
The inner rear arch lip is shot so I'm going to try and bend some angle to fit it then weld that to a froggats repair panel. Can then spot weld it in as per original fitment.

@dieseldog69 - my screwdriver suggested there is a hole in the rail where the tubular cross member attaches. What did you do about keeping the lip for the new boot floor when you cut out an access hole?