Steve's unexpected Series 3 rebuild.

So little time, so little progress. My lack of opportunity to get cracking is driving me crazy at the moment.
Anyway here's what I have got done and a little health and safety reminder as well.
The floor strengtheners are in a bit of a state but not beyond saving.

I was surprised how well they came up considering the amount of rust.

Looks even better in primer.

And the finished article. I thought if I painted it silver it would provide a nice contrast underneath to all the black. Also I can pretend it's galvanised. So it's mild steel covered in zinc primer with aluminium paint top coat.

The silver was some old stuff that has been in my father in laws shed for ages. It's probably as old as the land rover itself.
I'm pretty sure it's the same stuff that they paint the log flume with at Gullivers Kingdom in Matlock. if it can stop that rusting it must be good stuff.
Now for the health an safety bit. Today I was doing the last of the strengtheners and using a wire brush on the angle grinder. Goggles, mask, ear defenders all in place. Overalls on done up to the neck and stout footwear........but no gloves.
Now I've got a piece of one of the bristles embedded just below the knuckle of my middle finger. A & E were able to show me a nice picture of it on the xray but not able to remove it as it is too close to the tendons so I've got to wait until Tuesday to get it taken out.
Unfortunately this means I am a tit (with sore hand) and typing one handed is really hard. Lesson over.

LincolnSteve said:

So little time, so little progress. My lack of opportunity to get cracking is driving me crazy at the moment.
Anyway here's what I have got done and a little health and safety reminder as well.
The floor strengtheners are in a bit of a state but not beyond saving.

I was surprised how well they came up considering the amount of rust.

Looks even better in primer.

And the finished article. I thought if I painted it silver it would provide a nice contrast underneath to all the black. Also I can pretend it's galvanised. So it's mild steel covered in zinc primer with aluminium paint top coat.

The silver was some old stuff that has been in my father in laws shed for ages. It's probably as old as the land rover itself.
I'm pretty sure it's the same stuff that they paint the log flume with at Gullivers Kingdom in Matlock. if it can stop that rusting it must be good stuff.
Now for the health an safety bit. Today I was doing the last of the strengtheners and using a wire brush on the angle grinder. Goggles, mask, ear defenders all in place. Overalls on done up to the neck and stout footwear........but no gloves.
Now I've got a piece of one of the bristles embedded just below the knuckle of my middle finger. A & E were able to show me a nice picture of it on the xray but not able to remove it as it is too close to the tendons so I've got to wait until Tuesday to get it taken out.
Unfortunately this means I am a tit (with sore hand) and typing one handed is really hard. Lesson over.

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nothing wrong with that job

jamesmartin said:

nothing wrong with that job

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I can now honestly say this job has had blood, sweat and if they hurt me on Tuesday it will have had some tears.

Good luck on Tuesday chap - those bits of wire sometimes find their way through gloves too (not that you should not wear gloves of course) - they are nasty little buggers...

Injury update. Consultant advised to leave it in there and see what happens. I took the advice and now it hurts like the devil.

LincolnSteve said:

Injury update. Consultant advised to leave it in there and see what happens. I took the advice and now it hurts like the devil.

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Well that's easy for him to say isn't it. Go and see him again - unfortunately it is probably time to make him share the pain...

Call me cynical, but I'll wager that if you asked to see him privately and waved a wodge of cash under his nose he'd find a reason why you ought to have it seen to very soon....

I'm due to go back in 3 weeks but I think it will probably need to be sooner.

Had a go today with the Durafix Easyweld brazing rods. I was confident as I had already had a practice the other day on a piece of spare aluminium. The practice went perfectly, no distortion of the metal and it was really easy to use. So I thought I would have a go at repairing the top hats under the tub floor. With the shape of them and the fact that they are spot welded to the floor I was sure that I would have no problems. However before I had got it nearly hot enough to melt the rod the whole floor had started to warp. I quickly encouraged it back as much as possible before it cooled too much but it's still a bit wobbly. So for thick stuff durafix is probably great but it's a non starter for thin metal, even if it's got a bit of shape to it and looks rigid enough.

How's the injury Steve? Any better?

Can you take pictures? I'd like to see the aluminium repairs you've done. I'm about to start thinking about that problem myself...

Stretch said:

How's the injury Steve? Any better?

Can you take pictures? I'd like to see the aluminium repairs you've done. I'm about to start thinking about that problem myself...

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I had decided to get the metal removed but the hospital were faffing about so much that I have decided to leave it in there. It's not causing any problems at the moment.

As for the Durafix brazing rods I didn't take it any further. The distortion was so bad it was a non starter. In the end I just cleaned everything, filled with chemical metal, primed and painted. The floor supports are ready to go back on. Then the 2 new quarter panels are ready to be fitted. I'm off work next week so I hope to make some good progress including uploading some more photos.
I'm very impressed with your work on the bulkhead by the way.

LincolnSteve said:

I had decided to get the metal removed but the hospital were faffing about so much that I have decided to leave it in there. It's not causing any problems at the moment.

As for the Durafix brazing rods I didn't take it any further. The distortion was so bad it was a non starter. In the end I just cleaned everything, filled with chemical metal, primed and painted. The floor supports are ready to go back on. Then the 2 new quarter panels are ready to be fitted. I'm off work next week so I hope to make some good progress including uploading some more photos.
I'm very impressed with your work on the bulkhead by the way.

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My bulkhead - ug <= that's all I've got to say about that today!

As for the distortion with the brazing rods - damn shame that didn't work out. I haven't had the time (a similar problem to you - life gets in the way) to try out the DC TIG welding of Birmabright. I sure hope it can be done...

Slow progress again. I have been working on the body tub and it's going ok. Trouble is due to lack of space I can't just get a quick half hour on it. By the time I have made space and shifted the junk it's time to call it a day.
I've started cleaning a few of the smaller bits for something to do.

The neoprene tape on the edges should stop any corrosion where the steel touches the aluminium.

I made the pads myself. The stuff it's made out of was found on an old bomber airfield I was walking round years ago. It looks like a strap for securing something. It's really hefty and I think it should do the trick.
The originals were riveted in place but I've used countersunk M6 stainless set screws and nyloc nuts.

I've got my bronze green paint. In the end I ordered it from Paddocks with some thinners. The lower back door hinge seemed like a good bit to experiment on and I really like the way it's turned out. It seems like a pretty good match against the original colour but i'm sure it won't be perfect. It might end up a bit of a patchwork because i'm not painting the whole thing, just where it needs it. If anybody asks i'll tell them it's 'patina'.
Now here's a bit that really is patina.

It seems daft to be tinkering about with little bits like this when there is so much big stuff to do but I really enjoyed cleaning this up. It had green overspray on it and a little dent in one edge. I reckon this is now just right. I really ought to get the tub finished now to give me something to fix the badge to.

Good job on the ribs Steve. I'm doing the same myself and have new sh*tpart ribs which do not have the little inserts which I see yours do. Daft question but are these absolutely necessary? I can't see that they are.

Fyi, I managed to get a pre-cut sheet of 2mm ali to replace the knackered rear tub floor (5051, not 1050) for 20 quid from a local fabricator's, rather than 50 + delivery from the well known online supplier. Just a thought

Rubins4 said:

Good job on the ribs Steve. I'm doing the same myself and have new sh*tpart ribs which do not have the little inserts which I see yours do. Daft question but are these absolutely necessary? I can't see that they are.

Fyi, I managed to get a pre-cut sheet of 2mm ali to replace the knackered rear tub floor (5051, not 1050) for 20 quid from a local fabricator's, rather than 50 + delivery from the well known online supplier. Just a thought

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I definitely think you should have those pads on the floor strengtheners. Small as they are they should sit on the chassis and absorb some of the vibration and rattles from the tub. To be honest I struggled to remember exactly how they fitted. It's nearly 3 years since the tub came off and it's a dim memory but as it goes back together i'm starting to see the importance of them.

Good about the floor. Every saving is vital. What are you doing about the top hat strengtheners that go length ways underneath? Mine are spot welded but that would be very difficult to redo. I guess rivets are the answer.

I'm going to keep the old floor. It's really battered so I think I might make a wooden liner of some kind. Father in law is a really good wood worker so I might rope him in on that.

LincolnSteve said:

I definitely think you should have those pads on the floor strengtheners. Small as they are they should sit on the chassis and absorb some of the vibration and rattles from the tub. To be honest I struggled to remember exactly how they fitted. It's nearly 3 years since the tub came off and it's a dim memory but as it goes back together i'm starting to see the importance of them.

Good about the floor. Every saving is vital. What are you doing about the top hat strengtheners that go length ways underneath? Mine are spot welded but that would be very difficult to redo. I guess rivets are the answer.

I'm going to keep the old floor. It's really battered so I think I might make a wooden liner of some kind. Father in law is a really good wood worker so I might rope him in on that.

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LincolnSteve said:

I definitely think you should have those pads on the floor strengtheners. Small as they are they should sit on the chassis and absorb some of the vibration and rattles from the tub. To be honest I struggled to remember exactly how they fitted. It's nearly 3 years since the tub came off and it's a dim memory but as it goes back together i'm starting to see the importance of them.

Good about the floor. Every saving is vital. What are you doing about the top hat strengtheners that go length ways underneath? Mine are spot welded but that would be very difficult to redo. I guess rivets are the answer.

I'm going to keep the old floor. It's really battered so I think I might make a wooden liner of some kind. Father in law is a really good wood worker so I might rope him in on that.

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you could fit a sheet of ali over i often do with long rivets

jamesmartin said:

you could fit a sheet of ali over i often do with long rivets

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That's an idea. Double strong and easier than a load of carpentry. Maybe even the dreaded chequer plate for a bit more grip?

LincolnSteve said:

That's an idea. Double strong and easier than a load of carpentry. Maybe even the dreaded chequer plate for a bit more grip?

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yes that would be a good fix, ive used both to good effect checker is obviously thicker so good if heavy stuff is been thrown in

Some really nice work here - how's the finger? Can't believe they suggested leaving it in....

LincolnSteve said:

I definitely think you should have those pads on the floor strengtheners. Small as they are they should sit on the chassis and absorb some of the vibration and rattles from the tub. To be honest I struggled to remember exactly how they fitted. It's nearly 3 years since the tub came off and it's a dim memory but as it goes back together i'm starting to see the importance of them.

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It's not the pads I'm referring to, I have these and agree they are necessary to sit between tub and chassis.

What i mean is the small metal inserts within the steel ribs (2 in each rib). My ribs don't have those, but I see some places sell them to retrofit. I gather they are something to do with the defender and series differences but I can't see what they actually do ??

LincolnSteve said:

What are you doing about the top hat strengtheners that go length ways underneath? Mine are spot welded but that would be very difficult to redo. I guess rivets are the answer.

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I got some replacements from YRM.