What a great couple of days

So I've been off work for a couple of weeks recuperating after an operation. I've been doing the small jobs on the Defender. You know. Door seals, repaint the inside rear of the Station wagon a nice Hammered black, tidied up both the tool box under the drivers seat and the battery box under the passenger seat. Both these got treated with some Metalmorphosis rust converter then hammerited to make them less tatty.

Yesterday and today I have scrubbed the chassis with the grinder and removed all the old waxoyl that was covering up the chassis since i got it just over a year ago. This has revealed some surface rust that has been removed and treated with Metalmorphosis as well.

I can honestly say that i now have intimate knowledge of my chassis and I'm much happier about it than i was 2 days ago. All the out riggers are sound. there is some welding required to one of the front bumper mounts but that's it. All in all a good couple of days. Tomorrow it will be hammeriting over the chassis before it goes off for its pre-season wayoyl.

I still have another week off so maybe i'll take the dash out and se the real state of the bulkhead.

Anyone any other ideas I could look at? I'm looking at preventative maintenance. not mods.

twelsh37 said:

So I've been off work for a couple of weeks recuperating after an operation. I've been doing the small jobs on the Defender. You know. Door seals, repaint the inside rear of the Station wagon a nice Hammered black, tidied up both the tool box under the drivers seat and the battery box under the passenger seat. Both these got treated with some Metalmorphosis rust converter then hammerited to make them less tatty.

Yesterday and today I have scrubbed the chassis with the grinder and removed all the old waxoyl that was covering up the chassis since i got it just over a year ago. This has revealed some surface rust that has been removed and treated with Metalmorphosis as well.

I can honestly say that i now have intimate knowledge of my chassis and I'm much happier about it than i was 2 days ago. All the out riggers are sound. there is some welding required to one of the front bumper mounts but that's it. All in all a good couple of days. Tomorrow it will be hammeriting over the chassis before it goes off for its pre-season wayoyl.

I still have another week off so maybe i'll take the dash out and se the real state of the bulkhead.

Anyone any other ideas I could look at? I'm looking at preventative maintenance. not mods.

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The worst bits on mine were the sills, the rear seat upstand (the vertical surface directly below the front of the 2nd row seats), the body cappings, and the bulkhead. If you can check all them, and they are good, then you should be ok.

If you're well enough to use a grinder under the landy, you're well enough to go back to work. Swinging the lead are we?

mick the builder said:

If you're well enough to use a grinder under the landy, you're well enough to go back to work. Swinging the lead are we?

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I think im fine to go back. Its the docs that won't sign me off fit for work. What can I do. Make hay while the sun's still shining I say.

Besides having worked for 35 years its nice to have a break that isnt holiday and i can just putter about doing the odd jobs.

mick 1986 said:

The worst bits on mine were the sills, the rear seat upstand (the vertical surface directly below the front of the 2nd row seats), the body cappings, and the bulkhead. If you can check all them, and they are good, then you should be ok.

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I'll take a look at the rear seat upstand tomorrow.

I'd grease the propshafts and check for wear in the steering joints and suspension bushes. A boomslang headlamp loom conversion is also worth the effort, and pretty easy.

zeaphod said:

I'd grease the propshafts and check for wear in the steering joints and suspension bushes. A boomslang headlamp loom conversion is also worth the effort, and pretty easy.

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Propshafts have been on my mind the past couple of days. I've been to lazy to take the grease gun down. I'll go get that done now

So next job. Looks like the bulkhead foot wells are shot to bits. I take it I just get replacement foot wells from someplace like YRM etc?