Bulkhead - here goes!

Been waiting for the weather to clear - so now I'm going to start on the bulkhead repairs.

There are a few spots of rust popping through, fingers crossed that I'm starting this in time.

Going to order the replacement panels this week, then this weekend remove the wings, doors, etc.

For anyone who's done this, any heads up? I know there is always the unknown and I'm thinking there will be more than meets the eye. In the engine bay it looks good, and the footwells are showing no bad signs.

got my 1mm cutting disks and the mig welder is keen for a spring dust off. Anything else I can prep at this stage?

Couple of socket extension bars and a universal joint connector to reach top wing to bulkhead bolts from up under wheel arch.

Get some preservative [ waxoil/dintrol or similar ] to squirt in through hinge bolt/screen bracket holes before refitting those parts.

tottot said:

Get some preservative [ waxoil/dintrol or similar ] to squirt in through hinge bolt/screen bracket holes before refitting those parts.

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such as this...

https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/prod...V7r_tCh1ofAXIEAQYASABEgITR_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Going to order these I think...

https://yrmit.co.uk/product/extended-bulkhead-repair-panels-per-pair-land-rover-defender-series-23/

the car was a AC setup originally, so I don't have vents, and the weird 'not-but-not-a-vent' thing has lost it's plastic cover so I need to do something.

Thing I can't understand is, there are no holes for the windscreen brackets. Do you just drill them? Is there metal on the other side of the bulkhead that it will bolt through?

Depending how bad your bulkhead tops are [ you will not know until you open it up] you may or may not need full replacement corners. Could be just some small patch's need cutting out and replacing. You have to position the screen bracket holes your self, drill from other side when fitted.
Get hold of some vent flaps from previous model and find a way of fixing in place.

tottot said:

Depending how bad your bulkhead tops are [ you will not know until you open it up] you may or may not need full replacement corners. Could be just some small patch's need cutting out and replacing. You have to position the screen bracket holes your self, drill from other side when fitted.
Get hold of some vent flaps from previous model and find a way of fixing in place.

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I'm not going down the vent flaps route. Just a smooth panel. Easier and less water leaking.

shame, nothing wrong with a bit of flap

NiallRussell said:

I'm not going down the vent flaps route. Just a smooth panel. Easier and less water leaking.

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Can't say I would recommend that. The flaps are there for a reason, and the reason is that on a hot day, it is roasting hot inside without them.
They don't usually leak water if the seals are in good condition.

Turboman said:

Can't say I would recommend that. The flaps are there for a reason, and the reason is that on a hot day, it is roasting hot inside without them.
They don't usually leak water if the seals are in good condition.

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Far point, i've never had them anyways. My dash is an AC dash.

truth be told I removed the AC after coming back from the middle east, hot here just feels a bit warm now. To make them work I'd have to rethink the dash.

Is yours a Solihull built Land Rover? It doesn't look like it has ever been fitted with vents, possibly because it'shad air-con. What year is it?

The flaps on my series are about the only thing that doesn't leak.

Col

Rougharse Racing said:

Is yours a Solihull built Land Rover? It doesn't look like it has ever been fitted with vents, possibly because it'shad air-con. What year is it?

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Yup - 1985.

It has these things...



... but the fixings behind them (just three little pop on mounts) broke, so I have removed them.

It was a V8 and is LHD. It was a CSW. I got it in Oman where it was a double cab pick up. I drove it home, made it a CSW again, and putting it back into an exploration mode again if I can. One of the jobs is the rust on the bulkhead, nothing else is rusty (that i've found) so it's a case of catching it early, HOPEFULLY.

They look like lovely water traps. Could you Mig in a flat cover plate? My mate has a 90 where the solid vent spaces were bare from new.

tottot said:

They look like lovely water traps. Could you Mig in a flat cover plate? My mate has a 90 where the solid vent spaces were bare from new.

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Not sure what you mean. If you take a look at my first post on this thread you can see what is behind the plastic. it just pops off.

Just saying those plastic things would keep the space behind damp and help rust set in in our climate.

tottot said:

Just saying those plastic things would keep the space behind damp and help rust set in in our climate.

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Yeah very possibly. One came off when driving, and the other looked weird without it's twin.

Interestingly that is where the rust is.

So I started....

the areas of concern are on the left side of the car at the pillar and on the right side of the car where the flap would be.



I'm also going to replacing the dash top panel and instrument panel as well as making a glove box / shelf and tidying the wires left over from v8 to 300tdi conversion.

Started to remove the dash, lots of things screwed onto things that i have done over the years...



Have had a metal instroment panel ready to swap out the old plastic one. So in the spirit of not just taking bits off and making the car look worse today, I swapped the dials over and now have a lovely looking panel ready to go it.

new part is from Raptor ENG. Can't fault their other stuff - and this new one looks good. Plus so far so good on not too much rust being uncovered elsewhere...

Dash partly off, so now went to the windscreen. I'm eager to see under the seal and get for rust.
The car as the old style hinges, but unfortunately they've seen better days. Was planning to paint them and keep them. But can't now. Bolt head broke off, drill came out, drill walked into soft alu.



Looking ok underneath them and inside.


Unbolted the roof from the top of the windscreen frame. And then using some wood and jacks, lifted it just enough...