Welding ?

Hi all my friend is looking at a defender and seems a fair price . It failed on the MOT and then passed. Plates have been welded on 2 yrs ago

* Near side front vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is significantly reduced

* Near side rear vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is significantly reduced

Is this a big issue to fix ?

yes IMO

Welding is never a small job

Jsdefenderman said:

Hi all my friend is looking at a defender and seems a fair price . It failed on the MOT and then passed. Plates have been welded on 2 yrs ago

* Near side front vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is significantly reduced

* Near side rear vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is significantly reduced

Is this a big issue to fix ?

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Seems very vague, cant really tell. If it's been properly done then i wouldn't worry but I'd be surprised if many tratters hadn't been welded at some point once they got to a certain age

Jsdefenderman said:

Is this a big issue to fix ?

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We'd need pictures to comment - even more so given the vague nature of the "MOT" comments..

Also, if the front of the vehicle is corroded to the point of said description - what is the rear like

Disco1BFG said:

We'd need pictures to comment - even more so given the vague nature of the "MOT" comments..

Also, if the front of the vehicle is corroded to the point of said description - what is the rear like

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I've seen plates TACK welded over massive holes, you have to be wary of some repairs!! LOL

Especially when it has 1/2 inch of underseal over it!

Henry_b said:

I've seen plates TACK welded over massive holes, you have to be wary of some repairs!! LOL

Especially when it has 1/2 inch of underseal over it!

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Indeedy, and very VERY scarily true ....

When we bought SWMBO's D1 - the sills had been "professionally" repaired with four layers of biscuit tin, and so much fecking underseal it caused a world shortage ..... it took longer to cut this sh*t off, and cost more in plasma consumables, than the new sills and bodymounts .... I was not impressed ....

"Undersealing" is a death sentence for any vehicle, and should, IMHO, be a capital offence

Disco1BFG said:

Indeedy, and very VERY scarily true ....

When we bought SWMBO's D1 - the sills had been "professionally" repaired with four layers of biscuit tin, and so much fecking underseal it caused a world shortage ..... it took longer to cut this sh*t off, and cost more in plasma consumables, than the new sills and bodymounts .... I was not impressed ....

"Undersealing" is a death sentence for any vehicle, and should, IMHO, be a capital offence

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My Manual RRC had the floor repaired with an old Duckhams oil can

Apparently it was done in 1997, according to the reciept for welding in the service history!!

Amazing..

Marmaduke said:

Seems very vague, cant really tell. If it's been properly done then i wouldn't worry but I'd be surprised if many tratters hadn't been welded at some point once they got to a certain age

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I can weld a soda can together. If its rusted as the impression is given, then there not much left, as in very thin metal. consider a chassis replacement

I don't like the term "rigidity of the assmebly signficantly reduced". This could mean that its mess of poor repairs. You can't restore "rigidity" without cutting back to good metal and rebuilding the structure. This could mean new front and rear 1/4 chassis so I would say this could be a big job. OK if the price is right, but not likely to be a quick fix.

I think that is a standard term most MOT stations will use when failing a vehicle. If there is significant corrosion, and testers have different opinions on what is “significant”, near to a structural point they will fail it and use those words to justify a fail. Doesn’t mean it’s not fixable. Some will be easier fixed than others and depends entirely on what tools and skills you have.
Edit...and financial resources !!!

Thor 1950 said:

I can weld a soda can together. If its rusted as the impression is given, then there not much left, as in very thin metal. consider a chassis replacement

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Put a picture up of the soda cans you've welded together and I'll believe you.....

It says an area of welding near side front and rear so it can't be that bad otherwise it would have stated more than two areas

Factor in a chassis change and then work out if it’s a good deal !

Here’s a few photos of underneath . Any issues to see ?

Jsdefenderman said:

Here’s a few photos of underneath . Any issues to see ?

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Yeah, that's a bodge job. That 3rd picture has just got chequer plate welded over the top so it's still rotten inside. And the weld looks like bird ****. Certainly not a proper job of it. When I did mine i cut the rot out not plated over the top of it.

This is what I've just done to my old series

The welding in pic 3 is so bad I would be budgeting to cut all the repairs off and start again. The problem is when work is that bad you cannot trust anything you can't see so you have hack it all off and find out where the metal really is. Take that weld under the outrigger, that's the weld with the best access and its terrible, so there's every probability that the top where acess is harder isn't even welded, that's dangerous. I can understand why the MOT guy opted to fail, why gamble on it?

Run a mile......

or buy a new chassis.

Full rebuild. I’m amazed the front brake pipes passed.
Bet there is a hole behind that front O/S bumpstop