Land Rover Defender 110 Rebuild

[normspanners]

When doing gussets------ I very rarely fillet

 

[Mark E]

Kim, have you thought about getting your article published in any of the popular magazines? It might be more appropriate when you are done but I was telling some of my friends about you. There are very few people, let alone girls, able to restore a vehicle to the standard you are doing. It would make a great magazine article in Land Rover Monthly or whatever there is out there. Maybe you'd inspire a few female engineers, enthusiasts or others to do a project they have dreamed of.

I'm showing my wife your thread and I'm going to buy a Hummer and set her to work!

 

[KimB]

H

Kim, have you thought about getting your article published in any of the popular magazines? It might be more appropriate when you are done but I was telling some of my friends about you. There are very few people, let alone girls, able to restore a vehicle to the standard you are doing. It would make a great magazine article in Land Rover Monthly or whatever there is out there. Maybe you'd inspire a few female engineers, enthusiasts or others to do a project they have dreamed of.

I'm showing my wife your thread and I'm going to buy a Hummer and set her to work!

Hi Mark,
Thanks for the compliments that's so nice and i did think about it but I do just like doing it on my own and how I post on here, If anyone approached me I wouldn't have an issue i don't think. I'd have to see. I'm so far through now.

And for the love of all that's holy do not buy a hummer lol
Kim

 

[normspanners]

[QUOTE="KimB, post: 638765, member: 20593" ]for the love of all that's holly do not buy a hummer lol[/QUOTE]
Yeh buy a landrover their really hole'y

 

[KimB]

Hi everyone,

Really not sure what to do, I think I said earlier on that in getting the seat belt bracket mounting peice re made as it was beyond repair. I Was going to patch the other panel but now not so sure, as you can see every mounting point has holes in it.

It's really driving my OCD mad. I think I should replace the whole thing but I cant Ali weld and it really needs to be spot welded back in
What would you guys do ? It's really holding the build up as well, I want to paint it with the bulkhead but now it's all taking to long

 

[norlander]

Well, you say you can't weld Ali, but I got stuck with a bit of Stainless last week, so I bought a disposable bottle, and a small spool of stainless wire and had a crack and it turned out not bad.
Of course, Ali for the MIG is more involved and expensive because you need to buy a teflon liner and you need pure argon, I reckon it would cost about 50 quid for dispo bottle of Argon, regulator for dispo bottle and liner from weldeqip, plus the wire and some 1mm or 1.2mm tips so maybe 70 quid, but I have never done Ali with MIG and don't know how it performs on thin stuff, needs someone else to advise if its practical.Might have to change the rollers as well -not sure.
If its workable, you have a set up for small Ali jobs that may crop up later?.

 

[KimB]

Well, you say you can't weld Ali, but I got stuck with a bit of Stainless last week, so I bought a disposable bottle, and a small spool of stainless wire and had a crack and it turned out not bad.
Of course, Ali for the MIG is more involved and expensive because you need to buy a teflon liner and you need pure argon, I reckon it would cost about 50 quid for dispo bottle of Argon, regulator for dispo bottle and liner from weldeqip, plus the wire and some 1mm or 1.2mm tips so maybe 70 quid, but I have never done Ali with MIG and don't know how it performs on thin stuff, needs someone else to advise if its practical.Might have to change the rollers as well -not sure.
If its workable, you have a set up for small Ali jobs that may crop up later?.

I could probably do it just not sure I can get it got enough and like you say it's an expense. I wish I kept the Ali kit I had for my old welder. I just want it done yesterday, it's been one thing after another with this rear bulkhead now. And I don't know what to do about it. If I drill out the welds I'll need to have it re welded. No way around it.

 

[Wendelspanswick]

I could probably do it just not sure I can get it got enough and like you say it's an expense. I wish I kept the Ali kit I had for my old welder. I just want it done yesterday, it's been one thing after another with this rear bulkhead now. And I don't know what to do about it. If I drill out the welds I'll need to have it re welded. No way around it.

Do you have access to a spot welder? I have had limited success with spot welding aluminium using a bog standard Sealey spot welder.
Otherwise cut out the offending pieces and repair with Joggled patches and pop rivets.
Shame I am not closer as I could TIG in some patches, might be worth putting out a new post of AC TIG Welding Required Near X, with your location to see if anyone on the forum can help.

 

[KimB]

Do you have access to a spot welder? I have had limited success with spot welding aluminium using a bog standard Sealey spot welder.
Otherwise cut out the offending pieces and repair with Joggled patches and pop rivets.
Shame I am not closer as I could TIG in some patches, might be worth putting out a new post of AC TIG Welding Required Near X, with your location to see if anyone on the forum can help.

I'm waiting to see if my friend has access to one. Hopefully he does, will save allot of messing about. I'd rather do it properlyjf I'm going to replace it. No point cutting corners.
That may be the other option. I know the shop I use for metal can tig so may end up getting it tig'd if it's not too expensive. We will see later.

 

[Tigman]

Im in Watford Kim , if you need it tigged I may be able to help , if you prep it I will stick it together !

 

[KimB]

Im in Watford Kim , if you need it tigged I may be able to help , if you prep it I will stick it together !

Omg thank you, I think I'll be sending you a message later in the week when I get my Ali sorted thanks so much.

 

[Tigman]

No Worries

 

[colnerov]

Im in Watford Kim , if you need it tigged I may be able to help , if you prep it I will stick it together !

HI, Well done that man.

Colin

 

[KimB]

What'd ya know, run out of luck again today, seems to be a common occurrence recently.
Anyway. Got the peice of Ali for the seat belt mounts, started by speaking to my dad and came up with a plan to trace the bend onto a peice of wood, just using the round base of a router it left a pretty good outline.

Unscrewed it all and used a jigsaw then some files and cleaned it all up nicely which was good.

Carefully marked it out then lined it up and checked measurements ready to bend.

Very carefully moving the g clamps around to stop it bubbling the edge out I started forming it, unfortunately as you see where they welded two bits together to save me money it broke

Anyway I persuid

started doing the really techniqual end which went quite well

Continued...

 

[KimB]

.. Continued

Here are more pics of the form which I still need to work on

Yes this happened, I obviously was irrate, had to walk away.

This has been a job like the bulkhead, me thinking its simple and turns into a huge job. My arm hurts so much from hammering. I don't think I'll do any more on it this week, well not the rear bulkhead anyway. I'll decide it's not been my week so may just get on with other stuff.
P.s sorry I've got nothing good to show
Kim

 

[Mark E]

Don't get too down - **** happens! That's a mightily ambitious solution. Well done for getting it to where it is now! As you said with the bulkhead, it's a big job at first but just a series of small steps (I think that was you).

I reckon you deserve a glass of wine or beer or whatever is your poison. Leave it and attack it another day. I wouldn't say the week is a write off though as it's only Weds and you have 4 days to come back with a vengeance.

We've all been there. The fact you managed to take pics and write it up as well is testimony. Chin up

(You must have made one hell of a racket with that hammer!!! )

 

[stormin]

Did you try annealing the ally first. Depending how you get it it can hard, half hard or soft. Your looks to have been difficult to work so may benefit from being annealed. Coat the ally in soap and heat until the soap blackens, leave to cool. May need to repeat if you are working it a lot.

 

[awemawson]

Kim bad luck

Are you annealing the aluminium between bashing sessions? If not it'll make quite a difference to the ease of forming. Wipe some hard soap on the aluminium, and heat with blowlamp until the soap goes black.

 

[KimB]

Don't get too down - **** happens! That's a mightily ambitious solution. Well done for getting it to where it is now! As you said with the bulkhead, it's a big job at first but just a series of small steps (I think that was you).

I reckon you deserve a glass of wine or beer or whatever is your poison. Leave it and attack it another day. I wouldn't say the week is a write off though as it's only Weds and you have 4 days to come back with a vengeance.

We've all been there. The fact you managed to take pics and write it up as well is testimony. Chin up

(You must have made one hell of a racket with that hammer!!! )

I'm Going away Friday morning so only tomorrow left really. Think I'll just leave it now. It's immensly frustrating.
Yes my ears are ringing it was very noisy.

Did you try annealing the ally first. Depending how you get it it can hard, half hard or soft. Your looks to have been difficult to work so may benefit from being annealed. Coat the ally in soap and heat until the soap blackens, leave to cool. May need to repeat if you are working it a lot.

I didn't and regret it I did originally plan to do that but somewhere along the lines I either was told or just had the opinion that a hammer would sort it. I'll do that when I next attack it, literally. I may do it tomorrow I'll see. Plan now is to clean the weld edges. Screw it to my template with the peices butted together. Then form the rest and take it back down to have it welded again.

Kim bad luck

Are you annealing the aluminium between bashing sessions? If not it'll make quite a difference to the ease of forming. Wipe some hard soap on the aluminium, and heat with blowlamp until the soap goes black.

I'll do it before anymore hammering.
Thanks

 

[Pete.]

This has been a job like the bulkhead, me thinking its simple and turns into a huge job. My arm hurts so much from hammering. I don't think I'll do any more on it this week, well not the rear bulkhead anyway. I'll decide it's not been my week so may just get on with other stuff.
P.s sorry I've got nothing good to show
Kim

Aah, but you have showed something good.

There's as much to learn from things going wrong as there is from a nice shiny result. I once spent two weekends making a fuel tank and when I came to pressure-test it the very last time for pin-hole leaks I had adjusted the regulator to 30psi instead of the 5psi I had been using previously. I blew the tank up like a balloon and ruined all my work.

Keep it up Kim - you're doing a great job. There's bound to be little set-backs, but I don't think you're the giving-up type!