rechassis or not - help please

Hi all,
having been laid up for a few years recovering from an RTA; naturally my old girl HCPU 200tdi has lain up with me. Whilst I've recovered well ; she has not faired so well.
Bulkhead was rotten so I decided to strip her out and got carried away.....

Attached is a photo of the N/S spring mount that looks well corroded - the rust is about 2mm thick and flaking in places. I know rust tends to 'bulk up' and looks worse than it is but I'm unsure whether there is 10 more years in her or not once I paint and waxoyl.

The rear x member is shot and there is one 50p sized hole in both front outriggers. One rear outrigger needs replacing.

How can I make a good assessment of the area in Q.?

Depends upon your budget, I've replaced all the outriggers and all four spring hangers on mine and the rear cross member was been replaced in the last few years.

here is the x member. New one required methinks.

In places the chassis looks almost new - there used to be a hiab on the truck and here is where the x member for that was bolted on - a rust trap that did its job!

My quandary is whether to re chassis or just patch it up. By the time I get someone to weld the x member and outriggers it may be cheaper ( in the long run) to start from scratch.

thanks Marmaduke. Nice work, what you doing next Wednesday??LOL
I have the budget but am working with hand tools and cannot weld.
Its all come apart very well so far with only the engine and box to come out and the front axle to drop. I don't have an engine crane (hire) so I signed up here before going any further to get some opinion. The parts list is growing longer (trans box, backplates ,bulkhead, rewire etc.)
I'm not working at the moment (at home with son) so rebuilding a work truck for £5-6k seems almost pointless - even more so if my chassis is not as bad as I thought.
I estimate the rear x member and outriggers will cost about £4-500. A new chassis is 2100 delivered and a great base to start from should I ever get back to work......kids eh?

Landie mechanic 2hrs a day, chief, cook and bum whacker the rest - when I'm not getting grease on the washing that is.

Should be a relatively straight forward swap whilst you've got it stripped down and I did mine all myself. Amazing what you can teach yourself to do when you're skint......

Mine looked like this



All depends on who's doing the work and how deep your pockets are....

Chugs said:

thanks Marmaduke. Nice work, what you doing next Wednesday??LOL

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Where do you live?

Just looked at your photobucket Marma- definitely feeling better about mine now I've seen yours!!!

I live just far enough into Cornwall to be Plymothian.!

I never really priced it up but mines had all the outriggers, all the spring hangers and a sheet of 1m x 1m steel. Just cut all the rot out, made templates from old cereal packets, cut the shape out, trim it a bit and weld it back in. I used Dinatrol instead of waxoil, The front outriggers were done by the MOT garage and I was stung for £700 so I did the rest myself

Oh and Plymouth would be a 460 mile round trip so I would spend most of Wednesday on the M5

and that's exactly the point Marmaduke. Why spend 500 on a patch up when the extra few quid (ok 1500 is hardly a few but these days its not so huge).
I just don't have the experience to condemn the front hanger area. It may have 5 years longer if treated maybe 10. It may collapse or rot out before I get the body back on!

When is enough rust too much? Is it 5mm thick in this area? Made up of two welded plates of 2.5mm.
I read that Richards Chassis are solid 6mm thick here and its a water trap area- certainly looks like at the top layer is gone but perhaps I'm over egging and being a wuss.

How do I assess it?

Marmaduke said:

Oh and Plymouth would be a 460 mile round trip so I would spend most of Wednesday on the M5

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Take the 303 and I'll book you for Thursday instead!

If i was in your situation ( which i kind of am ) i would spend a bit of money and by a welding machine, just need to look on a welding forum if your clueless about what machine to get for your money and enjoy learning a skilled art plus i saves you £'s throughout your landys life

luckily for me i am a fabricator welder so free metal etc and my chassis is about as rotten as you could get before it snaps in half

Hi chugs,
I know i,m not very experienced in landys but i,ve just bought a 95 Defender that needs the rear crossmember replaced. I,m lucky enough to "only" need the rear crossmember and the shorter version of the chassis legs unit but whilst researching on them, i saw that you can buy a complete rear crossmember along with the 2 chassis rails that go to the door side of the coil spring tower. Maybe someone else on hee may know what i,m talking about. I,ve ordered a new crossmember off Pressbrake on here and hopefully it should be with me by the end of the week.
On the subject of outriggers, i was able to cut out the rot on the front 2 and re plate and i,ll be replacing the 2 rears before i start the rear crossmember. My rear one is no worse than yours except for the decay aroun the spring tower. Holes everywhere.

It's down to money mate, they'll never be an easier time to swap the chassis than whilst your tratter is stripped down, I would say that there's a lot less labour involved than welding it up and you've peace if mind that it's done but when it comes to welding, anything is repairable

Trouble with a chassis swap, it never ends there. You'll always uncover jobs that are hidden away. Then whilst it's stripped down do you replace the clutch?

daddy2coull said:

Trouble with a chassis swap, it never ends there. You'll always uncover jobs that are hidden away. Then whilst it's stripped down do you replace the clutch?

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Thats where I am to at the moment. My chassis wasn't too bad, but decided I didn't want to spend the next few years getting people to help patch it up.

I have currently spent £4000 on the rebuild, which has gone slightly over budget to say the least! But that is with a recon transfer box and changing virtually everything that looked old or worn.

I have actually enjoyed myself, even more now I'm not wire brushing and painting

Same here
I did not want to rebuild mine on an old rusty chassis
so ended up buying a new one from Marshlands
will possibly end up buying a new bulk head too

you have to be prepaired to replace most things, on the chassis

Daft things like nuts and bolts soon add up
then things like painting the chassis etc and the the bits that bolt on to it
i have lost count the times i have been to hell frauds )
bet ive have spent £300 on paint alone

as James has said you can go mad and change everything that looks old and rusty
but it will cost you a lot more
so ask your self do i want a show winner or just something to have fun in?

greyhair said:

Same here
I did not want to rebuild mine on an old rusty chassis
so ended up buying a new one from Marshlands
will possibly end up buying a new bulk head too

you have to be prepaired to replace most things, on the chassis

Daft things like nuts and bolts soon add up
then things like painting the chassis etc and the the bits that bolt on to it
i have lost count the times i have been to hell frauds )
bet ive have spent £300 on paint alone

as James has said you can go mad and change everything that looks old and rusty
but it will cost you a lot more
so ask your self do i want a show winner or just something to have fun in?

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Ha, I'm still not going to have a show winner! Leaving the dents for now so it is less likely to get stolen.

Yes, bits do add up, I have just spent another £60 on cylinders for the clutch and some more specific bolts.

Yes thanks guys - its exactly where I am. With a bulkhead and chassis backplates etc etc I reckon that its 5k just to get het back on the road. The transfer box leaks badly (recon 15k ago) and I'm told they are just rubbish design and will leak again in 2 months....
The real trouble is I just don't need the truck at the moment because I'm out of work and bringing up baby no. 2 (only 2 years to go ). I wonder if i'll ever need it and may just break it or sell and avoid the fun and grief for now. I've enjoyed the strip down and would enjoy the rebuild but there is a nagging Q. Why?
Maybe I should just get the monkey off my back and get another truck if and when I need.

Anyone want a pile of bits?? :lol:

Hell aint no bad place to be - its certainly better than limbo!

:deadhorse: