Just bought myself a 95 discovery 1 with 126k on the clock for 500quid going to be stripping it down and learning to weld the rotten bits. front arches are pretty shot same as the sills but from what ive seen after pulling the carpet up theres just a few holes and nothing major! YET!!!. trying to upload some photos. anything i should be looking out for especially in these?
Jake ingleby
Well-Known Member
have fun , welding is some that I will never master unfortunately ,my answer is pay someone to do it
pete1987RRC
Well-Known Member
Your a brave chap...
But the welding is not too difficult, look for the welding forum on giggle it's got some good tutorials.
Remember, old lode lane metal is fairly shiiit so argon gas and anti splatter spray are your friends.
Fabrication the parts is a skill also but most can be got for low cost from the likes of yrm.
Also prime everything with weld through primer them seam seal before painting
But the welding is not too difficult, look for the welding forum on giggle it's got some good tutorials.
Remember, old lode lane metal is fairly shiiit so argon gas and anti splatter spray are your friends.
Fabrication the parts is a skill also but most can be got for low cost from the likes of yrm.
Also prime everything with weld through primer them seam seal before painting
Everything Pete said. Oh, and when it comes to the sills, don't bother messing about - get a length of box section steel delivered, 60mm x (I think) 100mm x 3mm wall, and make your sills out of that. I bought replacement inner sills and cut the mounts off them, then welded them to the box section. However you do it, it's much easier to weld mounts to sills in the garage when you can lay them out, rather than trying to bodge new patches to old rust under a car and upside down.
StuRox
Well-Known Member
Having recently done similar with a 1995 tdi, dont be afraid of using a screwdriver to find rot, and then cutting it out to put in new steel.
Just be methodical workimg from back to front or vice versa, don't jump around doing all the eassy jobs for example, as you may miss bits.
And dont forget, its not just rot , but look at replacing bushes etc too
The more thorough you are now, the easier it will be in the future to maintain.
Just be methodical workimg from back to front or vice versa, don't jump around doing all the eassy jobs for example, as you may miss bits.
And dont forget, its not just rot , but look at replacing bushes etc too
The more thorough you are now, the easier it will be in the future to maintain.
Mine was leaking because the windscreen frame isn't continuous - the corners were filled with bodgery filler from the factory, and when it comes loose it lets water through, which starts an unhelpful process of rust in the screen frame and bulkhead. I daren't weld so close to the glass so for now I've fixed what I can, re-sealed it, and will wait until the screen needs replacing to do a proper job.
Get an auto-darkening welding mask so you can see where you're pointing the torch - Parweld do a good one for £50 or so with a big field of view. Makes all the difference. On thin metal, I weld as a series of overlapping spots - easier to master than laying down a continuous bead and far less likely to blow holes. Also, get a proper regulator and a full-size gas bottle, not the little disposable ones that don't let you flow enough shielding gas. Porosity gets really frustrating otherwise. You don't need to rent a bottle if you can find a place that will take a deposit on your bottle and then charge you for the gas when you swap empty for full. Not as cheap per fill as a rental but a lot cheaper overall if you're not doing loads of welding.
Get an auto-darkening welding mask so you can see where you're pointing the torch - Parweld do a good one for £50 or so with a big field of view. Makes all the difference. On thin metal, I weld as a series of overlapping spots - easier to master than laying down a continuous bead and far less likely to blow holes. Also, get a proper regulator and a full-size gas bottle, not the little disposable ones that don't let you flow enough shielding gas. Porosity gets really frustrating otherwise. You don't need to rent a bottle if you can find a place that will take a deposit on your bottle and then charge you for the gas when you swap empty for full. Not as cheap per fill as a rental but a lot cheaper overall if you're not doing loads of welding.
