Kitai

Kitai

Member
Hi everyone,

I introduced myself in this post: https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/building-the-most-beautiful-defender-camper.319302/

I want to turn my defender into a overland camper but I want to start out with some repairs and fixes. First of all I want to repair some rusty spots on the body of my defender.

It would be great to hear your recommendations on how to best treat them.

1. The rail on the back is showing some minor bubbling. It's a pretty small spot. Grind out the rust and fill it in or replace the whole rail?

IMG_0831 2.jpeg


2. The bottoms of two doors show some rust. I guess it comes from water getting trapped in that folded edge down there. Can I grind out the rusty parts, fill them in and repaint just the bottom part at this stage? I feel like it would help the most to fill in the edge (after removing the existing rust) to make sure no water can get trapped here.

IMG_0899.jpeg


3. Bulkhead corners around the vents. I feel like these are these might be a little more complex to repair. Do I have to cut out the rusty area and weld in a new corner panel. Or is there another easier way at this stage?

IMG_0902.jpeg
IMG_0903.jpeg
 
Rear capping flap disc, rust convert and paint

Door bottom wire brush, rust convert then spray the inside bottom for the door with aerosol wire rope/chain lube, great stuff gets in all the nooks an crannies to stop the rust dead.

Bulkhead one really needs screen frame removing to see what the top of the rail is like, treat/paint, new seal and refit.
 
Will I solve the problem on the rear corner if I just remove the rust from the outside? or ist the rust actually on the inside?

Same for the door bottom. Isn't most of the rust inside the folding?
 
I had some similar surface rust spots as the one on your rear corner dealt with two years ago on my Defender. I think they just sanded it down, treated it and then skimmed with filler and painted.

But two years later none of the rust has returned.
 
Cool, that's good to know! Then at least that spot might be a fairly easy fix. I' prefer trying that first before I start thinking about swapping the cappings ;-)
 
lynall said:
aerosol wire rope/chain lube, great stuff gets in all the nooks an crannies to stop the rust dead.
Click to expand...
I've never heard of that, lynall. Just looked it up and it looks canny. 'to stop the rust dead' is an interesting statement, better than dinitrol? What's ya thoughts?
 
I use spray grease on the inside of the bulkhead and under the cappings, on the door hinge bolts etc.
lt dries to a sticky layer of grease and doesn't seem to wash off.
The tin comes with a long extension tube which can get the grease inside the bulkhead (for example) through the hole for the interior light switch.
 
The gap between the hard top sides and tub capping are vulnerable to rust which you can't get to. When I stripped My bodywork down, I ran a bead of black sealant along the gap to keep the water out.
 
Al2O3 said:
I've never heard of that, lynall. Just looked it up and it looks canny. 'to stop the rust dead' is an interesting statement, better than dinitrol? What's ya thoughts?
Click to expand...


No I wouldnt say better than a dedicated chassis wax BUT as its **** thin it will run right into the metal folds which most waxes wont even when heated up.
I looked at it like this, if it can stay stuck to a motorcycle chain doing umpteen mph plus centrifugal force as it goes around the sprockets, staying sticky inside a door is a walk in the park for the grease.

I also use it to spray the rigid brake pipes on my D3 as they have a habit of rotting where they are hidden under the body and over the rear diff, I went to do them again this year and they were still sticky/messy from last year.
 
Kitai said:
It is. Good to hear that! ;-)
Click to expand...

Kitai said:
My last post was related to that ;)

I would love to hear some more opinions on the doors and the bulkhead!
Click to expand...
Do what lynall said with the bottom of the doors. Remember that the skins are aluminium and the frames are steel. Wire brush the folded over aluminium seam where it hits the frame and/or use a soft-ish wire brush on a drill. Treat the steel with a rust converter. There are lots out there, but I've had good results with Fertan. Whichever you choose follow the instructions carefully. One key thing to do, once you've rubbed it down, is degrease the area with something like panel wipe or brake cleaner. Then apply the rust treatment. Once that's done it's job you could use etch primer and then paint it. Then spray some sort of cavity wax, as lynall suggested, inside the steel frame of the door. Again, there are a number of different waxes out there. Initially you want a thin one that will creep and penetrate in to thin gaps. I think lynall is suggesting not painting the folded over seam, but spraying the penetrating wax on to the fold so that it gets in between the steel of the door and the aluminium skin. Probably the best way to go as you can't really see that fold due to the rubber door seal and so aesthetics isn't an issue. :rolleyes:
Bulkheads are usually more hassle. The foam seal between the bulkhead and the windscreen frame hold water up against the bulkhead and causes rusting to speed up in that area. You may find that the blistering on the corner is worse further along under the seal. They often rust from the inside out too. :( There's only one way to find out for sure, so chose your time wisely!
 
I have a TD5, MY 2005, so I have full steel doors, no aluminium. But I assume that doesn't make a difference?

Then I'll probably do the doors and capping first.

I'll install a top pop roof next month. That might be a good opportunity to remove the windscreen and check the bulkhead
 
Al2O3 said:
I've never heard of that, lynall. Just looked it up and it looks canny. 'to stop the rust dead' is an interesting statement, better than dinitrol? What's ya thoughts?
Click to expand...
I'd imagine it would be good, never thought of that use, but we use it at work and come to some outdoor switchgear and it's still sticky from like 15 years ago. The rocol stuff is decent. We also use the tin version stuff on the bottom of plates that get condensation too but it'd be harder to get in
 
Kitai said:
meaning "don't buy a defender!"? ;)
Click to expand...
No, not at all. Mine's for life. :)
I meant be prepared, just in case you find some nasty rust :(

Kitai said:
I have a TD5, MY 2005, so I have full steel doors, no aluminium. But I assume that doesn't make a difference?
Click to expand...
Probably a better case scenario. The dissimilar metal corrosion between the aluminium and steel can be a right bugger to stop.
 
alexc2701 said:
I'd imagine it would be good, never thought of that use, but we use it at work and come to some outdoor switchgear and it's still sticky from like 15 years ago. The rocol stuff is decent. We also use the tin version stuff on the bottom of plates that get condensation too but it'd be harder to get in
Click to expand...
Yeah, sounds interesting. I read a bit about it creeping through the strands of wire cables. Might well get in to places the thin Dinitrol can't.
 
How do I find out the exact colour of my Defender? I guess I will need some in the near future. ;-)

Or can anyone tell from the photos?
 
Kitai said:
How do I find out the exact colour of my Defender? I guess I will need some in the near future. ;-)

Or can anyone tell from the photos?
Click to expand...
There's a good chance someone will recognise it. You could have a look at these COLOUR CODES and Google them eg Land Rover defender in Cairns Blue. Images can be mislabelled, a dealers site might be a good option.
 
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