wwwfc666 · Nov 24, 2018

Going to try rebuilding the swb series 3 tub soon
Got ali for floor and decent top hat and crossmembers
Picked up rear quarters panels new and capping etc is good
Problem is I’m replacing driver side rear wing. Picked one up with b pillar on it, so that should help
But not sure on the spot weld situation
Obviiously it’s going to be too expensive to spot weld the new panel.
I’m fine getting the spot welds out but is it just a case of rivet the new one in with silkaflex stuff as well?
Not sure if it will look right . Have heard of someone countersinking rivets?
Anyhow anyone rebuilt one? Any advices tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

steve2286w · Nov 24, 2018

I put a new rear floor in mine over 10 years ago new top hat and crossmembers, and have just renovated earlier this year, I got oversize floor and got the sides folded up 30mm or so to allow riveting on sides as the folded bottom edge had gone, sealed with some black body sealant, I used araldite 2015 to bond the top hat to avoid the rivets showing inside floor, rear wings were ok. With the tub off this year to paint the chassis I cleaned it up and used the araldite again but noticed the top hat had start to delaminate so I have rivettted top hat and crossmembers as well ,
I would recommend painting the steel crossmembers well, I used galvanising paint first then the green body colour and it lasted really well , I got top hat from local ally supplier and you need to modify the end nearest seats to fit over bottom fold. Either bend it over a bit or just cut. A bit out or saw ththough the top hat a bit , easier to see than explain. I think I used 4.8mm rivets and 5mm drill but avoid going too long on the rivets , they look naff , harder to snap off and no stronger

rob1miles · Nov 24, 2018

I have been experimenting with spot welding and have mostly failed. I never got to the pont where I would use it on the body work. If you go on the web you will find a lot about spot welding ally and it seems to need a lot of current, but there's more to it than that. You could mig plug weld, it would give a strong neat finish, or plug braze with a zink ally rod, but it all uses heat and that is tricky, the benefit of glue and/or rivets is that it is all cold work.

steve2286w · Nov 26, 2018

I took the new floor and top hats to a local sheet metal shop and asked them about spot welding , they could not guarantee they would not burn holes through the floor, tub floor covered with ply so visible rivets not a problem.

Silverbeard50 · Nov 26, 2018

I have replaced the floor, underfloor crossmembers, rear crossmember and rear quarter panels on mine using rivets where it came with them and a very strong structural adhesive where the original structure was spot welded. The adhesive is the same product that is used in the construction of modern bus bodyshells and has a very high cured strength. I was able to use the correct countersunk rivets on the floor which, from above, has kept the original appearance.

In order to retain the strength and shape of the tub, I replaced the rear quarters and rear crossmember initially and then bolted the tub back on the chassis to do the floor and crossmembers. A friend made up a stand for the tub after all of this was done so that I could send the whole thing off to a bodyshop for final shaping and painting.

steve2286w · Nov 26, 2018

Very nice the galvanised crossmembers should last

wwwfc666 · Nov 28, 2018

Silverbeard50 said:
View attachment 163442 View attachment 163443 View attachment 163444 View attachment 163445 View attachment 163446

I have replaced the floor, underfloor crossmembers, rear crossmember and rear quarter panels on mine using rivets where it came with them and a very strong structural adhesive where the original structure was spot welded. The adhesive is the same product that is used in the construction of modern bus bodyshells and has a very high cured strength. I was able to use the correct countersunk rivets on the floor which, from above, has kept the original appearance.

In order to retain the strength and shape of the tub, I replaced the rear quarters and rear crossmember initially and then bolted the tub back on the chassis to do the floor and crossmembers. A friend made up a stand for the tub after all of this was done so that I could send the whole thing off to a bodyshop for final shaping and painting.

Great job

Silverbeard50 · Feb 10, 2019

Update on progress. All of the panels and sundry painted parts have now been dry fitted and sent off for preparation and paint. The bodyshop have done a superb job on the parts that have been completed to date. The tub was in epoxy primer last time I saw it and it was looking very good, far better than I had expected.
After months waiting for an engineering shop in Bristol to do some work on the engine that came with the vehicle, I gave up on them and was recommended to use Turner Engineering near Crawley. They gave me some very sound advice and advised against using that engine as it was from a Series 2. Later 2A engines had several advantages, plus I had one tucked away in storage. The crank was past redemption but I managed to find a new 'old stock' part at Blanchard's. Very expensive but no regrets. Turner's did a really good job and also supplied good quality bearings, gaskets and other parts that were required.
I finally got around to starting to put it together this weekend and have made good progress.

suburban · Feb 11, 2019

impressive work.

turners have a first class reputation

Kiwi Landie · Mar 5, 2019

Did you get the original tub underfloor cross members hot dip galvanised, or were you able to buy new in that state?

Silverbeard50 · Mar 6, 2019

They came galvanized from YRM Parts. Very good service from them.

landyman02 · Mar 7, 2019

Put a new floor in mine recently, I got a company to stich weld the reinforcing underneath, then used countersunk rivets etc for the rest, don't think it looks as neat as yours though.

Ramp7 · Mar 1, 2022

steve2286w said:
I took the new floor and top hats to a local sheet metal shop and asked them about spot welding , they could not guarantee they would not burn holes through the floor, tub floor covered with ply so visible rivets not a problem.

Ramp7 · Mar 1, 2022

Great photos. I find myself at this exact spot in the rebuild. Galvanized crossmembers, Brilliant!

Ramp7 · Mar 2, 2022

Silverbeard50 said:
View attachment 163442 View attachment 163443 View attachment 163444 View attachment 163445 View attachment 163446

I have replaced the floor, underfloor crossmembers, rear crossmember and rear quarter panels on mine using rivets where it came with them and a very strong structural adhesive where the original structure was spot welded. The adhesive is the same product that is used in the construction of modern bus bodyshells and has a very high cured strength. I was able to use the correct countersunk rivets on the floor which, from above, has kept the original appearance.

In order to retain the strength and shape of the tub, I replaced the rear quarters and rear crossmember initially and then bolted the tub back on the chassis to do the floor and crossmembers. A friend made up a stand for the tub after all of this was done so that I could send the whole thing off to a bodyshop for final shaping and painting.

Ramp7 · Mar 2, 2022

I have used structural glues in the past and have been very impressed with their bonding strength. This may be a nice alternative to coordinating spot welding or a lot of rivets. Thanks for the post.

Ramp7 · Mar 3, 2022

rob1miles said:
I have been experimenting with spot welding and have mostly failed. I never got to the pont where I would use it on the body work. If you go on the web you will find a lot about spot welding ally and it seems to need a lot of current, but there's more to it than that. You could mig plug weld, it would give a strong neat finish, or plug braze with a zink ally rod, but it all uses heat and that is tricky, the benefit of glue and/or rivets is that it is all cold work.

Ramp7 · Mar 3, 2022

Check this out when spot welding Aluminum.

Trumar · Apr 9, 2024

Can someone please tell me what size countersunk pop rivets I need for putting the 3 top hats on the underside of tub floor and the sides of the floor?

Anaconda · Apr 9, 2024

Sure YRM will have them listed on their site.

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