How are defender panels and capping put together

[technophile]

How are the panels and capping attached on the Defender? Just rivets, or rivets and glue etc

On a 2006 td5


http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachments/90-110-130-defender-county/92088d1427296329-how-defender-panels-capping-put-together-uploadfromtaptalk1427296328001.jpg

92088

This is after it came back from the panel beaters, first they added rivets, so I asked them to remove them and they glued the panels together. You can see some of it towards the bottom. They tell me that is how it is from the factory. I am trying to ascertain whether their statement is true.

Is this workmanship acceptable?

[JDNSW]

I don't know about the Td5, but the previous fifty years were just riveted. The side and back panels are spot welded together. Dust leaks are not uncommon, so it would not surprise me if Td5s had some sealant as well.

John

[numpty]

I cant view the picture bigger than thumbnail, otherwise i might be able to check it against mine.

[technophile]

Is this better?

[manic]

cappings at the rear there are riveted on. You may have thought it looked odd because the rivets are painted to match out the factory, where as the replacements may not have been. There is no need for sealant/glue, although separation of the steel capping from the aluminium tub stops galvanic corrosion. When replacing mine I used a thin 3M wrap on the back of the capping's to insulate from the tub, rivets, no sealant.

If you asked for it to be 'glued' on, the job they have done isn't a bad one.

[technophile]

I did not ask for them to glue it on. They glue it because they couldn't get the two panels to sit flush against each other. Now they are claiming it is glued from the factory, so they wont fix it.

[isuzurover]

FFS, it is a defender. They come with factory leaks, surface rust and ripples in the panels.

The work of the panel shop looks good (this time around).

[technophile]

FFS, it is a defender. They come with factory leaks, surface rust and ripples in the panels.

The work of the panel shop looks good (this time around).

Perhaps, but for a 2006 TD5 that is otherwise spotless i am not happy with the work. They are all high an mighty about doing the work to factory, and gluing the panel together just isnt "factory"

[AndyG]

Looks as good as my MY15 joining, if not better. Sticky tape blocking gaps everywhere

[manic]

Perhaps, but for a 2006 TD5 that is otherwise spotless i am not happy with the work. They are all high an mighty about doing the work to factory, and gluing the panel together just isnt "factory"

'factory' methods for assembly are not the best. You now have a nice buffer between steel and aluminium, if it had just been riveted on as factory the steel capping would have continued to react with the aluminium tub. It can take any number years for the effects of the reaction to show up as paint bubbles or white powder around the edges of the capping. Without separation by sealant/gasket the aluminium behind the capping would have eventually turned to powder and left.

Looking at your close up pic it looks like a decent application of sikaflex, so you can be happy that your spotless td5 is unlikely to ever get cancer of the rear corner cappings.

[JDNSW]

Its a utility vehicle, and expected to get knocked about. That's why it has galvanised corner cappings so that the inevitable bumps and scratches don't matter (oops! they aren't any longer, are they?). If the vehicle was not intended as a knockabout one, presumably you would have got a Discovery?

John

[technophile]

Thank you for your opinions i appreciate them.

I understand that there is now a buffer between the steel and ali, but this is only right at the bottom. So what about the rest of the capping?

[isuzurover]

Thank you for your opinions i appreciate them.

I understand that there is now a buffer between the steel and ali, but this is only right at the bottom. So what about the rest of the capping?

The rest of the capping has the defective factory system which promotes galvanic corrosion.

[rar110]

When rebuilding my 110, I applied wax oil to any steel component that sat against the alloy body. LR rely on paint to stop the corrosive reaction.

[EastFreo]

Not sure if it will make any difference but I have sprayed Lanox into every join and bit of capping that I could find on my MY15 Defender.