Thread: defender chassis

good indication would be the towing capacity of the defenders

Defender chasssis are built from a lighter gauge steel - basically cold formed sheet metal. The extra depth, more so than the width is needed for strength. The method of construction is probably a legacy of the old construction methods from the early days of Land Rover when technology and materials were in short supply.

Most Jap chassis are hot rolled, using a much heavier section.
Cant comment on which is stronger but it could be worked out fairly easily, Defender chassis can be dented more easily, Jap chassis's are usually more flexible, its debatable whether this is a good thing or not. Its a generalisation but I would say that Land Rover chassis are more corrosion prone in the same circumstances, due to the thinner material and the metallurgy which did vary throughout the decades - some chassis from the 70's seem to rust a lot quicker than other decades. From Series 3's onwards, chassis construction methodology has pretty much been the same.

Thanks Mark

Thats shed a bit more light to the subject

Cheers

I cant imagine to much flex in the chassis would be good for the alignment of your body panels over an extended period of time. Matt