We decided to do something funky with the centre part of the rear x-member - an integrated Hayman Reese-type hitch receiver built into the rear x-member itself. I would not have even contemplated doing this unless I had to chop out this whole centre section and reinstate it - which I had to do so why not! I ordered some 65x65 RHS with a 6mm wall thickness - same as what the towbar manufacturers use - and went to work. First up was to drill some 16mm holes in each vertical face of the RHS for the hitch pin, and then weld the sucker in.
I cut out the front face of the rear cross-member and replace that with some new steel (sorry no pics but you can see it in the second photo below), then proceeded to cut the square hole through the rear face and then the front face - maintaining the correct centreline alignment. I then welded the RHS to these two plates on the internal cavity to allow to ensure that the outer faces were flush.
Then we cut two reinforcing plates out of 3mm steel to cover the rear face (which was a slightly dented but unaffected by corrosion, it looked OK) and also a piece that would span the flanges on the front face and lock in the RHS. This means that over a span of 125mm the RHS is welded to 2x 2mm plates and 2x 3mm plates - which should be enough to withstand towing the Queen Mary!! I didn't take any photos on the progress but here are some of the finished product.
Rear reinforcing plate which covers the original rear plate and simply reinforces it:
Rear face again:
Front reinforcing plate which spans the rolled flanges and reinforces this front area (also note the new steel on this face to the right and a patch to the main rail over on the far left to be done later):
And what was Plugger doing while all this was going on - getting some practice with the 5" angle grinder and technical drawing (guys, please note that Plugger is modelling the latest in PPE after the wire wheel incident )..
Now that the hitch receiver was welded to all the vertical plates, it was time to put a lid back on this section and button it up. I measured the opening and sent the dimensions to the cutting room - aka Plugger - and welded this on. Then we cut a piece of 5mm plate and cut some 32mm holes in it for the safety chain d-shackles. This then got welded onto the bottom plate and welded onto the RHS as well. It was now solid as a rock and it was time to move onto the drivers side extension. To me, the integrated hitch receiver was a really good idea and I was thrilled by how it turned out (as was Plugger). He can now install and remove the tongue at will (prevents theft and the occasional shin-bashing), and he can adjust the towing height to suit his camper trailer with an adjustable tongue etc - something that was impossible with the original design.
The process for the drivers (right) side extension was identical to the left side - they both had the same serous corrosion in the exact same areas. Firstly it was a case of cutting off the top and front faces to reveal the glory within. Luckily, this side did not reveal a gaping hole on the chassis rail but you can see where the PO has patched a section on the top of the rail (actually the underside). So, same as before, we made up the swing-away spare wheel and jerrycan holder mounting plate and welded that in:
And then proceeded to make up a top and side out of one piece and weld that on. As before, the extension was taken all the way to the rail to make this area stronger and stop all the crap getting into the rear x-member cavity. And as before, all the welds will be sealed with Sika to stop water ingress.
With the end cap welded on the original holes on the rear face were plugged and this area is now finished:
The rear x-member reinforcing tabs showed signs of corrosion underneath them. In fact this is a terrible design as this area simply acts a water and mud scoop and the mud then accumulates in this area and under the tabs without ever having a chance to drain away - silly!! I removed the plates to reveal - yes you guessed it - more corrosion.
I reinstated these areas and welded on new reinforcing tabs (sorry no pics). I will seal this entire area with black Sika when the time comes so this won't happen again.
With the rear x-member completed, it was time to cut n patch all the other little areas of corrosion. The hole on the right frame rail adjacent to the rear x-member was done (sorry no pics) and all the pinholes were done. If I found an area of corrosion say the size of a 10c peice or less I would get out the step drill and drill out out intil I got good metal, and then plug it with a holesaw cut-out piece which I have a habit of collecting for this very reason - it makes things so much easier (handy hint there for all you DIY'ers...). An area on the front x-member which I had previously missed around the steering relay got the cut n patch treatment so all was good here.
And finally with the order of the RHS for the receiver hitch I ordered a length of angle to replace the strut brace for the drivers side bulkhead outrigger and welded that on and the outrigger itself was fully seam welded to the chassis rail.
So that was it for the day - it was 10-hour day and I was knackered by the end of it. It had been hot and we both sweltered in the middle of the day - the pool and a beer beckoned and it was very well received.
A final shot from the frame right side up from the rear while on the chassis table. The 15mm twist in the frame I got down to 8mm - acceptable to me as it might pull down to less than that when the body gets tightened down. All in all I am very pleased with where we have got to. We are almost to the halfway mark with the restoration and we are still contemplating a June 30 finish date to be registered and on the road (fingers crossed).
Final job for the day was to lift the chassis off the chassis table and clamp it to the rotisserie in readiness for painting. As I took this pic Plugger was already in the pool with a Bundaberg Ginger Beer in hand. He worked very hard today and I am so proud of him. His birthday is on January 3rd straight after Xmas and we have told him that he is getting something really special. Its a combined Xmas/birthday present from his parents and grandparents and he has no idea what it is - but it is frustrating the hell out of him so this should teach him a little patience too. If you are reading this Plugger, so proud of you mate and a job well done!!
To all our friends on the forum, Plugger and I wish you a (belated) Happy New Year with good tidings to come. Cheers and thanks to everyone for your continued support and encouragement.
Wow, I'm impressed you've saved that chassis! I for one probably would have walked away from it! I feel you pain when it comes to trying to weld parts you can't get clean, the oil on the inside of my chassis would catch fire and the flame/gasses would blow the shielding gas away.
Well, its Pluggers birthday today, and we finally revealed what we got him for his birthday....
They were on sale at 4WD Supacentre so we took the plunge and bought one while they were virtually half price! The roof rack and the roof-top tent seem really good quality too so I hope it will last him a few years
Plugger was so overwhelmed with emotion he burst into tears!! Just a nice reward for all his hard work and dedication.
We took this route because, although he wants a camper trailer to go exploring with, he just simply doesn't have the experience of towing a trailer and I think that would not be a good idea. Maybe after a few years of driving around in Camel and getting very familiar with the vehicle then he should look at getting one. Its one thing to be able to drive a car well but another to be able to drive and tow a trailer well. All in good time mate!!
)..
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks