Thread: Galvanising

Keep this up Brendan,and you will be able to give up your other job,and just build panels for Land Rovers for a living

Fit somuch better. Extra 3mm in depth allows all the brackets to sit right. Extra 4mm in width allows the closing latches to slide over. All gaps a parallel.

Not sure how others have done the fitting up of door skins to the frame. With the extra thickness of the skins (2mm), they are a lot more rigid. I sprayed them with colour first. Then completed folding the edges over. Sikaflex was added at this stage to the mating faces. I clamped the skin to the frame to eliminate any movement of the sheet on the front face.Where the aluminium was steched in the folding operation I scuffed the front surface and gave a top coat .

To keep any overspray getting on the Gal where the door handles go I stuffed a rag in there. Seemed to work well. The tail gate got a lick of paint at the same time.

Tail gate looked good until I took out the temporary bolts and replaced them with the dome head aluminium rivets in an attempt to match the top capping. In hindsight I should have looked further into spot welding as none of the peliminary testing worked well on the aluminium. I ended up countersinking the back side of the panel and roving the rivet. I then ground the excess back flush. The process knocked the head of the rivet around on the front side. To be happy with the finished result it became apparent that I would need to sand and refinish the panel. Pity to be looking at the reflection of the sander in new duco stripping it back. Worth doing though after the effort so far. Just need to wait for the rain to stop to have another crack at painting.

On a happier note the cappings look good riveted on and the doors with the handle assembly in fit well. Tomorrow I hope to get a chance to fit the latch to the panel side and have a functional door.
Some of the rubbers arrived from the UK along with the rivets.

Great work again Brendan, I cant wait too see this one day

Originally Posted by brendanm

Tail gate looked good until I took out the temporary bolts and replaced them with the dome head aluminium rivets in an attempt to match the top capping. In hindsight I should have looked further into spot welding as none of the peliminary testing worked well on the aluminium. I ended up countersinking the back side of the panel and roving the rivet. I then ground the excess back flush. The process knocked the head of the rivet around on the front side. To be happy with the finished result it became apparent that I would need to sand and refinish the panel. Pity to be looking at the reflection of the sander in new duco stripping it back. Worth doing though after the effort so far. Just need to wait for the rain to stop to have another crack at painting.

I feel your pain, dont short cut now. I quite often sit the panels aside and have found it is easier 2nd time around.

looking good.