Thread: Introducing Hedley

Hi Garry,

I am certainly no expert - and I hope that you get other opinions from the good folk on here.
But in my opinion - those rear spring hangers are on dangerous/shaky ground. The reason why I say this:
* In the top picture the rust is at the very edge of the spring hanger.
* In the bottom picture you can see the metal above the spring hanger is rust coloured.
* In my experience with rust - it's not what you can see, but what you can't.
* I would think that the spring hanger needs to be very strong because of the loads/stress it carries..



As I said - purely my opinion, but I would be looking for something like this -

BARGAIN! LAND ROVER SERIES 2/2A/3 SWB 1/4 Chassis Rear Cross Member | eBay

Thanks very much GG. I wondered the same thing, especially knowing how important the spring hangers are.

Yep, I did look at 1/4 chassis replacements on the Paddocks site (that one in eBay is 'pick up only' in the UK, and as much as I'd love to head back to the UK, it might be a bit hard to carry onto the plane. )

But, depending on the advice of others, I will certainly consider the 1/4.

I'll have to contact Juddy and see when his next container is heading this way.

Thanks again for the advice.

cheers

I'll start by proclaiming my lack of expertise - but I reckon exactly the same as GG. I would err a long way to the side of caution on this. If in doubt, go further, dig deeper, replace anything dodgy. Don't do any repairs which "might" be enough. From the look of those photographs, the rust damage around that spring hanger runs deep.

Now, that's my tuppence-worth. Hope it helps.

John

P.S. My welding expertise extends to spraying slag around the countryside and setting my Dunlop Volleys on fire, otherwise I would offer my services to assist you.

Hi Garry,
I ,too, reckon you're going to find the rust will have gone pst the hangers in the chassis rails.
But panic ye not. Its all totally repairable with a bit of time and effort.

I'd seriously recommend learning to weld. Not sure you need a full on TAFE course to weld mild steel, but some sort of knowledge about heat, weld penetration and stress risers is going to be a good thing.

Welding is fun. I couldn't weld prior to owning a land rover, but its not hard.
The secret is practice. I spent a good couple of weeks welding scrap bits together, trying to break the joined pieces, and sawing through the welds to look at penetration, and to work out the power settings, line feed and gas pressure on the welder its self.

Assuming you've bitten the bullet and got a nice gas fed MIG welder. First thing you're going to need to do is build a jig to hold the spring hangers and a replacement rear x-member in the correct place. Here's your first welding project!
Think about the worst case senario say the chassis is rotten to 6" past the hanger and you need to cut the hanger off, then replace it in exactly the same place you cut it out from once you've repaired the chassis. Your jig needs to be able to do that.
If you decide that a 1/4 chassis is the way to go, your jig will ensure your chassis goes together correctly.

Even if you decide your welding isn't good enough to repair the chassis its self, having made the jig, you'll have confidence that whoever does the work will get the alignment right.

If this were mine - do some investigation over the whole chassis, be brutal, stab it with a screw driver, esp near where the exhaust goes under the chassis, the front chassis bushes, the cross members supporting the bulkheads, and work out what needs to be repaired. The top of the chassis is usually ok, so you'll alway have a reference point.
Build a jig for the rear hangers, and possibly the front depending on what you find up there.
Start cutting out the rust and try not to panic as large gaping wounds appear.
Weld in your replacements - there are strict techniques to use when repairing chassis (not hard but you need avoid stress risers, so do some reading, esp on techniques coach builders use to extend chassis on trucks ).
Take your time. If you make a mistake it can always be cut out. Penetration is always preferable to pretty on your welds (flap disks can make pretty later).


This might slow down Hedley's rebuild but its a great skill to have(and save you a heap of cash, even buying the welder), and who knows you might get carried away and start building stuff around the house and yard



I know its not a Land Rover, but it is all my own work

Ozdunc, I really appreciate this. I was beginning to get seriously discouraged - especially when professional welders out there were starting to knock me back. I think you are absolutely right, and you aren't the first one to recommend that I 'bite the bullet' on this.

There is no time pressure on me fortunately and I took on this whole rebuild to learn some new things - and to have a project that can be done from home and involve my son. Why not learn how to weld?

You've really got me thinking, and if it's ok with you, I might pm you to discuss this a bit further?

cheers

Of course

I'm no expert, but I promise to say I don't know, when I don't know

Well, Hedley has finally been stripped back to bare bones. It only took 4 months! Here is his sad chassis awaiting attention - clean-up, sand-back, and repair!



Also, I had a bit of a win today. After several frustrating phone calls with people whose computer didn't know what BS4800-16C33 meant, or who wouldn't put it in an aerosol can for me, I found a paint place that could supply me Duck Egg Blue enamel in pressure pack cans!



The pistons are back in, having been cleaned up, cylinders have been honed, rings and bearings replaced and hopefully this weekend, its time to paint the block.

The paint place is also a welding supplier so tomorrow I think the bullet is going to be bitten (thanks to all who have encouraged me to 'bite') and I'll be getting a MIG welding rig from them as well.

It's all happening.

Pizza tonight. I don't cook on Friday night!

Can't say this was one of my favourite jobs, and I've never quite understood why an engine even needs painting, but it will look pretty I guess.

I just hope I did it right. Thorough clean and degrease of block and head, so many nooks and crannies! Mask up every opening I could find, insert bolts and some old spark plugs. Final clean down with carby cleaner. Etch prime, then 3 coats of the Duck Egg. Sit back with a cheeky little Chardonnay and some cheese crackers. My assistant is enjoying a beer (have to watch that when he starts driving around in his powered wheelchair!)







Sump and various other components still being cleaned and painted satin black.




Garry