Rust in 110's

Ah yes Landy rust, the thing that keeps me awake at night and cussing in the workshop :)

I have rebuilt a good many LR's now and as many posters have said, if its steel, it will rot.

There is no real wonder cure for it and my approach is not the cheapest and is done to keep the vehicle on the road for as long as possible.

Chassis, shot blasted, then hot dipped galvanised

Bulk head, replaced very time. Then either chemically stripped or blasted (carefully) and then hot dipped galvanised. I choose not to repair bulkheads anymore becuase of the time involved. The repair pieces and panel beater labour costs me more than buying new genuine TD5 bulkheads.

Doors, its an art. With a great deal of care and keeping your cool it is possible to get the bottom of the door skin away from the door frame. Cut out offending rotted section and weld in new piece. You can buy replacement door frame sections. If money is not an issue, buy new doors!

Body to Chassis area has a piece of inner tube bonded to the chassis and it helps a lot.

Althought not a rust problem, I also put rubber rings on top of the springs. It helps reduce road noise.

Fuel tank always gets stripped and painted with Ziga paint. Its tought paint thats nearly all Zinc and has been used in the North Sea oil platforms for over 30 years. Sometimes I will pain bulkheads with this stuff if Galvanising is not possible within the time frame given.

Under the floor is usually best repaired by cutting it out and replacing.

If you go with a major bulkhead repair or replacement, do the wise thing and fit an uprated wiring loom.

Emerald

G'day again all,

Had a look at a 2000 Defender Extreme today, it seemed in pretty good condition. I did find some rust though. Most of the bolts on the door hinges had some rust - that in itself didn't bother me, as I'm sure they could be replaced reasonably easily, but my worry is that if the bolts are rusting, is it possible there is more hidden rust inside the door?

I also found some rust in the rear (tailgate) door. It was right at the very bottom of the door - not visible on the outside panel. I am sure this will need to be cut out and repaired - just wondering how big a job this is? Would it be simple enough for someone with no prior experience to do?

There was also some surface rust on the "deflector bar"(not sure what the correct term is) that sits behind and below the bullbar - I would assume
this wouldn't be to hard to treat?

Hope you're not all getting sick of my questions!

Cheers

Sean

mojo, if after reading this thread all you can find is a little rust in a the rear door frame, and some surface rust on door bolts and steering protector, it would be classified as a "rust-free" vehicle by any Land Rover standards. Surface rust - clean off and apply your choice of rust inhibiting cover (paint, primer, oil etc). And the rear door rust - see the comments by emerald above re doors.

Thanks scrambler. As far I as I can see, the only rust is in the areas I've mentioned. I guess my main concern is the rear door. I saw emerald's post, but wouldn't know one end of a welder from the other ... so I guess I'm really just wondering if it can be bogged rather than welded?

IMHO rust in the bottom of the door frames is best sanded and filed/cut out, primed and painted but NOT bogged. I.e. if the rust is right through the frame, leave the hole open. I've a hole like this in the drivers door of my Series III wagon - it doesn't get any worse over time. Bogging will retain more water so more rust.

Rear doors are a fairly common replacement. You might want to think about getting a spare wheel holder to take the weight off the door.

Thanks mate. What you're saying makes sense.

This guy is asking $24k for it - 2000 Defender 110 Extreme, 120000 km. As mentioned, it seems in pretty good nick, paintwork has a few minor scratches and tiny dents. He is happy for me to get a pre purchase inspection. Any idea if this is a reasonable price? Redbook says its a few grand too high, but every Defender/County I've seen sold over the last few months has gone for well over Redbook prices, so I'm thinking its not too over the top?


Cheers

Sean

I think the biggest problem with rust in any Land Rover is caused by the aluminium.


When I was ringing sellers about Discoverys I always asked if they had rust around the alpine windows. Lots of people said 'Of course not they are made of aluminium'. :o

Who needs to prevent rust if your car is made of aluminium?

Yeah, I've rung alot of people in my hunt for a Landy and asked them about rust, and often get the "no, its made from aluminium" reply. Although judging by the reponses in this thread, I suppose technically it's not rust :confused: :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mojo

Thanks mate. What you're saying makes sense.

This guy is asking $24k for it - 2000 Defender 110 Extreme, 120000 km. As mentioned, it seems in pretty good nick, paintwork has a few minor scratches and tiny dents. He is happy for me to get a pre purchase inspection. Any idea if this is a reasonable price? Redbook says its a few grand too high, but every Defender/County I've seen sold over the last few months has gone for well over Redbook prices, so I'm thinking its not too over the top?


Cheers

Sean

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Price sounds like the going rate for that year. The KMs are pretty good.

What extras does it have? Snorkel? Lights? Dual battery? etc.

spudboy, it's got snorkel, bullbar, tow bar, roof rack, and pretty sure its got spotties. Don't think it has duel batteries.