Thread: Best way to change a firewall on defender

How bad is the rust?.Changing the firewall is probably the most labour intesive job you could do on a LR.It would have to be held together by the paint before I would change it.I have done it once on a 2a and would not do it again,you can buy all the parts you need for rust repair. Pat

I read this thread's title and thought "Oh No " then I realised its the OTHER Defender.

Originally Posted by PAT303

How bad is the rust?.Changing the firewall is probably the most labour intesive job you could do on a LR.It would have to be held together by the paint before I would change it.I have done it once on a 2a and would not do it again,you can buy all the parts you need for rust repair. Pat

i already have the firewall waiting to go in

the only part we have seen so far(yet to pull the rest of the dash) you can post all finger on one hand and still have room around your hand...it needs doing because its only going to get worse.

and we dont want to be pulling the car apart again in a few years time just becasue we only patched it this time.

the car as come from the uk so things are rotting pretty bad

Ive seen a county one out in a guy I knows workshop but I havnt done one my self.

The guy who did that pulled the engine and all the front panels and windscreen off and I helped him lift it out with the dash attached.

It did look to be a relatively big job but I wouldnt even attempt it with the engine in, box wasnt a problem as he took the floor out before hand as well.

Big big job though.

As has been said its a very big and time consumeing job Lue, not something you can do over a weekend (unless you start Friday night and work till its done)

best way is front end off doors off unbolt roof leave on engine out (you can leave the G/box in your choice) lift the firewall off with the dash untouched an engine side un touched swop everthing over onto the new firewall slot everything back in

not an easy job...

Tony

essentially

remove roof
remove windshield
unbolt wings and floor (you may need to remove the radiator bulkhead to achieve this but you don't in a series or a county thats sans aircon)
remove steering box + column
unmount brake + clutch towers
remove accelerator linkages
remove transmission covers and floor plates
unhose the heater box and aircon if fitted (you can do it without doing this but you have fun with that)
seperate electrical harness
unbolt firewall
remove firewall
remove fruit from firewall

to assemble read that list backwards and replace remove with install and unmount with mount.

same same on all the shed class rovers.

When I took mine apart I did basically this

1. remove front and rear doors and bonnet
2. remove roof, side panels and windscreen frame in 1 piece (heavy)
3. remove front panel and front wings
4. remove floor adn tunnel
5. Disconnect everything. I kept mine in the largest sub assemblies possible, leaving everything I could on the firewall for example.
6. lift off firewall (heavy)

Is the firewall you have built up or do you need to build it from the parts on your current one?

Rgds
Pete

better buy some outriggers and anything else thats used to attach the bulkhead to the chassis. might as well add the door posts also, cos the bolts in them are rooted too.

its not as simple as just replacing the bulkhead, fair enough on a newish one its maybe more straight forward, but ian's one will have a large can of worms inside. half of the uk is in the chassis its what you cant see that will cost the most.

if it were me ide wait till the rego's just been paid then take it apart, that way ian dont have to worrie about de registering it and he will have the maximum time to do the job.

cheers phil