Hi, As a complete newbie to welding & car bodywork I beg some advice. The RR book I have says "location M : CO2 , 2 runs 40mm" next to the pic of the rear x-member. So to replace it do I just have to grind off two 40mm runs of weld each side of the tailgate and undo the 2 chassis mount bolts ? Is that all that holds it on ?
thanks , Wafty
That's rather an HBOL (Haynes Book of Lies) description. It's nowhere near the full story.
Firstly that picture (if it's the one at which I'm looking) is for the old models with the aluminium rear floor. Definitely an easier prospect than the later ones.
The weld that you see just joins the floor side panels to the tailgate frame. If you're doing contemplating what I think you are, the rear body crossmember (which sits on top of the two rear chassis mounts) has multiple welds to the bottom of the vertical frame members. If you're unlucky enough to have the fully welded body with the steel floor, the floor is welded to the top of the crossmember, too.
It's a stinker of a job at best and you may regret attempting it as an introduction to body repairs. You are very likely to find that once you start to strip things away to gain access, all sorts of other 'defects' are revealed.
Ideally you want to 'roll' the crossmember into postion from the front and with the later models that involves dropping the fuel tank. It definitely helps to get the rear quarter panels out of the way.
We have discussed some aspects of this task here relatively recently: try searching the newsgroup for 'crossmember', RRC and/or classic.
Sorry for being so negative!
The lower tailgate is hanging off one side as the hinge mount has rusted through and the upper tailgate does seem tight on the lower one. MOT is in Feb so looks like a steep learning curve. Better pump up the tyres on my pushbike. Many thanks for the good advice.
Wafty
MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.