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Changing Front Outrigger's - Defender 90

Hi All,

My 90 Hardtop has just failed its MOT on a corroded Left Front Outrigger and brace (The bit that fits between the outrigger and the Radius Arm - Chssis Connector) among other things.

Question is whats the best way to replace them - they are really too far gone to patch, though the steel near the chassis is good.

My first thought was to cut away the soft bit leaving only a few inches of good steel still attached to the chassis and cut the corresponding bit off the new replacement and weld the two resulting bits together to make one.

My other thought was to just remove the old and replace with new, BUT how do you weld the top of the outrigger to the chassis without a major strip down? Which pannels need to come off / out? I am assuming floor and possibly the wing? And also whats the best way of getting it back in exactly the same position??

Also, when I remove the bulkhead bolt and rotton outrigger do I need to support the body whilst the new outrigger goes back on?

Any thoughts / advice greatly appreciated, if there are any pitfalls to avoid then I want to do so as I also have a fuel tank and rear axle oil seal to change this weekend.

Thanks Jon

Reply to
Jon
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Might look OK, but be prepared to find holed chassis underneath the outrigger when you take them off.

Not seen this before!

Door off, radius arm off, sill off, floor panel out should do the trick. Also easier to access with wheel spat off.

Better to, though there's another bracket that attaches to the chassis so it's not going to suddenly descend on you.

You're going to be busy! I wouldn't try and do this in the same weekend as the fuel tank, it's a fair bit of work to do correctly, and it can take quite a bit of work getting the chassis ready to weld the new one on as you do have restricted access.

All the best!

regards

William MacLeod

Reply to
William MacLeod

William MacLeod wrote in news:2TcAc.45$Yx3.21@newsfe3-gui:

He lives!!!

So she didn't make you sell the 110??

For those who don't know, Willie's recent absence was due to his disregarding Mr Punch's advice about marriage!

Congratulations, Willie, and glad to see you back. I was only talking to Jimmy about you yesterday when the re-built D90 sailed through it's MOT. And if you have time to pop in sometime (and the wife will let you), I'll tell you the rest of the story...which continues!

Derry FS: 1992, 200Tdi, red, D90, p/u, 86,500 miles, new tyres.

Reply to
Derry Argue

Yep :)

No, she bought me a range rover instead. Less draughty :)

I have a fair pile of work to be doing on it though that I was asking advice about the other day!

The 110 was doing a little dancing near yours the other day - trailer wheel loosened off and started swinging the back end. No damage to the 110 though.

Thanks!

I have to make a visit there myself soon. The nut and bolt restored 110 CSW is meant to have its MOT in a few weeks and the front doors don't fit - However, I have great confidence in the portapak and will attack that this evening.

Looks like you've decided which one to sell!

See you soon

regards

WIllie

Reply to
William MacLeod

Thanks for the advice / reply. Please see questions below. Jon

Arse, more patchworking! Fingers crossed all will be OK.

Does that mean its a big no no and unsafe, or purely that you havent seen it before?? i.e. Would it be safe to do it? Given the point above though perhaps the whole thing should come off (better safe than sorry).

Door Off ? Is this just to make life easier or does it NEED to come off to allow the floor pannel out? I dont really fancy tackling those damm awful hinges if I can walk around an open door instead.

Fair point, fuel tank will have to be done early next week.

Reply to
Jon

inches of good steel still attached to the chassis and cut the corresponding bit off the new replacement and weld the two resulting bits together to make one

This is the way that I did both sides on mine. Get a thin cutting disc and slice of the old rigger,I left about 20mm sticking out at the top. The rest was ground down to the bare chassis. Two nice welds all the way up the sides and weld the new and old together at the top. No bracing needed as nothing moved when bolt removed. Put bolt back in when welding, this is for alignment. Thick angle iron for the brace and nicely shaped and the job is complete. Yours Gmacz

Reply to
Gmacz

:)

The way you suggest would be much quicker for sure, I spent the most time in getting the old outrigger off and cleaning up/patching where it had been. If the bit attached to the chassis is OK then I don't see any problems with what you suggest and it would be quicker for sure.

No, it's just to make life easier (make sure everything's well supported if you leave the door on though) I just hate hitting my head off it when I get up! Floor panel just needs a little talking to and it'll slip out without any problem when you get it at the right angle. I seem to have to replace the door bolts every few years anyway so I don't think much about them.

Radius arms can be a bit of a brute to get on by yourself as well - I suppose you should have a new nylock nut for the end of it as well. New bulkhead bolt+nut as it'll need drifted out most likely, remember the order of any washers that you find and put them back on to make sure everything lines up as before.

Regards

William MacLeod

Reply to
William MacLeod

OK, finally got outrigger welded on last night.

In the end the whole thing came off, indeed as predicted there was a

2" square hole in the main chassis leg.

tools used for the job: hi lift jack trolley jack recipricating hacksaw angle grinder welder

Thanks to the recipricating hacksaw I managed to do it without removing the radius arm (though i did slacken the nyloc nut right off). Jacked body up with hi-lift and let axle (with wheel off) drop its entire travel, this allowed enough room to get old rigger off and new welded back in place.

Hardest part was welding the back edge to chassis below bulkhead and around clutch pipe.

Now i just need to adjust the door a fraction (something must have move a few mm somewhere).

As for the fuel tank... Tonights job!

thanks for the advice.

Jon

Reply to
Jon

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