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Welding front hangers - how?

Another year, another MOT failure! Not too bad this year, just 2 holes,The trouble is how to get to them. The holes are on the main chassis rails,at the front,inbetween the 2 plates that go down and hold the front spring bush. The front bumper is bolted on near here as well - the hole is just behind the bolts that hold on the bumper. There is a picture here:

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how do you get into that space to weld a plate on?I cannot even see how a grinder can get into there as there is just notenough room to get the disc in to clean it up.Are there complete front spring hanger sections for sale, so it would bejust a case of cutting off the last 8 inches of chassis, then welding ona new one? Any other ideas? Thanks Alan.

Reply to
A.Lee
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My 1986 Range Rover just sailed through an MOT. Can anyone here please explain what I'm doing wrong?

David

ps I know this is not helpful and childish, but I HAD to tell someone!

Reply to
rads

You're talking about the front dumbirons. I wouldn't think about trying to patch them up.

Replace them altogether. There are some pics of this very process taking place on my S3 here:

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Click the thumbnail for higher resolution pic...

Martyn

Reply to
Mother

I'd agree with Martyn. Replacements are cheap, and providing you get the distances right, it'll be much better than patching. If it's really rotten, you can always replace the front x-member as well.

If you're doing the hangers only, here's a tip. Get a broomhandle that fits through the bolt holes and use some pieces of wood to get the distance to the front x-member. Cut only one hanger off at a time, and use the handle to locate the hanger correctly, otherwise the thing will drive crab-wise afterwards.

Alex

Reply to
Alex

On or around Fri, 24 Oct 2003 15:49:06 +0100, snipped-for-privacy@darkroom.minus.com (A.Lee) enlightened us thusly:

depends how bad the rot is. If the side plates that go down to the spring eye are sound, and the hole in the bottom of the chassis is the ONLY weak bit, then I'd say that you can drop the spring and gain access. If you're in any doubt as to the soundness of the spring attachment, replace the whole bit as others have said.

drop the spring out and hit bits with a moderate-sized hammer (about 1lb), use a ball-pein and hit fairly hard with the ball end. You shouldn't be able to make any noticeable impression on the chassis by doing this - if you make notable dents or bits fall out due to rust, it's not worth patching. make sure you hit up to several inches away from the visible hole, the metal could well be thin for some distance.

Reply to
Austin Shackles

Yep, got one of the complete fabrications today from Shardlow for £25ish.The other side wasnt in stock,so I'll go elsewhere for that next week. Looks an easy enough job to do,so I'll have it done before the 2 weeks for the free retest are up. Alan.

Reply to
A.Lee

Yes, you'll have to wait another 18 years with your car, and leave it on its original chassis. Holes miraculously appear every year at the same time then! Alan.

Reply to
A.Lee

I dont think they can be patched inside there.Looking at the new part today, it would be impossible to angle grind out the old metal - even by removing the springs.The hole is in a 'v' shaped cavity at the front of the chassis.It is less than 2 inches high at the front and goes to a point at the rear. I've bought the complete fabrication today with hangers etc, so will be cutting off the old one, to make what looks like a fairly easy job. Alan.

Reply to
A.Lee

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