Defender 90 galvanised bulkhead and chassis change

Replacing a Landrover Defender 90 1993 bulkhead and chassis with galvanised parts. We secured the Galvanised Chassis and Bulkhead from Terraintech in Axminster and are very pleased with the results.
It took 2 men in 8 days to do 99% of the work, we still have some small jobs to do before the MOT like change the windscreen and fit the doors but other than that it all went according to plan!
Brilliant team work by Will and Andy Paton.
If you find the video interesting please hit the like button.

As a foot note:
If you are asking how long it will take if you did it, It all comes down to how much space and time you have. we had a full agricultural workshop with every tool you could ever need to solve any of the issues you will cross. We are not mechanics but both very competent and adept with this sort of engineering.
If you were doing it in a small domestic garage or driveway it will take you so much longer. Overall the body came off fine and returned to the new chassis and bulkhead with relative ease.
All parts were cleaned wire brushed and painted in black Hammertite before being returned to the chassis.
we did copper slip as many of new bolts that were put on the vehicle to make it less chance that they would rust and be a pain in the future to remove if needed.
Having an extended reach saved so much time over a hoist but it can all be done as long as you have the storage space,
My words of wisdom would be;
bag everything that comes off and mark all even if you might be replacing bolts or parts it will save you so much pain later.
We learnt so many new swear words but we knew it had to be completed in 8 days and kept up the pace, distraction is your enemy.

Good luck if you do the same and try and have fun with it! Please LIKE THE VIDEO if you found it interesting!

[samuelthorogood]

your teleporter has an oil leak somewhere. Great to see though!

[jamesward]

Wiring loom (usually a messed with mess) is the only bit of this process I dislike doing - I do it alone using only an engine crane as "lifting" gear. In fact I do it repeatedly as I build the body back up/take it off again once the fits right, sort the paint on the bits I can't get at once assembled, then build it all back up again.. and often take it all back off again to tweak the sound-deadening blah blah.. then back on again, lol. I feel less bad about taking a fair bit longer than your 8 days with 2 men considering everything gets fresh paint/sound deadening/bodywork repairs too. :-)

The feckity bit of "sill" he was plasma-cutting responds well to a really powerful air wrench - usually the bolts will break as opposed to opening, but a result all the same as all you want is for it to come off. New bolts FTW. I tend to bin pretty much every LR body-fastener & replace them all with riv-nuts - the original LR fasteners are generally all a pain in the nads/slightly rubbish. I do the same for pretty much all the naff plastic "screw into this" yokes they use - I replace those with riv-nuts too, bin the screw & use a proper fastener. Makes everything come apart a lot nicer next time. Makes everything a lot nicer to re-fit as well.

[garypoulton]

What bulkhead did you use, and did it fit without having to cut, weld and drill lots of holes please?

[millin]

Loved watching that. A lot of time was put in. Would you ever consider doing it again with a 30 year old Defender 90 😉

[adhrarloures]

I noticed that you didn't paint the new chassis like a lot of people do?

[williambrown]

Great job! I keep waffling....should I replace the frame on my 1997 Defender 90 or not? The galvanized frame looks great and should bring decades of trouble free service.

[ZonnepanelenDak]

Hi, nice timelaps, thanks!
My question is: how many hours did this take you?
Is the bulkhead galvanized?

[simonwalker]

Could of given the engine a good wash before you put it back in lads.