Club 80-90 Forums

Been a while since I last updated this thread but there hasnt been that much to tell. My original 33 year old radiator however corroded through a few weeks back and so I decided that now might be a good time to replace the lower front panel as this was the last majorly rusty panel on the van:

Front lower panel by Mark Shaw, on Flickr

Front lower panel by Mark Shaw, on Flickr

So the cutting, die grinding, air chiseling and flap disking began:

Front lower panel by Mark Shaw, on Flickr

Until it was more or less removed and then the cleanup of the steel began:

Remnants of panel nearly off. Started cleaning up the metal. by Mark Shaw, on Flickr

So after some advice from good ol Plasticman I cut out the rusty metal on which the front lower panel sits and made some new pieces from 2mm steel which I am in the process of tacking in...

Not done any welding for a while so decided to make my own land rover mirror brackets out of 3mm angle iron I had lying around.
Here's the first one whilst trial fitting before painting...

From the drivers seat the land rover mirror gives a much better field of view. Hopefully help with my crap reverse parking

So finally started the stitch welding in of my repair pieces in preparation for primer and paint before the front lower panel goes on...



Only problem is my flap disks are worn out so need to buy some more to grind my final welds flat. Stay tuned for more new panel escapades

So my repair panels are welded in and primed ready for paint. Dont need to perfectly grind down the repairs as I will be bonding the bottom of the panel with polyurethane sealant and the bumper will cover the other welding. Will spot weld the top and sides though.



Also like the look of the land rover mirrors

Finally got the panel tacked in...

Used polyurethane sealant instead of spot welding the bottom lip as it should hopefully keep the moisture out and not disintegrate to rust anytime soon.

Got tired so will grind the spot welds off the front tomorrow and then prime and paint

Front Lower Panel Replacement by Mark Shaw, on Flickr

So after paint, looks pretty good I think!

Hello,

mshaw1980 wrote: ↑06 Jul 2020, 21:09 Finally got the panel tacked in...

Used polyurethane sealant instead of spot welding the bottom lip as it should hopefully keep the moisture out and not disintegrate to rust anytime soon.

Got tired so will grind the spot welds off the front tomorrow and then prime and paint

Oooh........Avdel porn...

Cordialement,


 

Yeah avdel pins make bodywork so much easier. Another great tool purchase.

Hi I’m in the process of doing the front lower panel, panel supplied from JK dansak panel.
My question is how good a fit was your panel at the bottom where you glued it and who made the panel?
I’m still in the process of cleaning up the rust but did do a quick fit and the gap bottom middle is 3/4 cm I didn’t clamp it in just poped it in position to see.

Hi

I cut the lip off the back of my panel on the recommendation of Plasticman on this forum who is a metalwork master. It took a little bit of fettling to get it to fit but once welded and bonded looks fine. There was a gap under the middle of the panel where it bonds to the bumper slam panel but the polyurethane sealant took away the gap and then you can seal the seam up.

Fantastic work mate. It’s inspired me. Going to start in one corner and work my way around.

Thanks