OTHER CHASSIS REPAIRS

THE DRAMATIC repairs needed to the lower rear chassis rails was only part of the story with this Discovery 2 chassis. In other areas, smaller rust holes had formed and metal had been weakened in locations where there was a moisture trap between two mating surfaces – as was the case with the gearbox crossmember mounts. We also identified areas that, although were not holed, had been weakened by rust – the metal had become too thin to be strong enough. For all repairs we used new 2 mm steel, which is a bit thicker than the original material that the chassis was made from.

1

There are numerous other less serious holes in the chassis, caused by rust. These need to be repaired too, to strengthen up the weakened area.

2

A die grinder is used to ream out the rust hole in the gearbox crossmember mount, removing the thin weak metal that’s been attacked by rust.

3

A small square of fresh steel is placed over the hole in the crossmember mount, after the mount has been dented inwards with a hammer.

4

The new piece of steel is welded over the prepared hole in the crossmember mount, putting lots of strength back into the section.

5

The welds need to be ground back to leave the mount flat on the surface, to allow perfect mating of the crossmember to the chassis.