Repairing rusty C-posts

Badly rusted C-posts can spell the end of a Station Wagon, Trevor Cuthbert shows how they can be successfully repaired

More cuts and welds from Trevor Cuthbert

LAST MONTH we looked at how badly-rusted sills and B-posts can ruin a Land Rover 110 Station Wagon or indeed a Series 109 Station Wagon, and how to carry repairs using the excellent repair parts available from the likes of YRM Metal Solutions Ltd.

This time we’re looking at the Station Wagon’s C-post, which forms the frame for the rear side doors and is also an integral part of the body shell structure.

The C-post can rust away just like the sill and B-post does. Some Land Rovers will need all three sections repaired or replaced, while others may need C-post repairs, while the B-posts are fine, and vice versa.

In the Station Wagon we worked on last month, it happened to need repairs to the B-posts on both sides, the sills on both

sides and the C-posts as well. It might have been a good candidate for a full frame assembly on both sides but, at the time, that full section had not been developed by YRM Metal Solutions. However, new full frame assemblies for both sides of a Station Wagon are now available. Assessing and exposing the C-post Its condition and the adjacent inner sill section was not difficult to assess. The rust was so advanced the damage to the C-post could be easily identified just by opening the rear side doors. Likewise, having a brief look underneath was all that was needed to see the extent of the rot in the sill.

On some Land Rovers, the weakness in the C-posts and sill is not so apparent. The area might be hidden by carpet or other lining, and the sills might be covered by underseal (sometimes in an ill-advised effort to conceal the issue from a prospective purchaser or an MOT tester). So it is always worth having a good prod around to check the condition of your body shell on the vehicle you own or are buying.

While these repairs have been made easier by the availability of the wellengineered repair sections, there is still a great amount of time, effort, disruption and cost involved. Just like the B-post repairs, the first part of the job is exposing the section that needs to be replaced. Fixtures and fittings around the area need to be removed, carpet needs to be peeled back and the floor plate for the middle row seating area needs to be lifted. Sometimes this preparation work can take as long as the actual repair itself.