Suzuki Club UK

Essay ahoy

Well we got this lwb 2 years ago now and we are finally getting somewhere after some 3rd party work

Initially it had alot of hidden corrosion in standard form but it was standard form which is good. No previous repairs beyond a full drivers side floor well at some point from a donor. I really should of pulled those carpets back just a bit further but lesson learned it was still a good lwb.

After the trim came off we saw the real state of affiars and how much welding was needed even on a good Sj.

My friend fabbed up some outer sills and trim covers for us, i got two new wings and it was ready for welding.

First of all a friend cut lumps out of it and dropped me in it (yey). Then It went to one lad who did a midnight runner from his unit in the end before not finishing it.Thank god as his work was awful . Then to a friend whos insurance company at his new unit duffed the job until renewal as they banned welding

Finally it made its way to a decent welder who could get onto it....

First off anyone paying for welding work will know its a expensive affair and this was too. I can weld as a time served toolmaker but warp free bodywork is a different kettle of fish all together.

The guy did a excellent job for our tight budget and the limited material left. He tugged the rear arches to remove the corroded areas and added brackets to allow the standard arches to fit still. Enough material was left to ensure the arches still look stock but in reality are floating. The rear quarters also don't have all the creases of a diy so it should come out nice. I have all the gear but im no finish painter so we shall see

I very picky with my work so im taking it back to bare again on welded areas before paint. I really should have given him corrosion inhibitor instead of epoxy primer so i could remove it all back to bare in my heated workshop easily.

Now ive got a blast session to do haha. Hopefully it drops off been so fresh.

Im in the midst of setting up my own blasting business so have all levels of gear around for the job. Ive also had especially built a nice 6mx4m workshop in the garden so it can get a decent paint at home. I looked at pop up tents initially but read the horror stories and condensation issues.

The plan is to build it as close to standard spec as possible appart from PAS, some ats and a max lift of 2"

Alot of the spot welded items that are not holding alot are going to be just bonded back on so theres less corrosion points from welds.

Its going to be our daily 4x4 and hopefully as nice to drive as my last one was once sorted

Anyway ill get some pictures up soon and keep taking as i go. I want Sid on the road for January ideally

Wish me luck and stay tuned for the pictures

Mick

I took some pictures tonight after taking the seats and carpets out. Only one bolt hole cracked with a tad corrosion around ill blast so all good... Ill get a sey up tomorrow of it from start to now

Mick

Photos ????

Rabid Rhino wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 30, 2019 5:20 am

Photos ????

On it now Quite a few landing

Are you in the states bud? I have been thinking of saving up for a new shell from your side of the pond instead of welding this up again in the future.

This was how it looked when we first brought Sid home,Well it was recovered the last leg as the T case blew 40 miles from home

And after we stripped her down, I keep saying we and mean me and the Mrs. Sid is actually both of ours

We got a few pictures of the work as it went on so i can show the state of the shell a bit more before been welded properly.It had sadly alot cut out of it by previous welders before it made it to him. That made the job harder sadly and hey ho more expensive

So the welding began

After all the work was done we had Sid back on the drive ready to go into the workshop once finished

The workshop took a bit longer than expected even though someone built it for us and we just finished it and insulated it but its done and Sid is finally in there. Realistically this is 8 weeks to finish not 4

Anyway i took the seats out and carpet yesterday. I found a cracked floor mount ill have to sort but overall it looks good thankfully I am hoping all my surface rust blasting below goes well and theres no extra work found. I really would pull the whole care apart,blast and rebuild the lot if i could but we need it on the road and i can just do local repairs for now with good quality epoxy mastic. I have a good insulated heated workshop so should be able to achieve the correct metal temps etc to beat the dew point and get top quality protection.

Anyway as Sid stands...

This is where we are at... Seats out, carpets outs, beginning to clean the full inner tub for local repairs. Hopefully not too much blasting is needed around failed scabby sealer areas in the footwell etc.It needs a deeper clean yet before i start and any work areas ground back ready.

Anyway lots to do and fingers crossed it goes smoothly or as smoothly as it can

Its me doing all the mechanical and work btw, the Mrs escapes that bit but did help me finish the workshop and is not afraid to muck in

Mick

You can see in some of the pictures even a good quality epoxy primer cant offer good protection unless the surface is the right temp and dry etc before it goes on.Some trapped moisture has caused orange patches already after 3 weeks outside and a initial paint in most likely cold conditions.

It must be so much easier in warmer places to do good quality paint finishes

Anyway all off and redo as i want the work to last