REAR CROSS MEMBER ON 90 DEFENDER

[muddydisco]

HI

JUST WONDERING HOW MUCH ROUGHLY TO HAVE A CROSSMEMBER FITTED ON A 90 DEFENDER. HER THEY A PRONE TO CORRSION

                                     THANKS

[datalas]

Cross member itself is upwards of £170 (for the replacement part), a garage would undoubtedly charge quite a premium for fitting, since it's quite and involved job even if you realise you can do it without taking the rear tub off.

I'd guess at anywhere around £500...  or at least, I wouldn't be overly shocked if it were above that.

[landyman Ash]

If you can weld its quite an easy job and can be quite cheap.  Paddocks sell them for £115 and its actually quite and easy job.  Ive done it myself BUT it does rely on you welding it.  At ata garage you are looking £500+  
Join a local club and I can assure you someone will be able to help you.  Thats what happens in our club anyway
  :D

[graham2306]

Replacing the cross member on my seriess III cost about £120 in total.  If what you say is true I'm glad my 90 has a galvanised chassis!

Can't see how it can be more complicated than a seriess III, the springs had to come off to do that and you wouldn't have that problem with a 90.  Biggest issue seems to be how far does the rust go?  Is it just a cross member or a quarter or half chassis.  We bought a cross member for the series III an ended up fabricating chassis bits.

[datalas]

The only real complication comes with land rover's tendancy to run the wiring loom inside the chassis rail..

coupled with the fact that it is quite a sizable chunk you're cutting out and so it's not really a job for the feint hearted.

having said that, it is harder on a series since you have the problem that if you're not carefull you end up with an 88" on the one side only.

[landyman Ash]

Quote:  The only real complication comes with land rover's tendancy to run the wiring loom inside the chassis rail..

Could not agree more.  Ended up cutting the loom and having to re-wire all the rear lights.  Not a mamouth job but a right pain in the bum  

[hobbit]

agreed there with the loom, my lightweight is awaiting the same job, gonna take the loom back to where it enters the chassis up front, then use a rubberlite junction box high up, and run new cable p clipped to the chassis down to the tub then through the tub rails to the rear end

[Ollie]

agreed there with the loom, my lightweight is awaiting the same job, gonna take the loom back to where it enters the chassis up front, then use a rubberlite junction box high up, and run new cable p clipped to the chassis down to the tub then through the tub rails to the rear end

I did the same job on my Lightweight last year, Didn't have any problems with the loom, just disconnected the lights etc, then carefully cut off the x-member trying not to cut through the loom :(scared):
I then wrapped the loom in the heat mats that plumbers use where I would be welding, worked a treat :(biggrin):

Ollie

[Neill]

I can't weld so the way I went about the job (on my 110) was

Park over inspection pit at local blacksmiths.

Remove the anti roll bar, fuel tank (incl. pump) and tow bar.

I then cut through the loom where it comes back out of the chassis at the back.

Unbolted the body from the chassis and then attacked the chassis with a cutter. Cut the old bit off, rubbed the old material down where it was to be welded. (see picture)

Slid the new cross member over the old stubs, attached the body to the chasis and then let the blacksmith weld it on. Painted everything and soldered all the wires in the loom together.

Remounted the parts I took off before. The whole thing took two days.

[muddyweb]

So... which bits did you weld up on that poor chap ?

[Neill]

That poor chap is me. I came home for lunch after two hours in the inspection kit cutting the old crossmember off and my son took the picture of my fantastic sun tan.

[hobbit]

Wonder if i posted your pic on the front door if it would scare the kids away round here.  :lol:

Note underneath, I live here and this is my good day!

WADDYA WANT!