The good, the bad and the ugly.... not a movie

[Bob]

A few weeks ago it was test time for the cruiser. It's a commercial vehicle, and in Ireland, commercials must be tested each year in a commercial garage, with a €120 bill each time. It's a very through test of mechanical fitness. I have been using the same garage since 2010, and have gotten to know the owner in that time. He's fair, but not inclined to do favours.

Anyhow.. it was coming up to test day so I carried out my usual mechanical adjustments. Handbrake.. balanced by feel. Greased the props, having only replaced UJs recently. I also had the camber caster toe sorted by my local tyre guy.. who is also a cruiser guy.. and in it went for test.
Mechanically passed with flying colours..vivid and bright and flying high.

Then...

"2 small spots on the chassis need to be brought close to some mig welding wire"

Ah not too bad I said.

Then...

"And I'll pass it at that, but your inner sills are most likely no longer there. I can't see properly and I'm not looking ...this time"

Oh...


So off I go with my test certificate and a promise to sort the issue before I get back. My Instagram feed is plagued by a couple of companies who do this kind of work, but have had some friends warn me of their corner cutting. And then one day I stumble across a guy who is not 20 minutes from me who does chassis restoration and underbody work.. on Landcruiser and Hilux only.. never knew he was there... and he's a friend of a friend.. weird.

The truck is going up to him in 2 weeks for a look over and we'll see how much he can do within my budget. I'm hoping for sills done and chassis patched up.. but I would love the full blast and coat treatment he specialises in.. Depends how much I can reach to I suppose. But if I don't do something now, the cab might get into bad shape quickly.


I'll update with pics when I can.

 

[MisterCruiser]

They're at that age now! I'd say every 90 has seen a welder by now even in some small way. Looking forward to seeing the pics of the before and after. Did you ever spray any anti-rust stuff into the sills or chassis box sections to try preserve it?

 

[Bob]

I had work done on the rear section of the chassis 4 years ago, so its generally in decent shape. I've never done anything with the sills/cab. It's done well to get this far.

 

[Bert]

Good luck Bob. Mine is in today for a bit of patching up.

Edit: And a few hours later, job done.

 

[MisterCruiser]

@Bert - Good job there. Looked bad enough, have you a pic at the stage where you had the old metal cut just? You just had enough good metal left at the top of the sill to weld to yeah? What's the bit of metal bolted on with the 2 bolts for?

 

[Bert]

@Bert - Good job there. Looked bad enough, have you a pic at the stage where you had the old metal cut just? You just had enough good metal left at the top of the sill to weld to yeah? What's the bit of metal bolted on with the 2 bolts for?

Hi Mister Cruiser. My local body repair shop did it for me. He had to cut out the bottom section completely, and yes, there was just enough metal left enough to weld to on the underside of the metal plate. As long as it lasts for a few more years, it will do. The plate is there to support the sill moulding that normally covers along the bottom of the doors.
They repaired the other side in the same spot just over a year ago, and it is still looking good. So, fingers crossed.

 

[Bob]

Brought it to the man who is going to do the work. We poked around..

Sills are completely gone both sides. He'll put new in. Chassis legs at the rear aren't great either, but he can replace them with in house fabricated ends. Body off and rear body mounts remade too. Booked in for June. Agreed on the work and it will all be coated then and like new. His estimate was not far off my intended budget so I'm happy.

 

[MisterCruiser]

Both full sills, chassis legs, body mounts, and body off. I'd hazard a guess that could all be 2 - 3 grand if paying someone.

 

[Bob]

Be double that by the time it's finished. But it will be quality work and good for years to come. If it's not done now then it will rot completely, and fast. I'm very sentimentally attached to it, which all financial analysts will tell you is a terrible reason for spending money, hence I'm spending it.