Panel and typical bolt dimensions

[sunnyeveryday]

So...My 1980 series III LWB has a lot of rusty bolts and also some holes etc. in the bulkhead and footwell panels which I have temporarily filled/sealed.

So, does anyone have the dimensions of the panels to make them up. I want to pre-make them as opposed to stripping it down and copying them as I want to use the LR and being a newbie mechanic tend to be a bit slow.

Also, is there a list of the typical bolt sizes on the series III. Width, thread and length. I can get good deals on bulk stainless steel bolts, washers and nuts if there are enough of a common size to make it worthwhile.

Another, possible future project is to trip it down. How difficult is it to separate the body from the chassis.

Thanks :-)

[Apis Mellifera]

For fasteners, what I did was to buy a big sack of stainless 1/4-20 one inch long from McMaster. I also got a few other SS odds and ends in 5/16 and 3/8 and two 1/4-28 for the front wings. Most of the bolts are through-bolts, so length and thread pitch isn't a big issue.

For panels dims., every patch panel, new panel, or second-hand panel I've ever used on any vehicle I've ever restored required some level of fitment; no direct fits. So you'll likely end up fabbing the parts to fits anyway. That said, what panels are you replacing?

[sunnyeveryday]

For fasteners, what I did was to buy a big sack of stainless 1/4-20 one inch long from McMaster. I also got a few other SS odds and ends in 5/16 and 3/8 and two 1/4-28 for the front wings. Most of the bolts are through-bolts, so length and thread pitch isn't a big issue.

For panels dims., every patch panel, new panel, or second-hand panel I've ever used on any vehicle I've ever restored required some level of fitment; no direct fits. So you'll likely end up fabbing the parts to fits anyway. That said, what panels are you replacing?


Great..thanks for the sizes.

I had leaks when it rained coming from the engine compartment though through the bulkhead dripping onto the pedals and the driver and passenger floors. I have temporarily sealed these holes, but as these panels are unprotected steel (bar the paint) I'm wondering how many near future issues i will have with these areas.

Looking at the Rovers North diagram here

http://landroverparts.roversnorth.com/Products.aspx?code=78&key=cat

Its looks like they are called toe board, kick panel, footwell top.

I'm really trying to get a better idea of what is involoved, both time and money, so I can make a calculated decision as I could open a can of worms if I am not careful. Especially being a newbie mechanic.

I don''t want to get into the position of being overwhelmed and having a partially dis-assembled Land Rover for months on end.

But on the other hand, I want to work through any issues and improve the road worthiness and appearance.

I have another question. The rear bumper is silver, with rusted bolts. How do you tell the difference between cold galvanized compound (e.g Rust-Oleum) and just silver paint ?

[Apis Mellifera]

I think I would just buy the preassembled footwell. It's not really a big deal to fit it as a whole.

Cold galvanizing spray is a uniform, flat grey very much like primer.

[o2batsea]

Great..thanks for the sizes.

I had leaks when it rained coming from the engine compartment though through the bulkhead dripping onto the pedals and the driver and passenger floors. I have temporarily sealed these holes, but as these panels are unprotected steel (bar the paint) I'm wondering how many near future issues i will have with these areas.

Looking at the Rovers North diagram here

http://landroverparts.roversnorth.com/Products.aspx?code=78&key=cat

Its looks like they are called toe board, kick panel, footwell top.

I'm really trying to get a better idea of what is involoved, both time and money, so I can make a calculated decision as I could open a can of worms if I am not careful. Especially being a newbie mechanic.

I don''t want to get into the position of being overwhelmed and having a partially dis-assembled Land Rover for months on end.
Oh yeah? Why should you be any different than the rest of us?


But on the other hand, I want to work through any issues and improve the road worthiness and appearance.

Only you can decide how deep into it you want to go. If I am reading between the lines, it would seem like you are in the market for a refurbished bulkhead. You have a few possible ways to go with this.
First and most expensive but the least painful: Order a new one from Pegasus Parts in the UK. With shipping it will be somewhere around 2500-3000 clams. Comes fully hot dip galvanized and is more or less factory perfect.
Second and almost as expensive: Ship it off to someone like Matt Browne who will do the entire job of restoring it here in the USA. Same results as Pegasus with shorter wait and slightly less shipping cost. Comes finished to your specification ready to bolt in.
Third buy the repair panels and remove the bulkhead for you to work on at home. Most time consuming and the results are only as good as your skillzzz. Somewhat expensive as repair panels alone will be around 3-500 depending on who you get them from. Quality varies wildly. Pegasus Parts has the best, most factory-like. Chemical stripping recommended followed by dip galvy at completion is the best way to prevent future damage.
Fourth, try to find a bulkhead that is good used. Refinish it to your liking and then swap the good for the bad over a weekend or two.
Fifth buy a Defender bulkhead and convert it to S3. Fiddly, but you get a rust free bulkhead. Some welding and fabrication involved.
Lastly, do nothing. Be happy with sealing as best you can and drive only in good weather.

PS Bolt dimensions for the S3 are in the parts manual which you can obtain as a downloadable Acrobat pdf at http://www.landroverweb.com/landrover/pdf-land-rover-manuals/. With very few exceptions the size and length are given. If not you can often just do a part number look up and that will usually tell you.
generally speaking where they spec UNF bolts you may use USA spec. That is, for a 1/4 UNF you can substitute 1/4-28, etc. As long as you are using new nuts and washers. For Whitworth fasteners, go to britishfasteners.com.

PPS the rear "bumper" is actually a chassis cross member. It should be painted black like the rest of the chassis. Most of the chassis parts can be obtained as separate items, even the rear crossmember.

[SafeAirOne]

Not sure when they metricated everything, but it was in the 80's. Are the fasteners on your 1980 109 metric?

[sunnyeveryday]

It was built in late 1979 and the bolts/nuts I have removed and checked are UNF so far.

Thanks for the extra info everyone.

I'm slowly building a parts list. Terri Anne has some great info on her website for parts to carry.

As I buy and use them, I will replace as I go so I have a good kit. I just got the Zenith rebuild kit so that's my next big project.

The big dollar stuff is out of my league at the moment, as I am still looking for work. But I can get smaller stuff to keep me on the road and for spares until things get better.

Thanks again everyone.