40 series rust - repair or replace

[shorty_f0rty]

Hey fellas...

got a bit of a dilemma and was after some feedback..

I have a 22yr old 40 series thats seen a lot of the beach in recent years. When I bought it 3yrs back it had a fresh coat of sounddeadener/backend rust kill on the underside of the panels and on the chassis.. since owning it I haven't done any additional maintenance in this area and its now starting to show..

the main areas of concern are the hidden tops of the rear shackle hangers.



There is also misc bits and peices flaking on other parts of the chassis too..


and a crack on a cross brace going to the rear bar (above the rear hangers)


There are a heap of seams along the rear of the tub above the wheel well that are starting to bubble through the paint now too (pics to follow) which doesnt give me a lot of confidence in the tub.

now i'm acquiring a house with a shed where i am looking to do a considerable amount of resortation to the 40, potentially looking at a frame off restoration. my concerns are that the damage to the rear shackle hangers is going to be a pain in the bum to fix.

I guess I should also mention I'm looking to fix as much of this as possible to try and reduce the costs involved.. and learning to weld in the process..

Anyway.. What do you guys recommend?

1) try and fix it, and then rust proof
or
2) acquire another chassis & tub, rust proof and then transfer the bits across?

Im starting to lean towards another chassis to replace the current one because:
1) I can work on it while still being able to drive the 40 to get parts
2) it would be easier to rust proof a bare chassis than take the tub off the current one
3) the costs in metal to replace and learn (read lots of scrap and warped panels) would be considerable if I was attempting to fix it myself.

I would like to restore and prevent rust so that its not going to be an issue for 10+years to come as I have no intention of selling the 40.

While on the topic of rust repair, what do people recommend for rust prevention? I wouldn't mind getting my hands on some POR15 but I hear its pretty expensive and difficult to work with.

I've still got a few weeks before I get started but wanted to know if I should start looking for replacement chassis and tub now rather than waste time and money on attempting to repair it myself..

so yeah.. wotcha's reckon eh?

Cheers,

Andrew

[shorty_f0rty]

Oh .. and with the crack in the support.. the 40 is now relagated to sedate road dutys only.. no 4wheelin for this puppy until its all sorted.

[dibbz]

WHAT?! I was gonna see if you wanted to go for a run this weekend. :)

[Bumpy45]

Do a search on the forum. I believe that you have to have a ticket to weld the chasis, even if you don't, then that is not the place to be learning to weld. Do the swap, should be more forgiving. Consider getting the chasis sand blasted. If you want a decent rust converter try WHITE KNIGHT from bunnings. Works a treat.

[+dj_hansen+]

my vote is try and find a 40 series chassis... or even a LWB model, cut it down roothy style (if something like appeals to you), because as stated... working on it with the body on with be a major PITA....

You also may find if u decide to strip down your own chassis, with all the mud and flaked rust gone more cracks will appear than previously...

For a good idea on the simple principles behind welding stuff to a chassis check out bubs daily driver swb thread, the pics there are an excellent, easy to comprehend indication of whats gotta be done...

Just imagine the little extra bits and pieces you could add in (bracing for mounts etc) with a bare chassis to work with...

JMHO

[shorty_f0rty]

Thanks for the feedback so far.. I hadn't really considered the legalities of welding to the chassis.. so thanks for raising that again for me.

and yes.. the cogs are already in motion.. i want to add 60# steering definately, and a few other bits and peices.. a bare chassis is looking like the way to go i think..

[shorty_f0rty]

I was thinking this morning.. if i change the chassis then it will have a different VIN number wont it? or the number stamped on the chassis? whats the go with this?

I'm planning on calling the Dept of Transport later today but what do you guys reckon?

[Tooheys]

Dont quote me on this but........I'm pretty sure that if you purchase a chassis and body from the wreckers it is classified as a statutory writeoff according to the transport department. Now because the vin numbers match i think you will be ok and they will just let you use that vin number to rego the car.

Now if the vin number of the chassis and the body dont match I think you get either a surrogate vin number or they give you a mod-plate to say that what you did is legit.

Also you might be required to go through QIS (queensland inspection service) to make sure that the vehicle is roadworthy. I think this is usually for Repairable Writeoffs though. They charge a fee of $300 or something and require all the invoices for parts used and the work done to the vehicle to get it to a road worthy standard.

Like you said though get it straight from the horses mouth and ring QT. I have rang them in the past and if you get the right person they are usually pretty helpful surprisingly.

If you have any dramas pm me and I'll ask at work what the deal would be.

[Tojo]

start by washing that beach sand out of your chassis! How about cleaning it up as is and rust treating / painting / fish oiling everything. Then just keep on using it. If you keep your eyes open and wait long enough you might just find a rolling chassis with body that is cheap. Don't go overboard with any restoration. You use your car too much with hard use to worry about it looking pretty. Your primary concern should be paint and rust prevention. Thats my thoughts anyway! Now i better hurry up and get mine back on the road....

[Hardcorr]

I was in your same boat. I ended up buying two shorties, and a 60 for donor diffs, steering, disc brakes and suspension bits.
Stripped down the one shorty that had a tub full of rust, and kept the other one registered for driving to work.
Figured that it was easier to work on just a chassis. While stripping one, and working out what to do with the other, I was using my 80 series for playing, it already had the lockers and gear on it. I ended up giving it a bit of a tooling, so bought another 80 series for touring duties, and am now selling the 60, 40 and all the parts from the original 40. If I don't sell them by Chrissie, then I'm going to start doing the original conversion, and make it a nice street shorty.

Corry

[dibbz]

I blame water restrictions
Buy foodies 55

[foodie]

Yer buy my 55

[Tooheys]

Have you thought about a fibreglass tub? Would solve most of the rust issues for the tub.

[shorty_f0rty]

Yes I have but the $$ for the initial outlay for a fibreglass tub has turned me off that idea for the moment..

[jessie928]

there was complete new tub with all panels on ebay for 2500, that was a friggin bargain!

[shorty_f0rty]

start by washing that beach sand out of your chassis! How about cleaning it up as is and rust treating / painting / fish oiling everything. Then just keep on using it. If you keep your eyes open and wait long enough you might just find a rolling chassis with body that is cheap. Don't go overboard with any restoration. You use your car too much with hard use to worry about it looking pretty. Your primary concern should be paint and rust prevention. Thats my thoughts anyway! Now i better hurry up and get mine back on the road....

Since taking those pics I have emptied a can or two of rust preventer (HAR HAR!) on all the affected areas in a bid to slow down the rust a bit. Its hard to remove all the sand and those pics were taken after considerable time with compressed air, and down at car lovers trying to remove the bloody sand..

Yer buy my 55

Thats the next project after the 40 and besides your 55 is in too good condition to chop up. Id have to put a turbo'd 3b in it too which is more trouble that its worth at this point in time..

I rang QT this morning and got some info.. Once the swap is complete, I need to take it to QLD Police so they can inspect and verify the new Vin, they I need to get a safety cert, then I take the paper work from teh cop shop and teh safety cert to QT where they verify and confirm everything.. at least thats my understanding.. either way it doesnt sound like too big a deal. I am yet to ring the coppers and find out what they need.

there was complete new tub with all panels on ebay for 2500, that was a friggin bargain!

see thats my problem.. I dont have $2.5k to shell out at once on a tub.. and I prefer the steel panels. how would a fibreglass tub handle a still hardtop? wieght savings would be good but its not an issue at the moment.. I'm looking at more than half that for a replacement chassis and tub at the moment.. so its a considerable saving vs a fibreglass tub only.

[dibbz]

Yer buy my 55

Thats the next project after the 40 and besides your 55 is in too good condition to chop up. Id have to put a turbo'd 3b in it too which is more trouble that its worth at this point in time.. :P

I have a rolling 60 that just needs an engine and gearbox, I can do this on an interest free loan also :)

[foodie]

60 gear in the 55 - tough