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| donmacn Member Since: 06 Nov 2017 Location: Nth Scotland Posts: 1852  
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Kind of a 'snap' moment with Retro's picture above:
 Click image to enlarge And just like the OP we're still dealing with this: Click image to enlarge We did 'dry fit' the doors at the outset, to check their alignment and it was OK at that stage, but as things have been bolted on it's got progressively worse. Heading over this afternoon to loosen off lots of bolts and crank it down with a bigger ratchet strap overnight. Failing that I think I will be trying to find something more powerful to force things along. Hypothetically speaking...  ... if we were looking at a bottle jack and some strong bits of wood to try and push that bulkhead corner into place, what could we push against with the seatbox in place?
Any other 'last chance saloon' options?? Donald 1994 Defender 300Tdi 110 SW - owned since 2002 - 230k miles and going strong (The 'rolling restoration' or tinkering thread: http://www.defender2.net/forum/topic58538.html ) 2000 Range Rover P38 4.0L V8 in the past.. RR classic - fitted with 200Tdi 1984 RR classic - V8 with ZF auto box 1993 Discovery 300Tdi not to mention the minis and the Type 2 VW camper... |
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13th Jul 2023 1:38pm |
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| NickMc Member Since: 01 Oct 2014 Location: Norn Iron Posts: 1679  
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I think your tub is to low or bulkhead too high if you look at the roof side gap.
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13th Jul 2023 2:18pm |
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| donmacn Member Since: 06 Nov 2017 Location: Nth Scotland Posts: 1852
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Thanks Nick,
Actually we've begun to wonder if the tub is OK (it wasn't removed) but that the bulkhead itself is too low (an issue with the chassis). We started with a 'Shielder' and had to put that to one side. We moved to an Ultra and have progressed with that; but both seemed to sit low in the chassis, providing quite a slope for the floor panels, from the seat box down to the bulkhead. The chassis (aftermarket; galved) has been in for quite a while and that's not something we did. There was some other work of slightly questionable quality done at that time, so it could be that we're fitting aftermarket stuff onto aftermarket stuff and trying to hit a moving target. You're bang on with the gap to the roof though - it's pretty horrible. I haven't got round to that just yet, but there's probably 8-9mm to be had by cranking the tub side right down. This is it before strip down (there was a foam in there...). The scribbled size on the masking tape is 88.9mm. I can't remember where we are now, but within 1 or 2mm of that: Click image to enlarge This is on the rebuild, showing a nice straight seam - but maybe we do need to screw that hard down now: Click image to enlarge It makes me wonder if the guy who did the earlier chassis swap (using the factory bulkhead) faced the same issue we are and got around it partly by taking the sides as far down as possible. Which takes me back to the 'moving target' thing. It goes into the garage on Monday for some of the bigger mechanical work it needs, and then hopefully an MOT, so without taking everything apart again do we look at some hydraulic persuasion..... If I'd the time, I might think about that, but on the other hand if there are so many things which are "off" would we find we'd wasted a lot of time removing and refitting stuff just to be back where we started, so is it time to bite the bullet and just make what we have fit together...? Donald 1994 Defender 300Tdi 110 SW - owned since 2002 - 230k miles and going strong (The 'rolling restoration' or tinkering thread: http://www.defender2.net/forum/topic58538.html ) 2000 Range Rover P38 4.0L V8 in the past.. RR classic - fitted with 200Tdi 1984 RR classic - V8 with ZF auto box 1993 Discovery 300Tdi not to mention the minis and the Type 2 VW camper... |
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13th Jul 2023 2:58pm |
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| geobloke Member Since: 06 Nov 2012 Location: Nottinghamshire Posts: 4410 
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Hi Donald. Can we have an image of the entire door from the side please?
I would like to see the gap between the bottom of the door and the tub. Just wondering is a spacer between the bulkhead and chassis might allow the bulkhead to be puller backwards a little and in doing so levelling up the floors and maybe the door gap as well?! Just thinking out loud...  |
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13th Jul 2023 3:17pm |
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| donmacn Member Since: 06 Nov 2017 Location: Nth Scotland Posts: 1852
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I haven't got a pic like that right now, but I'll be over with the car in the next hour or two and will be able to take and post one then.
Looking at it in the flesh, the shut lines are wide between door and bulkhead; (very) wide at the top, as outlined in the last post; and wide at the bottom on the tub side, narrowing to a 'clash' at the top. Wide shut lines I/we could probably live with for now, if the door would close and latch, and then maybe come at it again later in the year. If we pull forward on the corner of the bulkhead, as in the pic, then the door fits passably (albeit with wide gaps). I did wonder about another spacer washer, but only on the basis that it might allow some more forward lean on the bulkhead. It could only make the shut lines between door and bulkhead; and door and tub slightly worse I'd have thought. Anyway, watch this space and I'll post a pic later in the afternoon. Donald 1994 Defender 300Tdi 110 SW - owned since 2002 - 230k miles and going strong (The 'rolling restoration' or tinkering thread: http://www.defender2.net/forum/topic58538.html ) 2000 Range Rover P38 4.0L V8 in the past.. RR classic - fitted with 200Tdi 1984 RR classic - V8 with ZF auto box 1993 Discovery 300Tdi not to mention the minis and the Type 2 VW camper... |
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13th Jul 2023 3:32pm |
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| geobloke Member Since: 06 Nov 2012 Location: Nottinghamshire Posts: 4410
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Yes a real 3D puzzle
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13th Jul 2023 3:40pm |
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| donmacn Member Since: 06 Nov 2017 Location: Nth Scotland Posts: 1852
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Thanks Linds - yeah I've tried that, though without the 'special implement' I had to just work on the bottom hinge. We've also clamped the top of the door to the roof and nipped up the hinges; and pushed the door as far in to the bulkhead as we can - don't think there's much left to gain that way.
Here's the pic of the whole door. Click image to enlarge As I say, I could more or less live with it except for the top right corner. Donald 1994 Defender 300Tdi 110 SW - owned since 2002 - 230k miles and going strong (The 'rolling restoration' or tinkering thread: http://www.defender2.net/forum/topic58538.html ) 2000 Range Rover P38 4.0L V8 in the past.. RR classic - fitted with 200Tdi 1984 RR classic - V8 with ZF auto box 1993 Discovery 300Tdi not to mention the minis and the Type 2 VW camper... |
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13th Jul 2023 5:10pm |
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| NickMc Member Since: 01 Oct 2014 Location: Norn Iron Posts: 1679
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I do the seat belt mounts that go on the a-frame last I find they can pull everything down and out of whack. What is the tub like around the tubular outrigger mounts? Some times you can jack up the front edge of the tub.
I really shy away from anything but genuine bulkheads fixed on a jig and Marsland/old stock chassis now, they fit. I’m ordering the DDS supplied Coventry bulkheads they look very nice and are getting good reports. The time you put into the after market crap wouldn’t pay. If the customers saw some of the adjustment techniques you have to employ I wonder what theyd think. Some of the new aftermarket doors are way off on shape and fit too. I normally would door floors and Seatbox last: Click image to enlarge |
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13th Jul 2023 5:11pm |
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| NickMc Member Since: 01 Oct 2014 Location: Norn Iron Posts: 1679
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Don I think the bottom of your tub needs to go upwards from the look of it. Jack and a block of wood under the front edge.
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13th Jul 2023 5:13pm |
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| Linds Hanson Member Since: 16 Jan 2021 Location: Cornwall Posts: 496
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Can you ascertain that the bulkhead is perfectly vertical i.e. not leaning back at the top? If it is vertical it looks like the rear tub mounts at the crossmember are too high. We have had to re drill these lower on the crossmember in the past on non Marsden chassis. We only fit Marsden chassis and DDS or Genuine bulkheads and Puma doors now.
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13th Jul 2023 6:54pm |
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