 | Home > Puma (Tdci) > Body Construction |
 
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| TexasRover Member Since: 24 Nov 2022 Location: Paris Posts: 1048   
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Its a mix, but the panels are aluminum. The bulkhead is steel so are the B-pillars and the sills. If you are new to defenders it will take a bit of time to learn the anatomy and it helps if you occasionally take them apart, which over time becomes part of the ownership and a bonding ritual.
So yes the bodies do rust both the steel and aluminum but in my experience this is mainly because people don't clean them (working vehicles blabla) so mud and salt build up with causes dissimilar metal issues (galvanic). If you want to keep your car nice HP wash the underside and wheel arches regularly, even better sprays some wax. There is a lot of information available here about how to preserve your defender. |
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15th Jun 2023 8:40am |
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| Chicken Drumstick Member Since: 17 Aug 2020 Location: Near MK Posts: 718 
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Not sure what the reason is you are wanting to know, i.e. what you are trying to do.
The majority is an aluminium-magnesium alloy called Birmabright. Some steel is used for reinforcement or for things like door frames. The main front bulkhead is steel, although the bulkhead behind the front seats and seat boxes should be Birmabright. As a rule Birmabright is quite durable to the elements, although it can suffer corrosion through electrolysis. |
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15th Jun 2023 9:13am |
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| camelman Member Since: 27 Feb 2013 Location: Peak District Posts: 3372
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The doors (frames and panels) are all steel on the puma as well.
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15th Jun 2023 9:23am |
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| the_lincs_landies Member Since: 29 May 2023 Location: Boston, Lincs Posts: 230
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Thanks all, really useful info.
I have a cutout in the rear wheelarch for a leisure battery - it is ropey as  so I am looking to get a new one made up, its held in place with rivets and sealant so I was looking at having the fabrication shop who will remake it weld it into the wheel arch for a more "OEM" feel and stronger join. I was trying to work out the material so I know whether it would need MIG or TIG.
Figured I would ask the question more generically so I could understand the make-up of the defenders body. |
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15th Jun 2023 9:37am |
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| LandRoverAnorak Member Since: 17 Jul 2011 Location: Surrey Posts: 11324
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It hasn't been Birmabright since 1980 unfortunately, when the company that made it went bust. I don't know the name of the stuff used since, and I think even that has changed over the years, but it's never been as good as Birmabright was. For the OP, for your age of Defender, all of the main fixed body panels are aluminium (or some alloy of) whilst the doors, bonnet and bulkhead are steel and the rad grill frame is plastic. The cappings on the tops of the lower rear body panels are also steel, as are the roof gutters. Darren 110 USW BUILD THREAD - EXPEDITION TRAILER - 200tdi 90 BUILD THREAD - SANKEY TRAILER - IG@landroveranorak "You came in that thing? You're braver than I thought!" - Princess Leia |
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16th Jun 2023 8:08pm |
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| the_lincs_landies Member Since: 29 May 2023 Location: Boston, Lincs Posts: 230
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Thanks LRA, would the wheel arch boxes be pure aluminium then?
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16th Jun 2023 8:51pm |
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| LandRoverAnorak Member Since: 17 Jul 2011 Location: Surrey Posts: 11324
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Essentially yes, although there are various steel brackets underneath. Darren
110 USW BUILD THREAD - EXPEDITION TRAILER - 200tdi 90 BUILD THREAD - SANKEY TRAILER - IG@landroveranorak "You came in that thing? You're braver than I thought!" - Princess Leia |
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16th Jun 2023 9:12pm |
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| the_lincs_landies Member Since: 29 May 2023 Location: Boston, Lincs Posts: 230
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Thank you. It’s the arch itself I am interested in, as I needed to know what material to have a box for my leisure battery made out of.
If the wheel arch is aluminium I think I’ll get the box mad out of the same. Click image to enlarge This is the existing one but the construction is shoddy, to say the least, so I am getting a new one made up to a higher standard by a fabricator, and then will replace this one with the new one. I’ll obviously move the ventilation holes up and have them on the side as the ones in the current box are below the wade limit. |
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16th Jun 2023 9:55pm |
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| LandRoverAnorak Member Since: 17 Jul 2011 Location: Surrey Posts: 11324
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Yeah, aluminium will be fine. If the holes are actually for ventilation then they should be in or near the bottom, as the gasses from battery charging are heavier than air. I can't tell from the picture but check to see if your battery will accept a vent tube that can be routed down through a grommet. Take a look at the vehicle main battery for inspiration.
I'd also look at incorporating a battery clamp and a rubber boot on the positive terminal. Darren 110 USW BUILD THREAD - EXPEDITION TRAILER - 200tdi 90 BUILD THREAD - SANKEY TRAILER - IG@landroveranorak "You came in that thing? You're braver than I thought!" - Princess Leia |
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16th Jun 2023 10:27pm |
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| the_lincs_landies Member Since: 29 May 2023 Location: Boston, Lincs Posts: 230
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Thanks LRA. I didn’t spot anything on the battery but will have another look. I guess what you are referring to is similar to the tube of an AGM battery?
I have been looking at battery trays but until the box is made, as I am changing the shape slightly, I won’t have dimensions. There is a clamp currently but it’s nothing more than a sheet of steel bolted through the box and positioned so it’s over the lip of the battery. The rubber boot I will look into again, especially as the bed will go over the box so as minimal risk as possible is good, when I last looked I struggled due to the “splitter” on the terminal |
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17th Jun 2023 6:16am |
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| the_lincs_landies Member Since: 29 May 2023 Location: Boston, Lincs Posts: 230
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Can I be cheeky please? do you have a link or an idea of somewhere where I could find a rubber boot to keep the positive terminal safe? On a side note, can anyone recommend an externally venting leisure battery, so that i can have grommeted tube rather than holes in the bottom of my battery box? TIA Kieren |
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19th Jun 2023 1:13pm |
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| blackwolf Member Since: 03 Nov 2009 Location: South West England Posts: 17371 
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Really? I thought the principle gassy byproduct was hydrogen, and that is what the Hindenburg was filled (which evidences both its buoyancy in air and its dangerous tendency to deflagrate spectacularly). If the gasses are heavier than air, why don't they stay in the battery, given that the only holes in the case are at the top?  |
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19th Jun 2023 6:28pm |
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