Urgent help required to beat the rot

Forum: 

Hi there,
I seem to run out of luck this time when I realized today how much welding there is to do around the rear wheel arches on my Fourtrak Shok I won't bore you with details on the extent so before I get my head round to this enormous job I need any details on what I could get away with under UK-MoT rules:
I'm thinking about welding it all and put some chequer plating over it but don't exactly know how to do it 'safely'and what the MoT people would have to say to that.Also I need to know whether there is still replacement pannels available for my truck (J-reg Fourtrak TDX...best and most reliable vehicle I ever had...)?And to top it all up if somebody knows of a place somewhere in Lancashire that could help me with this project...
I know lots to ask for Blush I just want to keep my 'trak' going for as long as I can.Cheers

Tinworm

Forget checker plate, this will fail the MOT, anything sharp or abrasive is a no no, the law says anything likely to cause injury cannot be permitted. This is how silly the legislation is, you are allowed to run someone over and kill them, but not cut them with any projections.

My preferred option is quite a lot of work, but efficient if you intend keeping the vehicle.
Forget rebuilding the existing arches, make new ones from 1.5 or 2mm steel plate, replace the inner arch with the same material, always cutting well back into good metal; material of this thickness will last a fair few years.

Once the arches have been rebuilt, and while the inner trim is removed, spray inside the arches with a good quality industrial paint, let this fully dry for about a week, then treat the entire inner side of the arch with Waxoyl or similar.
Underneath the arch on the outside, use a good stonechip, then a couple of thick painted coats of industrial paint, then fully underseal with several coats, preferably painted on.

Seal all joints with brush on seam sealer, and always ensure that the metal is scrupilously cleaned and has NO rust.

For chassis and other hollow sections, assuming you have, or have access to a compressor; use old engine oil sprayed into these sections, this is cheap and effective, but messy.

Agree with all of that.

Agree with all of that. Though have found that by the time things get that bad it is quite offten easier to cut the entire rear floor and wheel arches out and replace the lot with 2mm. The trouble is that once you start the welding bit you usually find two holes for every one you weld up to start with...

As for the chequer plate thing. I think Assasin is right about the law on this. However as we all know MOT's are very subjective. There are plenty of 4x4's out there with the stuff stuck all over them. Personally I would not use it, as it is probably going to just trap wet behind it and couse more problems down the line. On a personal not, I also I think it looks auful. But that's just my oppinoin...

Any veiws expresed in this thread by me are purely from my own experience, and (sometimes) falible memory. Hope my comments help, but please don't take them as gospel.

Any veiws expresed in this thread by me are purely from my own experience, and (sometimes) falible memory. Hope my comments help, but please don't take them as gospel.

Very Subjective

To clarify the situation for you Nev, you are allowed to use chequer plate which is an aftermarket fitment to a modified vehicle in certain places, so long as the general public are not going to generally be in contact or rub up against it. Accepted places are on top of flat front bumpers which are used as a step, on top of 4X4 wings, and as reinforcement for treads or tread areas on modified vehicles such as wing tops on expedition prepared vehicles with roof mounted equipment or storage, or on top of side steps or rear steps.

All chequer place must have smoothed edges, and be attached securely to the vehicle body, with non projecting fasteners, and within the edges of the panel. Basically it must be an inch in from the outer edge of the panel, and not project beyond it.

This simply means that someone must make a conscious effort to come in contact with the plate, and not come into contact with it accidentally, such as when it is parked alongside a pavement. Parked in such places, anyone could accidentally rub along it, particularly on narrow pavements, or where children would brush their hands down the plate. Due to their height, front wings of 4X4's are considered to be substantially high enough not to cause a danger from chequer plate, whereas your average saloon is not.

It is a complex issue, and testers do have some autonomy, but simply, these are the places, if common sense is used, where discretion is used.

Tinworm

Cheers folks that's a big help.I've got plenty of the 1.5mm stuff so better get welding then.Thanks again

Gas Welding

Forget gas welding, if you have a mig welder this would be better, gas welding imparts a lot of heat with the resulting heat spread, this will distort the original metal.
Spot welding with mig; then putting in very short runs (10mm) will prevent this as it localises the heat more, then damp each spot with a damp cloth to immediately cool the weld is beneficial.