Bulkhead pillar and footwell repair panels - who does ones that fit!?

[angello]

Having finished my jig, I'm about to embark on a bulkhead restoration and the question of which repair panels is in the frame....

Having done a major bulkhead repair a couple of years ago and found the quality of the repair panels woeful (holes in the wrong places, pressings the wrong shape and terrible alignment) I'd be interested to hear who you guys rate as offering decent repair panels... ones that actually fit!

I've got to do pillars and footwells both sides and I'd like them to look right, so with the right ribs etc.

Previously I've used YRM panels as I'd been told they were mustard... except for me the footwells were so badly distorted from pressing they were a nightmare to fit and the pillar repair panels wouldn't line up and I've used Britpart pillars, which surprisingly were better than the YRM ones and thicker metal too...

But who do you guys use? Who makes decent panels that really match the original shapes and locations? 

[dpmstevens]

I've used parts from The Welding Wood, aka Tony Wood, and they've been good. He's only on Facebook, I think, but hasn't posted there for a year, so he may have packed it in. Someone on here may know better.
 

[Gareth]

I did similar a year ago. I used YRM parts. No issues at all.

[Gordon Lowe]

Try contacting Gordon Furness. He is a club member and makes fantastic parts
https://shop.catmint.biz/product-category/land-rover/

[nathanglasgow]

Don't suppose it really matters but I've always welded in new footwells with the side panel flanges on the outside. Think that's the way it was originally. Still tidy looking plug welds.

[Gareth]

Don't suppose it really matters but I've always welded in new footwells with the side panel flanges on the outside. Think that's the way it was originally. Still tidy looking plug welds.

Interesting point. The side panel didn't fit well with the flanges outside, but perfectly on the inside. Like you say, makes no difference. All sealed and painted you can hardly tell.

[Peter Holden]

Tony Wood is having a break from making parts at the moment

Peter

[angello]

Here's an example of what I mean.... This is  YRM foot and pillar (I think the pillar is YRM anyway... might be Britpart though)...

To get the foot close to lining up I've had to trim off a good few mm from the mounting face of the bolt tube and slit right through 2 sides (in the red oval) in order to get it to stand vertically. As you can see, the bolt holes are miles out (the holes in the jig are bob on, jigged off an original bulkhead that had never been repaired) and the outside face doesn't sit parallel with the inside face of the pillar (which is perfectly aligned to the original pillar).

The pillar repair panel has the wing mounting holes pretty much right in comparison with an original pillar.... but the hinge holes don't line up (they're out the opposite way to the foot!) and the bottom of the pillar extended down too far into the sill, so has had to be trimmed back....

It shouldn't be so hard to make panels that actually fit and align...should it? If I didn't have an accurate jig I'd be in real trouble already 

[Gareth]

Well there is a difference in approach. I fixed my bulkhead in situ, making the parts fit the vehicle as it is. Yes I did have to do lots of fitting and adjustment to get things to line up and match the parts that were already there.

I suspect if you put my bulkhead in a jig, it would be a country mile out. However, my doors fit properly, and the front wings lined up ok. Such is the tolerance in original production I think.

[angello]

Well there is a difference in approach. I fixed my bulkhead in situ, making the parts fit the vehicle as it is......

That's the same thing I did on the bulkhead I repaired a few years ago - just made it fit and work with what was there. However in this situation I have none of the old reference points. I'm working with a new bare chassis and no body panels, so I need something to start from.... I happened to have an original bulkhead in sound condition that still has all it's original feet and pillars intact etc. Seeing as the Land Rovers were originally built around the bulkhead, getting a dimensionally correct, sound bulkhead is the logical place to start from. That's what I am trying to do here - fix a bulkhead and get it as close as possible to original factory measurements so I can then build out from there. From experience, small mistakes and differences in the starting datums magnify out to errors you can't adjust or work your way around once you start building out...

[diffwhine]

It's a pity I didn't know you were going through all the effort off making a bulkhead jig beforehand. I've got one here you could have used!