Now its time to put it back together!
To fill the large hole in the back I welded up a frame out of 40X40X3mm box section, this is bolted and welded to the steel sub frame of the Rangie.
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This will provide a solid support for the new panels and also some roll over protection. (hopefully not needed!)
At this stage I discovered that the rear guard inner panels angle in towards the top, this required some packing to get a good fit for the new frame.
The frame also steps up and over the fuel tank. Although I could have mounted the tank further rearwards and just made the back of the cab flat, the extra work in mounting the tank made this the easiest option. (No I didn't just get the tank in the wrong place!).
I got a sheet of 2mm 5000 grade alloy and cut the sheet to fit the back of the cab.
This panel was then pop-riveted to the steel frame and to brackets on the roof. (If pop-rivets were good enough for Land Rover they are good enough for me!).
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The final stage for this will be to weld the panel to the roof. (I have an expert lined up for this as Tigging is not one of my strong suits).
I cut the rear guards down to fit the section behind the doors and made up some panels to fill the gap at the back. The panels are Tigged to the guard sections and riveted in place. (I also repositioned 1 of the original screws and clips on the inside).
I then started on the deck and first up was a solid frame to mount it to the chassis.
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I used the original 4 body supports and made some new mounts for the rear.
I extended the 2 forward brackets on the chassis with a bit of channel cut and welded to fit.
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The original body support brackets, which are welded to the frame, then bolt to the chassis mounts. The rear mounts pick up on the new tow hook positions.
The nuts for the tow hooks are welded to a plate which is then welded inside the chassis.
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The tow bar was then cut to fit its new position and can be removed if required.
A channel section was then welded on to provide a mounting position and protection for the lights.
At this stage I have not added any mounts at the extreme forward end of this frame. If I decide to mount a roll bar to the deck I'll make up some then.
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Rangerat.
