:  Sep 22, 2004



General Information

Introduction

The body plays a significant role in the increasing trend of ever more rapidly changing model variants. The different customer groups are strongly influenced by the design and shape of the body. At the same time the stability of the body plays the most important part in ensuring passenger and driver safety. Lightweight construction, alternative materials, composite materials, plastics and appropriate joining processes are all design features that characterise modern Land Rover vehicle bodies.

In terms of manufacturing technology, modern safety cell bodies can be produced almost without any problems. Land Rover guarantee high quality standards by ensuring that mechanical strength properties are tried and tested in numerous computer simulations, crash tests, by testing materials and by employing sophisticated manufacturing technologies. In the event of repairs it is vital that the production quality standards are upheld. This requires a well-equipped workshop, and places particular emphasis on the qualifications of the workshop technicians. Up-to-date knowledge of current manufacturing technologies and continuous training on new repair methods and techniques are vital for high-quality body repairs. The model-specific repair manuals and the general repair techniques provide valuable support when undertaking body repairs.

Always follow the repair instructions published in this manual. Failure to observe this instruction can result in serious impairment of vehicle safety. All specified safety requirements must be met after the work has been carried out.

Vehicle design

Vehicle design



1   Body
2   Integral body Frame

High Strength Steels

Land Rover vehicles are constructed from a number of different steels, partly to obtain an optimised body (collision, safety, rigidity, fuel economy,etc).

Steels are divided into several groups according to their tensile and yield strength, that is to say the force necessary to bring about plastic deformation of the material.

Yield Summary

Yield is the strength at which the metal changes from elastic to plastic in behaviour, the point of no return.

Tensile Summary

Tensile strength is the breaking strength of a material when subjected to a tensile (stretching) force, the point of no return.

Abbreviation Steel type Yield Point
SS Soft Steel Maximum Yield point of 220 MPa
DP Dual Phase Steel Steel With a Yield Point up tp 400 MPa
HS High Strength Steel Steel With a Yield Point 220 - 450 MPa
EHS Extra High Strength Steel Steel With a Yield Point 450 - 800 MPa
UHS Ultra High Strength Steel Steel With a Yield Point up to 1400 MPa

Ultra High Strength

The addition of ultra high strength steel in the A Pillar, B-Pillar and cantrail gives the body greater strength in a front or side impact.

No attempt should be made to straighten ultra high strength steel, due to its brittleness.

Ultra High Strength steel in body structure



Aluminium

Aluminium 6000 series is used in the hood, tailgate and liftgate. It is made from magnesium/copper aluminium alloy and is heat treated during manufacturing/paint bake process resulting in a panel with increased strength and dent resistance.

When repairing aluminium you must use tools that have only been used on aluminium and never on steel panels, this is to prevent cross-contamination

Aluminium in body structure



Magnesium

Magnesium AM60B is used to make the hood latch panel. It has good ductility and energy absorbing properties. It is also used on the instrument panel mounting beam.

No attempt should be made to weld or straighten the hood latch panel and it should be replaced in the event of an accident. If the corrosive coating is damaged it must be repaired using 'Land Rover Low Temperature Anti-Corrosion Coating', service part no VEP 501 840 PMA

Magnesium in body structure



Accident damage and diagnosis

General notes

Hidden damage

Gap dimensions   Body and Frame (501-26 )


Gap dimensions offer another alternative for diagnosis by visual inspection. If any changes or misaligned edges are apparent, then this usually indicates that the dimensions of the affected part are incorrect.

Changes in gap dimension



1   Gap too wide
2   Gap too small

Planning a repair

The following decisions have to be made before the repairs are started:

Obtaining spare parts

The availability of spare parts often determines how easily the body repairs can be carried out. The following procedure is recommended:

Straightening repairs

Straightening repairs are often required to restore the body to its original shape after an accident. This can be done with:

The following points must be followed to ensure that the repairs are carried out professionally and that all the dimensions are correct after the repairs have been carried out.

  : Ultra High Strength steel in the A-Pillar, B-Pillar and cantrail cannot be straightened.



Panel Beating

Fundamentals of panel beating

Examples of applications of different panel beating techniques:

Fine straightening with an aluminium hammer and a universal dolly



Cutting out body parts

Depending on how the parts are joined/connected, different tools are suitable for cutting/separating body parts.

Spot-weld mill



Rod sander



Short stroke saw



Reciprocating saw



Carrying out the repairs

Replacement of a new back panel



Butt joint



:
  The severance cut should always be kept as short as possible on sectional replacement. Only cut at the severance lines shown in the repair chapters. Do not make any cuts near reinforcements or pre-determined folding lines.

:
  When using aerosols, take care not to contaminate adjacent parts with spray mist.

fitting the new part.

Secure the new part

Aligning and tack weld



1   Tack welds
2   Using a suitable tool to align

Correct tack welding sequence



Safety measures

Resistance spot welding

Where resistance spot welds have been used in production, they must be reproduced with new spot welds in replacement where possible. All such reproduction spot welds should be spaced 25 to 30mm apart.

Setting up the equipment and co-ordinating the welding parameters

Resistance spot welding panels where the total thickness is 3 mm or more

For all repairs to modern Land Rover vehicles, spot-welding equipment should be suitable for reliable welding of zinc-plated, high-strength and high-tensile steels in three or more layers, up to 5 mm total thickness. If these requirements are not fulfilled, plug welding must be used for safety reasons. The electrical specifications (current, resistance, heat) of the spot-welding equipment have different validity, depending upon the type of equipment. Therefore, it is essential that the equipment manufacturer's instructions are observed with regard to the actual welding performance.

MIG / MAG welding

Setting up the equipment and co-ordinating the welding parameters

Plug welding



1   Welding direction: circular pattern working from the inside outwards
2   Welding starting point: centre of hole on lower panel

Bonded glazing

Adhesive bonding of bonded windows



1   Rubber strip
2   Window frame
3   Adhesive
4   Window glass

Removing and installing bonded windows

Safety measures

Preparations

Cutting out the window

General preparations for bonding

Bonding the window glass

Finishing operations

Protective equipment and safety at work

Welding safety precautions

General body repair safety measures

Extraction unit



Safety rope



Paint Preparation

Paint repairs

Before carrying out paintwork repairs, clean the vehicle thoroughly using either a steam cleaner or high pressure washer.

Wash locally repaired areas using a mild water-mixable detergent and wipe them clean with solvent, immediately before paint application.

Ensure damaged paintwork which has led to exposed metal is abraded until the metal is clean, extending beyond the area of the original damage. Treat the bare metal with an etch phosphate to remove all traces of rust and to provide a key for new paint coats. Re-treat the affected area using either a separate acid-etch primer and two pack surfacer or an integrated etch primer/filler, and follow with a two pack paint system. Treat those surfaces not receiving paint using an approved cavity wax, following paint operations

  : When preparing bumpers for painting, ensure the PDC sensors are not damaged. Only remove the clear coat if possible. When painting the PDC sensors, do not apply excessive layers of paint as this can hinder the performance of the sensors.

  : When heat curing paint repairs, the temperature must not exceed 65°C (149°F). Temperature above this figure will cause the reflective elements within the headlamps and tail lamps to distort and may damage other components.