Chassis leg replacement

[Alex'n'Ane]

Does anyone know if it is possible to replace a front chassis leg, with her on a car lift? And any particular precautions i need to take? (drain fuel etc??)

[bmcecosse]

You need to dismantle the front suspension on that side - so depends what you mean by a 'car lift' ?

[taupe]

Hi

You also ideally need to remove the engine and gearbox to get good access for cutting out and welding though its probably possible to leave them in it will certainly be more awkward.

[MarkyB]

remove the engine and gearbox

Seconded, you don't want any weight pushing or pulling on the leg while it's being welded.
Replacing a front chassis leg is second only to replacing the cross member in terms of how it will affect the finished car.
It needs to be strong, to support the weight of the engine and the forces from the suspension, and fairly accurate to keep the cars geometry within bounds.
It's worth taking some time over to get right, and be proud of.

A hole in the floor you can cover up with a rubber mat or a patch, it's the "skin" the chassis leg is part of the skeleton.

Don't let this put you off doing it, just take that bit more care.

[Alex'n'Ane]

Thanks for the advice, forgot to add its only a front half section of the chassis leg, so alignment should be slightly easier But i presume this doesn't really effect anything you have said?
Thanks

[bmcecosse]

I was going to ask if it was a half-leg, but yes - I would have the engine out. The gearbox can stay put.

[MarkyB]

Sorry, I don't know what "front half section" means.
Around the eye bolt mounting the leg is reinforced with extra metal inside.
There is no way to repair at this point from the outside successfully.

If you mean the section you have will reach to the cross member I'll defer to anyone who has done this job.

Some bits "never" rust and the temptation tends to be to remove and replace the minimum.

There is a certain tension between retaining the original metal, and doing the best possible job.

The stuff about skeleton and skin stands though, the best way for you to proceed is up to your judgement and any other advice you receive.

[Alex'n'Ane]

That is indeed the point which has gone And this is the repair panel http://morrisminorspares.co.uk/shop/pro ... 10cade760f
So only the front half of the chassis leg.

[bmcecosse]

As long as it comes with the re-inforcement inside.........

[MarkyB]

OK, I'd count that as the whole front chassis leg or what would the rear half be?
I'd tend to go with cutting back to sound metal behind the eye bolt strengthening so you have flat surfaces to match up to.
If you remove the whole leg then you will have to level it up across the cross member as well as in relation to the other leg.

[chickenjohn]

This http://morrisminorspares.co.uk/shop/pro ... 10cade760f
is the half leg repair section, it sleeves into the rest of the leg under the cab floor- so it does not go back as far as the crossmember.

If it was me doing the repair, I would cut the overlap off and butt weld the new section into the existing chassis leg. That way there are no rust trapping overlaps and you could paint and cavity wax treat the inside of the join from inside the cab - after removing the gearbox cover.

Half leg

Full leg

[barrie102]

The old adage 'cut once , measure twice' applies when doing this repair and to get a neat finish care is required seperating old leg from the engine bay pan etc, take a million measurements from reference points on the car and ensure you just tack first recheck measurements before completing closure welds.
Good luck.

[chickenjohn]

I'm considering making a jig from old eye bolts and box section to enable precise fixing of new chassis legs.

[pfgiz]

Mine went fine, using the half leg shown which had already had the re-enforcement piece in it and the tipping frame. I removed my engine to reduce the stresses on the leg to be removed but did have the gearbox still attached.

I did replace the passenger side half leg, which is easier than the drivers one as you don't need to remove as much stuff, like clutch bits etc. Also measured the distance between the torsion arm eye bolt on the leg I hadn't removed and set the other one correctly, the re-enforcements helped here, and made sure of an even gap all of the way down the length of the leg before welding.

Best of luck.......

[Alex'n'Ane]

Thanks for all the advice, glad to say it went well, got it all done in one day

[bmcecosse]

Well done - did you remove engine/tip car on side ???

[pfgiz]

Good news....

Do you have any pictures????