A while ago I noticed some bubbling rust on the outer part of my from chassis rail just behind the front suspension… To the untrained eye (mine!) it looks like a simple cut and weld in plate job…Alas it is a bit more involved as there is also an inner strengthening part which is spot welded to the outer…
I visited syncro specialist Syncro-Nutz up in Scotland for fellow syncro lover Russel to have a look at. Turns out the inner part was rusted pretty badly too and the entire front subframe with diff etc needed to be dropped to provide access..
Russel then began to cut the outer away..
Spot welds for drilling out:
The inner and outer parts removed – worse than I thought it was!
New inner and outer welded and then “spot welded” together – treated below:
Here is the one from the other side chassis rail:
And the finished work, all waxoyled inside and treated on the outside
Thanks to Russel and Syncro-Nutz I won’t be worrying about this area again – I’d get under your van and check your chassis rails for any bubbling – inner and outer parts. Be prepared for a couple of days in a workshop as it is a good few hours work to drop and refix the front subframe.. Great opportunity for me to fit my Power Steering rack – more on that later!
Wow Jed, how much work you do on your van these days! Whats the cost on all these jobs typically?
-Simon
HI Simon – it is my van which we did the chassis rails on. As much of the work as possible we do ourselves – some stuff is best left to the pro’s – sometimes I question the spending.. but for me there isn’t a vehicle that could replace this – what else can fit in the parking space of a Volvo Estate yet sleep 4 comfortably, is capable offroad and also have a toilet, running water, double stove and a fridge! Worth every penny!
Nice job, keep on going, to help those nice Westfalia Syncro on the road out there for next years, events.
Wow! I thought my Syncro was the only van with rust in the same area!! I think it was easy to do, right? Just cut, weld and protect?
/Victor