How to remove rear box on a 109 Safari wagon?

[pleask]

I'm new to Land Rovers and am helping a friend tear down his 109 Safari Wagon Series one.

I can see the mounting points of the rear box to the chassis, tabs seem to attach to the channels going fore and aft. But for the life of me I can not see any nuts/bolts to undo! (The manual is of not help, it says to remove nuts and bolts). I am hoping I can remove the entire box as a unit.. ?

Also, the "B" posts appear to be (on ours at least) welded to the outside chassis rail and are not removable - ?

Thanks, Pat

[red90]

The gearbox mounts should have bolts. Maybe post a picture as I'm not sure what you are seeing.


Yes, the B pillar is one piece with the body rail.
https://cdn3.volusion.com/gskbd.fwnjq/v ... 1435283085

[pleask]

Thanks, that appears to have one problem solved ("B" post IS attached to the frame and stays) - rats :)

I was asking about the rear box, where the long bench seats sit in the wagon, not the gear box. I got all the 8 bolts at the very back, that was the easy part. In watching You tube videos I found out there are no bolts holding the deck to the chassis between the front and the rear of the box. I thought there was as for when it was up on my hoist I saw tabs welded on to the frame rails so "assumed" it was bolted as well.

So now I am looking at what bolts to take off holding the box on towards the front.

Can two guys handle the box from a 109?
Pat

[red90]

Maybe post a picture of the problem area. Perhaps someone has done something strange. Nothing should be welded to the frame. Bolts at the front and back.

[pleask]

Gee, a photo now there is a simplistic brilliant idea!

[red90]

Okay, I see your confusion. The sill rails are attached to the rear tub with welds, so they come off with the tub. The sills are just attached to the frame with a couple of bolts at the front, where the bulkhead is attached.

[pleask]

Ahh rats, so the cill rails come off with the tub... that makes it a bit awkward. So if they come off with the tub, and the B post appears to be welded on to the cill rails that really makes it difficult! Wondering if I could cut off the cill rails back at the front of the tub then and somehow join them up with new steel.

Question, do these bolts also come out?

[The_Anachronist]

Jeez after all the emails now I understand your question! Sorry for not getting it. Yes the sill, B and lower C are all one piece.
And yes, those bolts come out too...

[Rob]

Hello Pat

The side frame (B and C pillar unit) is a welded unit so you have a couple of choices for removing the rear body. One way is to remove the rear body complete with the side frames attached (disconnect the side rails from the front seat box, floor panels and where it is attached to the chassis/bulkhead mounts). I did this method when I took the body off of a 5 door to do some chassis repair. I did it in one piece keeping the roof on so that the structure had strength and didn't lose its shape or dimensions. The other way to do it is to drill out the rivets that attach the rear tub to the "C" pillar so that you can leave the side frame in place and remove the rear tub as a separate unit. Before you do anything I recommend you inspect the side frame for corrosion, it is notorious for rusting and can fall apart when the body is removed. If you are replacing it then hack away and get a new one, if you are planning to repair it I'd tack weld braces to it prior to removing any of the rivets or the body so that your preserve the dimensions otherwise reassembly can be difficult and getting the panels and doors to line-up can be nightmarish if the side frames aren't true to the original dimensions. I know that Greg S has done some bodywork and side frame repairs on his 109 5 door so search the forum and you might find reference to his work.

Good luck, I hope this helps, regards, Rob.