Does fitting a galvanised chassis increase the cars value.

[MARKS6900]

Hi I've got a 90 td5 and I've found a chap that can supply richards galvanised chassis's for £1500 and can fit them for £750 all in, is this money well spent, thank you.

[V8 Fettler]

If your chassis is holier than that bloke in the Vatican then £1500 is an excellent price. Has the LR failed the MOT?

[tight fart]

Price sounds good but how bad is yours?
If your chassis is in good condition it won't add much value

[MARKS6900]

My chassis is ok, except for the front bulkhead out riggers possibly need plating for its next mot, never had any welding done on it yet, just thinking ahead if I replaced the chassis would I get my money back come selling time.

[Heartworm]

Think it would help it sell, not sure it would increase the value. Gives a good impression true cars been cared for. When I was looking at an older defender it made them more appealing.

[LP670]

galv chassis is definitely a bonus for a buyer. as an owner, if i were to fit a galv chassis (which i may in the next year or two) i would spray it black so it doesn't appeal to the thieves. also get your chassis number stamped onto the galv chassis (they don't come stamped iirc) and destroy you old chassis but retain the bit of metal with the chassis number on.

[dunk7]

If its a new chassis won't it have to be registered as a Q plate ?

It's also not that easy to paint once its done from what i read before doing mine, i decided to clean mine and scotchbrite the whole chassis then use 3M body Shutz which sticks to just about everything

I recently had my RRC chassis acid dipped and galvanised

Surely it must increase value of the vehicle as its now future
proofed the chassis for a long long time, well that's why i did mine

Edited by dunk7 on Monday 29th December 14:46

Edited by dunk7 on Monday 29th December 14:47

Edited by dunk7 on Monday 29th December 14:50

[100SRV]

It all depends upon the quality of the reassembly. As we have read elsewhere in this forum, LR, who have been throwing these things together since 1958 (referring to the body style) are incapable of building a defect-free product - what hope the home mechanic?

If new fasteners (not stainless) have been used and plenty of copper grease there should be no cause for concern but inspect very carefully to ensure the vehicle is correctly assembled with the correct grade of fasteners. Also that the different bodywork components are galvanically isolated to reduce the risk of corrosion (duralac or similar non-conductive sealant) between mating faces for panels, trim and chassis.

[g7jtk]

Shame they weren't made like that in the first place

[Heartworm]

dunk7 said:

If its a new chassis won't it have to be registered as a Q plate ?

First I've ever heard of that, can get the theory behind it but no, it wouldn't need to be a Q plate.

[SimesJH]

I had a galvanised chassis fitted to my 110 a few years ago.

It didn't strictly need replacing, but did need a new rear crossmember. I reasoned that this expense plus undoubted future welding expense would be better spent on a 'fit it once' galvanised chassis.

We maximised the chassis replacement by fitting new brake lines, fuel lines, a galvanised fuel tank and sundry other items while access was good. I helped with the work but paid for it to be done professionally.

I had my chassis painted satin black with a paint that required no primer. It still looks immaculate today.

For me, the big plus is that I no longer worry about corrosion, other than the doors. I've no real intention of ever selling and so value isn't a prime factor for me.

My view is that if you're intending on keeping yours for a while, then I think it's worthwhile doing. It'll definitely make it easier to sell.

[mikeh501]

a replacement chassis is treated as just replacing any other part by the DVLA, hence no Q plate. Their rules are not really made for old body on chassis vehicles in mind

[cpas]

£750 is a good price, but you'll probably find a lot of extra work rears its ugly head, so you need to know how the labour would be priced to cover this. I recently replaced mine and it took the best part of 3 years. I did end up putting all new nuts, bolts and washers on, and new brake lines. I also had to do a lot of work on the bodywork such as the braces under the rear tub and a lot of welding on the battery box, and aluminium repairs on the seat box. All this is time consuming but necessary, but would significantly add to labour costs.

[MARKS6900]

I was going to use these chaps, check out there web site http://www.dpgdefenders.com/ what do you think.

[anonymous-user]

100SRV said:

It all depends upon the quality of the reassembly......LR, who have been throwing these things together since 1958 (referring to the body style) are incapable of building a defect-free product - what hope the home mechanic?

I diagree with that sentiment. LR knock 'em out as fast and as cheap as possible.
The home mechanic is invariably an enthusiast also, so tends to take the time and effort where LR simply couldn't afford to.
I recently replaced the bulkhead on mine, and it now has more paint and Waxoyl in it than the entire Lode Lane site.

[100SRV]

Crossflow Kid said:

I diagree with that sentiment. LR knock 'em out as fast and as cheap as possible.
The home mechanic is invariably an enthusiast also, so tends to take the time and effort where LR simply couldn't afford to.
I recently replaced the bulkhead on mine, and it now has more paint and Waxoyl in it than the entire Lode Lane site.

True but will the enthusiast use quality fasteners or bulk cheap stuff? I've looked at a few Rovers rebuilt over the years, inspect VERY carefully before parting with your cash. Factory may knock em out but they have processes to follow no matter how lax QC is.