Sheet metalwork

[Ianinessex]

Is there anyone in the forum who makes things out of sheet metal? :nenau

I want a spare wheel spacer for the back of my Patrol. They are available from several places in Australia, but having looked, the postage is considerably more then the cost of the part. It is a fairly simple part, made from 3mm sheet steel, but it is way beyond what I can do in the garage.

If anyone can make me one, I can produce the drawing with all the dimensions. I just need the sheet metal part, I can handle all the fixings etc.

 

[Fez_uk]

Why not just use 2 lengths of some square tube with holes in them to act as a spacer and longer bolts??

 

[Ianinessex]

I did consider that, and may well try it if I can't get the real thing, but I was not sure the door panel was strong enough not to twist under the weight of the wheel without the full strength of the complete plate.

Moving the wheel out 25mm (an good old-fashioned inch!) is going to put more bending stress on the door panel.

 

[Fez_uk]

The item above will put just as much strain on it

 

[Lazy-Ferret]

Is that to raise the height, or space it out from the door?

When I needed to space mine away from the door on the T2, I got 2 bars of 1" square tube, and 4 longer bolts. The tubes ran across the door, but if you use a thin wall tube, you will need to put 4 spacers inside the tube, where the bolts go through, as I managed to squash my tube a bit.

If it is to raise the height, same 2 lengths of square tube across the door, with a length of 6mm aluminium plate bolted to them, going up the the door. The plate is the same width as the tubes, but longer, so that the bottom edge lines up with the bottom tube, and the top how ever much higher you need above the top tube. The old wheel carrier is then bolted to the plate, just further up. That is what I did on the T2, and it's been good for over a year.

Before

After...

 

[russell.huffer]

Ian,

Used 3 m12 nuts on mine, it is held on with 3 long m10 bolts so I put wound a small piece of masking tape on the bolts thread this allows you to put bolts in wheel with nuts on the back that do not fall off as you lift wheel then just lift on and tighten.

Cost pennys

Kind regards

Russell.