I have not welded, but when I have a garage will learn. Yes, I am in Chicago and the rust is getting bad. No holes yet.

I inherited what we call The Seaside curse from my Dad which is fixing our cars past sense. My Grandfather worked at a Seaside Gas Station in the 30’s and 40’s. It’s my creative outlet.

 

That's awesome! I figure that Rovers North, and other suppliers, are in business for a reason. My ideas may not always be conventional, practical or reasonable but at least it makes life interesting. I've thought about getting a LR3 or LR4 to replace my DII but don't know if anything else will give me the same joy as my stubborn, old, jalopy of a Rover. Just have to find someone that can tackle what I need done.

 

Hi KD

There are limited options available:

1 New galvanised frame (chassis) no more frame problems in your lifetime and costs around $4-5K fitted.
2 New fabricated rear end a sold on Ebay and welded in by a garage, costs around $2-3K and will rot at welds sooner or later.
3 Find a garage to fabricate and weld in new frame sections, costs around $2-3K and will rot at welds sooner or later.
4 DIY repairs but need a good MIG or TIG welder and some knowledge. Costs assuming you have all the kit, $500-£1K will rot at welds sooner or later.

If it were me I'd go for No1 but it depends whether Bertha is worth the trouble and the cost of a replacement car plus extra insurance costs.

The only other option is a used frame if you can find one, like buying a secondhand ticket for the Titanic trip, then you have to pay a good garage to fit the frame.

Good luck KD, think hard and careful.

Best

CJ

 

Sorry to see this after all you've gone through with Bertha... I am solidly in the "find a new truck from the southwest" camp. Use what good parts you can from Bertha and look for something with a spotless frame and go from there. Best of luck! You could get a whole new truck with a good frame for the price of just the labor on that swap. Plus you would have hella spare parts and could choose the best of everything for Bertha deux.

 

Also, if memory serves you have a 2000 or 2001? You can find those very cheap that are driveable. Just find one rust free, not working, swap engine. Maybe Mike Sides has one that he could do an engine swap on.

 

Thanks CJ for your response. I hope the hand is doing better and you're on the mend. Yeah, I was talking it over with my sister last night and we went thru the same options sans the Titanic comment As Bertha was down so much last year we bought another vehicle so that shouldn't be a problem for the time being. I'm paying insurance on her right now so yes, would have to get additional coverage if I have the work done.

I think the hardest part of all of this is trying to find someone to work with you that doesn't think you're nuts. As much as I'd like to say that I could do all of this myself, it isn't feasible, so hiring someone is the only option. And trying to find that particular someone proves to be difficult. I don't care for the way I'm treated at some shops. I was actually asked (over the phone) if I was licensed and had insurance yesterday? I don't know if that was to cover their butt or mine when talking about driving the Rover to a welder to have it looked at. Probably coverage for them - I don't know. The welder I spoke with wasn't much better - growly with an attitude and didn't know if he could or wanted to deal with it. As much as I can appreciate that - why does there have to be such animosity toward someone just trying to get a quote or hire them for business? I question myself when this happens and say to myself 'did I ask it in a strange tone?' 'is it because I'm a woman?' 'are they having a bad day?'. I'm a sensitive person and it takes a toll calling around asking for help and getting responses like that. It makes me want to call a shop out of state and transport Bertha cross country to get her fixed up.

Such drama.

I'm going to take a week or so to mull over my options. The way I see it right now is that I have 2 (of your 4) options. Send Bertha to the spa to have the frame swapped out with the galvanized chassis or say goodbye to a beloved friend.

KD

 

2002 and thanks Collie

 

If the rest of truck is good why not spend 4-5 k if that’s what it is
or just keep it for parts

 

I would if that's all it entails. Finding the right person to do the job is the hardest part. I'm not quite sure where 4-5k comes from... the galvanized chassis from Rovers North is $4,468 right now. Rimmer Bros. is more than that. So it would be at least $4500 to get the chassis and then the labor on top of it. 60 hours of labor? What's the going rate...

It's not practical but right now I'm thinking with my heart and not my head. Have you guys seen this video? A very sad story but I think it speaks volumes about attachments to vehicles and people:

 

Yes I agree some folks here always say the cheapest price but in reality it’s much more
the good news is your in the USA and you have plenty of options on buying used one in good shape. Just takes patience

i would call a local lr supplier and see if they have any suggestions on a body shop or shop to do a frame swap