General information about body parts repair (Freelander 1)

General information

The car body has a monocoque structure. The front, side and rear parts of the body have programmable energy-absorbing deformation zones. This means that they are able to absorb the impact energy during deformation, thereby reducing the likelihood of injury to the driver and passengers of the car.

During post-accident body repair, it is necessary to restore the geometric dimensions and strength of the body. During restorative repair, neither a decrease in the strength of the body nor the strengthening of its individual parts is allowed.

The technology of body repair involves either extraction or replacement of individual panels or their assemblies. The repair technology selected in each specific case depends on the ratio of the cost of work and new body panels, as well as the availability of equipment and qualified specialists. The following factors also influence the decision: waiting time for repair, availability of a replacement car and time of repair.

The engineer's task is to select the optimal technology and ensure uniform loading of production capacities. The instructions provided in this Manual introduce the body repair specialist to the recommended technology for replacing body panels. The main goal of the recommendations we have developed is to bring the quality of repair work closer to the quality of a new car. The results of body restoration after an accident should not be noticeable even to an experienced expert, although the repair technology may differ from the factory technology. The equipment used for body repair differs from the equipment used during body manufacturing at the factory.



When describing the work in this Manual, the stage of checking the car after the completion of the actual repair and restoration operations is omitted. It is very important that after the repair, the work performed is checked and the suspension geometry and wheel alignment angles are checked.

If necessary, a road test of the vehicle should be carried out, especially if repairs have been made to systems that affect driving safety.

If the main units of the car were removed during the repair, then after their reinstallation, do not forget to check and, if necessary, restore the levels of oil, coolant and working fluids. It is also necessary to make sure that the external lighting devices are in good working order, check the air pressure in the tires, the presence of fluid in the windshield washer reservoir, as well as the condition of other systems necessary for normal operation of the car.

Carrying out body repairs often requires removing various mechanisms or components of electrical equipment and wiring. For proper removal and installation of components, refer to the instructions in the relevant sections of this Manual.

Body elements

Despite the variety of body types, suspensions, engines and transmissions, it is necessary to ensure the correct location of the attachment points of the following components:

• Upper mounting points of the front suspension shock absorber struts.
• Front suspension or front subframe mounting points.
• Upper mounting points for rear suspension shock absorbers.
• Lower rear suspension arm mounting points.

To check the body geometry, the following additional reference points can be used:

• Internal holes in side members, floor cross members, main floor panel.
• Holes in the front side members.
• Holes in the body sills.
• Holes in the rear side members.
• Openings in the rear floor and luggage compartment floor.

Original version of the article on the website LRMAN.RU

The size of the windshield openings, rear door glass, bonnet and doors should be measured and compared with the given values, you can also take the size of the new element as a sample.

Elimination of deformations

If possible, deformation of the structural elements of the body should be eliminated by mechanical action without heating the parts. Do not straighten the panels in one go, straighten them in several steps, check the geometry of the body after each stage and completely release the acting forces.

Body repair stand

Unless the repair involves decorative body panels, it should be performed on a body repair stand to ensure that the impact deformation does not spread to more distant elements of the body structure. Placing the vehicle on a body repair stand ensures that repair or replacement of individual panels does not cause additional distortion of the body geometry.

If this method fails to restore the original geometry of the part, the damaged load-bearing body parts must be replaced. Damaged sections of panels must be cut out with a high-speed saw, NOT an oxyacetylene torch.

As a rule, all transverse dimensions of the body are symmetrical relative to the longitudinal axis of symmetry. Therefore, the initial diagnostics of body deformation should be carried out by diagonal measurements and an assessment of the discrepancies in the measurements.

Inspection

Each road accident causes various types of damage to the body. The organization of repair work is determined by the extent of the damage to the body and the equipment that can be used for repairs.

Most body damage can be detected visually, which allows for an approximate assessment of its severity. Sometimes the deformation from the impact extends beyond the directly damaged area. It is necessary to accurately determine the degree of deformation so that as a result of repair the supporting elements of the body take their original shape. Initial diagnostics can be performed using a plumb line and calipers. Accurate measurements of body deformations can be performed using special devices.

If the repair requires replacing load-bearing body elements, it is recommended to use a body repair stand.