Welding to the Chassis, Is it Legal? Is it Safe?

Matt,

I can't see how they would weaken the chassis and I have seen pictures of other Cruisers with mounting brackets welded to the chassis - IMHO if you can drill a hole into it to mount recovery brackets then it should maintain it's integrity when welded.

BTW - I have fitted the side steps/scrub bars and they look good. Are you still interested in selling the roof bars?

Karl

I'm probably wrong but welding could create a weak spot due to the heat applied and could take away the structual integrity of the steel.

I thought you were sticking to the "Devil you knew"

Cheers Kev

Hello Matt, this is a tricky question and the answer is yes and no.

It is illegal to weld to a chassie between suspension mounting / steering points, it is all to do with the Australia Design Rules unless you have it re engineered and approved.

The person welding it should be certified to Australia Standards AS1796 I think.

I personally don't think you would have a problem if you can or you can find a competent welder to do it.

You have to remember we aren't talking about the strength of the weld or where it is welded, just that it does not comply with the Australia Design Rules for that vehicle.

If the Police, or State Transport Authorities feel like picking on you or your insurance company may use it as an easy way out of paying a claim but I don't think they would because with the insurance company they would have to prove that that mod was the cause of your claim.

By welding it if welded correctly it will not weaken the chassie unless they use something like "HSLA" steel (high strength low alloy) in it whereby a different technique is used.

If it is normal steel, by welding it you will increase the strength in that area by increasing carbon grain growth in the steel itself.

Regards Richard

Hi Matt

The 80 series cruiser chassis used higher tensile steel than Patrols and this should not be welded casually, you are better to bolt/screw to it.

Robin Miller

Matt, ARB welded tabs to my chassis for the brush guards, not sure if it is legal or not, but it has been done. GU patrol ute.

2.2 WELDING
2.2.1 A novice must not carry out the construction or modification of a chassis.
Numerous effects such as twisting and loss of strength can be caused by incorrect
penetration, preparation, or timing of weld deposits. Inspection of all welds and
the requirement for rework will be at the discretion of the Examiners. Structural
chassis welding is recommended to be carried out with the chassis fixed in a jig.
An example of a chassis jig is shown in diagram 2 (a) on the next page.
{Advisory Note: Those persons who have experience, but do not possess
certification, are advised to attend a TAFE or Private Provider Certified welding
course.}

Hi Graham H., After you drill a hole put a plate over the hole in the chassis (both sides) and you have spread the clamping load over a large area of the chassis - this area is probably now stronger then it was before drilled the hole.

Matt

I have no idea BUT I've seen stickers on a number of truck chassies stating "DO NOT WELD"

Ask someone who knows (???) from Toyota?

Matt , give my son Littleborgy S.A an MM , he is a fully qaulified truck body builder and specialises in chassis modification ......Cheers ......Dave

In another life a long time ago, a wandering cow came into my sights and got smacked hard by the bullbar of my old FJ55 at 100lmh.

One of the results of this altercation was that the cross member at the front of the vehicle cracked at the join to the chassis. A mate and I used a power jack to push everything together and he welded it for me. This weld lasted about a year until one day it broke again while towing the 27 footer. The steering became rather valgue and we limped into a small country town. There a mechanic bloke dragged a welder(it looked abit like a Dalek) out of the depths of his untidy workshop. We used a come-along handwinch to pull the bits together and he melted some very thick welding rods over the damaged part.

Years later, when the old Cruiser was traded in, that was the only bit of the vehicle that was till intact. The rest of rusted out...lol

The moral of the story is that if you can find a real competent welder, that knows what he/she is doing, then you could strengthen the chassis instead of weakening it. As for the legality of welding to the chassis....who cares?

Cheers

Matt
The chassis on a 4wd is not hardened steel,as in trucks, but mild steel, and therefore it is very easily welded by someone who can, but will bge a modification under the letter of the law etc etc..
As others have stated, make sure you knew nothing about it, the sidesteps were std as far as you new, and they were there when you purchased the car if insurance ask...

Matt,

I just found on another forum Teabags new GU that he has set up, read the attached link it shows how his Cheezy slider were fitted.

Read This

Cheers Kev