GAZelle body repair - methods and recommendations

2024 Author: Erin Ralphs | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-19 11:42

An integral feature of any truck is the presence of a body. There may be several options for its implementation. This is an awning, a van, a refrigerator, a furniture booth and so on. But, since loads are constantly transported in the body, the power structure wears out and loses its strength. In today's article, we will talk about how to repair the GAZelle body with our own hands. Photos and a story about the methods used are given in this article.

Boards

Borta is the eternal problem of GAZelles after 2003 release. Whether the manufacturer saved on metal, or the paint was of poor quality, is unknown. But be that as it may, the bodies rot. And the next year of operation. What to do about it?

First of all, the idea of painting comes to mind. Yes, the method is not bad - because now water will not penetrate directly onto the bare surface, and, accordingly, the spread of rust will stop. But not in our case. Water flows down the tent so that it gets intothe inside of the sides. And they rot from the inside. What is the solution to this issue? There are several ways:

• Anti-corrosion treatment by Movil. The composition processes the insides of the sides. According to car owners, there is an effect, but it is insignificant - more dust stuck than the result.
• Replacing metal boards with aluminum ones. The new "Nexts" began to be equipped with such. But the trouble is that such boards cost almost as much as half of the body itself.
• Do-it-yourself GAZelle body repair. The process involves the manufacture of a new frame from sheet metal. Such a homemade board will last a very long time. Even with a thickness of 2 millimeters, it will be resistant to through corrosion and mechanical shock (especially important for those who transport building materials). The design is installed on the factory hinges. The advantages of homemade boards are strength, reliability, long service life. But there are also disadvantages. In particular, it is the appearance. But car owners have found a solution to this problem. They lengthen the awning, hiding behind it the entire cavity of makeshift sides. It looks like this.

Gender

How, in this case, to repair the body of the GAZelle with your own hands? Usually on such trucks the floor is made of wood. She has a tendency to rot. Also, this floor fails if it experiences heavy loads in one place (for example, the board cracks when loading a heavy pallet with a rokla). In this regard, the question arises about the repair of the body. Naturally, installnew boards make no sense.

So you can put a sheet of metal on top of them. The optimal thickness is 2 mm. The weight of such a floor for a 4-meter GAZelle is 125 kilograms. The sheets have a good margin of safety and do not bend. Installation is made on bolts. It is necessary to drill through holes in the floor and fix the sheets on both sides.

Important moment! The top of the bolts should be flat as shown in the photo below. Otherwise, the load will scratch on their surface.

Thick hats are installed from below and screwed on nuts. The design is quite reliable and practical.

We weld scarves

Repair of the GAZelle body is not only about strengthening the sides and the floor. The bottom of the structure also wears out. But it is the power structure of the entire booth. The photo below shows one of the ways to strengthen the structure.

In the same way, you can repair the body of the GAZelle. Crossbars under load can sag. To prevent this, several scarves are welded on all crossbars. You can also go the other way. For example, instead of scarves, weld a steel profile from the beginning of the channel to the end of the crossbar itself.

Rear racks

This problem is faced by drivers of cars whose body height is more than two meters. Factory metal is not designed for such loads. Therefore, the rear pillars (where the gates are attached,or the rear flap of the awning is covered) are deformed. Over time, they begin to loosen up. Cracks appear. Some solve this problem by installing tie-down straps in a criss-cross pattern.

For the best effect, the body of the GAZelle should be repaired. All existing cracks must be welded. Additionally, the structure should be strengthened. It is better not to use scarves, as they will hide part of the width of the floor. Therefore, we make an L-shaped profile with a welding machine. We weld it with one part to the floor, and the second - to the rack itself. Thus, all loads will be leveled.

The B-pillar can be repaired in the same way. But only if it is non-removable. Otherwise, you can forget about sideloading.

Which equipment to use for welding?

The best option is a semi-automatic inverter.

As for the thickness of the electrodes, it should be about two millimeters. This is enough to ensure a high-quality and even seam.

Metal thickness

When repairing the GAZelle body, consider the weight of the welded metal. Indeed, with each scarf and corner, the mass of the booth increases, not to mention the metal sheets. Be sure to calculate the weight of the material used.

As for its thickness, the most optimal parameter is 2-3millimeter. When reinforcing the crossbars, you can take a thicker material. In any case, it will not rot, and if desired, rust can be removed with a zinc converter.

Conclusion

So, we found out in what ways it is possible to repair the body of the GAZelle. After such manipulations, the cargo compartment of the car will last a very long time. And what is most remarkable - the budget of works does not exceed three thousand rubles. The floor will cost the most if metal sheets are installed. For the rest, welding of scarves and profiles is a cheap and easy way to repair the GAZelle body with your own hands.