The seat box, is, as the name suggests is where the seats fix . It also has two removable covers to access the top of the gearbox and the “battery box” with a third fixed cover over the top of the fuel tank.

The battery box beneath the drivers seat, offers the option to install a second battery (the main starter battery being housed under the bonnet). I don’t need to install a second battery so the space will be used to store the ubiquitous ammo box full of tools, engine & gear oil, coolant, hi viz jacket, first aid kit and hazard warning triangle. (the latter three items being a legal requirement in Switzerland)

But theres a bit of work to do…. The battery box is made from steel and being sighted below the car, suffers from corrosion. Furthermore given it is fixed to the aluminium seat box, a great deal of bi metallic corrosion also takes place.

LGL has not escaped either of these fates. The battery box was in poor condition and although not rusted through I do recall when I bought the vehicle finding the battery well full of water and needing to drill a couple of holes to let the water drain out. Far worse is the electronic corrosion as you will see.

To this end, I have purchased from Bit 4 Landys a complete new battery box and seat box end. These are as close to original as you’re going to find and the quality is very good.

To replace the battery box, the original needs to be removed. To do so, one must drill out all of the dome head rivets and 4 spot welds… This is not a bolt in affair. Refitting is the reverse of this process. I will have to deviate a little from the original design as I don’t have facilities to spot weld aluminium…. Dome head rivets will be used instead so the look and feel will remain the same.

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Original battery box
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Underside of the seat box. As mentioned in a previous post, Land Rover didn’t waste paint spraying the underside of the panels.
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This clag is 50 years of excess grease thrown out from the front propshaft rose joint
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LGL was sunning himself on the drive….
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Most of the clag and waxoyl removed
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Now we got onto the dome head rivets. Step 1: centre punch each rivet to help guide the drill
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Drill out each of the rivets (a good idea to wear eye protection, a lot of swarf spins out of these)
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All the rivets drilled out
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Now for the 4 spot welds on the vertical seam
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… and with those removed, the whole assembly falls to pieces. (yeah, still need to get the mower out of hibernation)
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Origanal and new battery box
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Same from the underside
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The result of bi metallic corrosion, white salty deposits and actual holes (arrowed)
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In oder to ensure bimetallic corrosion is inhibited along the edges where they mate for  as long as possible, the new seat box  and end panel are coated with Buzzweld RCP. Both parts were given a good degreasing and in the case of the aluminium end panel, a thorough going over with wet and dry to provide a good key for the paint.
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Both parts primed and drying