Front Beam replacement

Garyukuk · Jul 18, 2023

Hi, when having some welding done to the chassis it was noted the front beam on my 72 Dormobile is rusted beyond repair so I’ve bit the bullet and bought a new standard beam from JK. seeing As I work away from home for months at a time I hoped I could get the beam fitted by a specialist (I’ve been given the number of a highly recommended guy in Salford) while I was working but was looking for advice as to how hard it would be to do it myself. Im not a mechanical ***** having done my own servicing of my previous vehicles and since owning the bus I’ve already changed the drop link, steering box, throttle mechanism, gear shifter , shifter rod bushings , gearbox Oil on top of a service but am relatively new to owning a t2 and am unsure if there are any pitfalls / special tools/ tricks/ other parts that should be ordered for changing at the same i should know about before even thinking about attempting to replace it myself. Also how long do you think it would take to do and is it a 2 man job, any advice would be much appreciated.

ozziedog · Jul 18, 2023

It can be done by yourself but helpful if you’ve done it before. The beam and all the bits is extremely heavy and therefore could be and probably is quite dangerous for a novice with limited tooling. I’d say to get someone to do it for you who has all the gear like a ramp and extra jacking capabilities on it. Yes I’d like to do it as a two man job just to have two pairs of eyes when leveraging something of that weight off and then moving it around. It could be an accident waiting to happen. Not trying to pee you off but it’s a job that could easily get bogged down in the wrong hands.

Ozziedog,,,,,,,,,so sorry to be a downer with this

Clem · Jul 18, 2023

Worth looking at all the ball joint rubber boots and tie rod covers whilst you are there.
Everything else is reasonably straightforward. You may need to lever it out of position and you’ll need a grease gun to reassemble the new beam. Fitting on your own is a bit tricky but manageable , just jack it into position , an extra pair of hands/eyes to help at this point is a help but not a show stopper.

Garyukuk · Jul 19, 2023

Thanks for the replies , I’m not home until September so I’ve got time to think about it , I’ve got all the tools to do it just need to do some google and YouTube research.

Graham L · Jul 20, 2023

As above it's possible on the ground on axle stands, much easier to install the beam with just the leaves and steering arm on and then install the trailing arms with ball joints once the beam itself is installed, makes it a far easier job and we do it that way even though we have a lift, just makes the whole thing a lot lighter and easier to do. (We strip the beams on the bus to this level as well before removing them.)
Agree with @Clem if you are changing it I'd check ball joints, tie rods and steering drag link whilst the beam is off and replace where necessary.
Good luck and if you need any advice feel free to ask.

YellowBay69 · Jul 20, 2023

I’ve fitted mine on the drive after refurbishing it and fitting new shocks. Didn’t find it difficult tbh (and I am a amateur) Think I used trolly jack to ease it into place.
Definitely don’t remember it being an issue.