Pillars

A-, B- and C-pillar repair panels for the Land Rover Defender and first-generation Ford Bronco. Pillars are the vertical structure between body openings — they set door gaps, glass fit and roof strength, and on the Defender they're steel members hidden behind alloy skins, which makes them prime galvanic-corrosion victims.

Symptoms of pillar rot

Doors that won't hold adjustment, cracked paint lines at pillar bases, bubbling at the alloy/steel joints and wind noise that gap-setting can't fix. By the time a pillar shows surface rust at the base, the section inside the sill is usually gone.

Installation

Brace the aperture before cutting — hang the door and fix a temporary brace across the opening. Cut to clean metal, trial-fit the new pillar with the door re-hung, plug-weld at factory positions and re-check gaps after every weld sequence; pillars move with heat.

Are pillar panels handed?

Yes, LH and RH are separate pressings. C-pillar panels for the Defender 110 also differ between body styles.

Is pillar replacement safe to DIY?

Only for experienced welders — pillars are safety structure. Otherwise this is professional work.

Related: bulkheads · roof panels