Yet another body off

[Tafford]

Hi,
I'm just starting a body off chassis refurb on my '97 4.2. I've a few questions that don't seem to be covered in the manual - mostly on the interior:

1) Front seats bolts - the bolts turn and it seems impossible to get a spanner on the heads in the runners - is it easiest just to cut them off and replace the bolts?
2) How do you get the back seats bases out to get at the rear seat belt mounts?
3) How do you get the dashboard and centre console out?
4) My exhaust has seen better days - what the difference between the 4.2 and 4.5 exhausts? Are the manifold connections the same size / place but the cats / pipes a different diameter from there back?

I'll post some photos when I get going so that you can monitor my probably painfully slow progress and point out where I'm going wrong - which is bound to be often!

Cheers, Duncan

[Tanguero]

Tafford said:

Hi,
I'm just starting a body off chassis refurb on my '97 4.2. I've a few questions that don't seem to be covered in the manual - mostly on the interior:

1) Front seats bolts - the bolts turn and it seems impossible to get a spanner on the heads in the runners - is it easiest just to cut them off and replace the bolts?
2) How do you get the back seats bases out to get at the rear seat belt mounts?
3) How do you get the dashboard and centre console out?
4) My exhaust has seen better days - what the difference between the 4.2 and 4.5 exhausts? Are the manifold connections the same size / place but the cats / pipes a different diameter from there back?

I'll post some photos when I get going so that you can monitor my probably painfully slow progress and point out where I'm going wrong - which is bound to be often!

Cheers, Duncan

1) Just cut them - far easier and new bolts are pennies.

2) The rear seatbelt inertia reels are behind the back seats - you can access them by removing the helmet holder. The catch end should be undoable with a spanner down the side of the seat cushion.

3) There are 2 bolts on each side of the dashboard by the doors, accessible from underneath, and one screw under the bottom edge of the padded part on the drivers side at the front. The back is held in by the helmet holder so take that out too.Remove the cover from the instrument cluster (wing nut underneath at each side) and unscrew the dashboard. You have to ease the dashboard down through the hole in the console as you take it out. It is a tight fit - but it will come out of the passenger door if you take the seat out.

4) The 4.2 cats are a different length to the 4.5 ones - but I cant remember which is shorter. There is an inch or so difference in the intermediate pipes to make up for it.

[markh1]

Good luck with the body off, I have done it with the help of some fellow PH'ers. I detailed it all on this thread if you have not already seen it...

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

[Tafford]

Thanks Peter and Mark.
Mark, Thanks for your guide - I presume you've taken all the interior out to retrim - I'm hoping I don't need to take the rear seats out? Also is it possible to take the transmission tunnel cover off without removing the dashboard - it seem to lot of hassle to remove everything to get at the two bolts under the transmission tunnel cover or is there something else under the dash that needs removing?

Getting a bit ahead of myself as I've not had a chance to do any work for over a week - what are the pro and cons of leaving the engine/ box in to lift the body. The engine has to come out anyway but is it easier to leave it in until after the body is off? I'm also wondering about the reverse (in the far distant future) - it would be much easier to put the engine cab into the chassis without the body?

A word of advice to other idiots like me - make sure the battery is disconnected before removing the earths in the boot else the car tries to start when you operate the door button - not funny when it's on ramps / axle stands!

Thanks, Duncan

[markh1]

Duncan,

The transmission tunnel cover and dashboard are one piece (see my thread for pictures) It has to come out as one. Yes it is a pain and quite difficult to do without damaging it.

From memory you don't have to take the rear seats out.

We took the engine out first as it means you dont have to life the body as high when you remove it. Also the body does not come off the chassis easily. You have to be quite violent/vigorous to separate them and it was very useful to be able to stand in the engine bay and prize the chassis and body apart. Engine went in after body was put back on, again due to height issues.

[Tanguero]

Removing the rear seats is easy - there are just two or three bolts through to the wheelarch on each side.

The transmission tunnel cover is a single 'T' shaped piece that includes the lower part of the front console, cubbyhole and radio surround as well as the tunnel cover. The dash I was referring to is just the panel with the gauges on. It fits down through a hole in the console to enable you to get the whole centre console out. I have not had the body off mine - but looking at the pics from when I refurbished the interior, I strongly suspect you would have to take the centre console out in order to get the handbrake lever far enough out of the way for the body not to snag on it when you lift it. Someone who has done a body lift can probably confirm.

[Luckyone]

Tafford said:

Thanks Peter and Mark.
Mark, Thanks for your guide - I presume you've taken all the interior out to retrim - I'm hoping I don't need to take the rear seats out? Also is it possible to take the transmission tunnel cover off without removing the dashboard - it seem to lot of hassle to remove everything to get at the two bolts under the transmission tunnel cover or is there something else under the dash that needs removing?

Getting a bit ahead of myself as I've not had a chance to do any work for over a week - what are the pro and cons of leaving the engine/ box in to lift the body. The engine has to come out anyway but is it easier to leave it in until after the body is off? I'm also wondering about the reverse (in the far distant future) - it would be much easier to put the engine cab into the chassis without the body?

A word of advice to other idiots like me - make sure the battery is disconnected before removing the earths in the boot else the car tries to start when you operate the door button - not funny when it's on ramps / axle stands!

Thanks, Duncan

Or you leave the battery connected & then touch the fuel pump connections on the chassis (didn't know there was any power there with the ignition off) & set the alarm off when you head is right next to it, then find there was still a bit of fuel left in the pump & realise you had a lucky escape!

But as for the bolts you don't need to take much out: First remove the hand break by getting under the car & taking out the pin holding the cable to it, then you can get to the two bolts holding it from the top & pull it out. I damaged the leather slightly leaving it in to start with & the body won't come up with it still there anyway. Then it's just the centre console: If you remove the instrument cowl & take all the bolts & screws out of it (following it round to the ends with the air vents by each side window) it can be moved back enough to get the cubby most of the way out to get at the bolts, there's no need to disconnect any wires anywhere.





Edit: there are some hard to see red arrows pointing out the bolt you need to get to in each pic.

As for the seat bolts I used the wire brush on the grinder to clean the threads then used different things behind the washers to lever them down to keep the bolt under tension which kept the head located in the runner inside the car. If you did grind them off you may have trouble getting some of the ones on the passenger seat back in as I found the runner didn't move far enough to get the bolts out, once I'd take the seat out of the car.
I'll start my own thread, with more of a guide, when my other half get back from her holls with the good camera.
Good luck!

Edited by Luckyone on Tuesday 24th August 19:21

[Tafford]

Well the body is off..... thanks all for the help so far especially Luckyone - not taking the dash all the way out helps a lot. It actually only took two of us about three days to get to this point although I suspect it may take a bit longer to put everything back together! As you can see the chassis is not in a nice state but I expected this anyway.

[itiejim]

Good man! Mine should be coming off soon. Any hints on how to lift the front without damage (or 20 friends)? I'm hoping to lift the rear with a block and tackle using a beam of wood in the boot aperture as per the TVR manual.

[Tafford]

Hi - we didn't as much lift the body as drop the chassis if that makes sense. First we jacked the back of the car up on to axle stands/ timber across under the boot just behind the chassis, lifted the front with a piece of 4x2" timber across the engine bay btween the back of the inner wings and an engine hoist. We were then able to unbolt the chassis and prise it down onto stands / jacks. Next we rested the front of the car onto timber / stands as you can seeen in the above photo and took away the engine hoist. We left the front wheels on and pulled the chassis out with the back resting on a trolley jack. It only took two of us - the hardest part was getting the tapered part of the chassis down past the back of the engine bay body - it's a tight fit!

Good luck with yours - pulling it apart isn't particularly difficult - I think it's the putting back together that will be the pain.

[itiejim]

Thanks for that, sounds like a good idea - certainly novel!

Did you manage it without causing any bodywork damage / stress cracks - I'm thinking about getting the body repainted while it's off but wouldn't want to damage it during the refit...

[Tafford]

No damage to the body and wouldn't really expect any as it's pretty thick fibreglass where we supported it - the greatest force on it was trying to prise the chassis and body apart not the it's self weight anyway.

[Tafford]

Some progress photos - chassis repaired and powder coated, diff in and suspension being fitted. It seems to be slow going building the chassis back up but hopefully we'll have in back under the car this week.

Can anyone confirm that the rear ARB brackets are on correctly? - I can't remember how they were and of course it's not on any of the photo's I took...

New bits to date:
Chassis repaired then grit blasted and painted with two coats zinc primer then powder coated - done by Birkenhead Powder Coating http://www.birkenheadpowdercoatings.co.uk
Diff checked over by Alan Voigts, Wallasey 0151 630 3575 - he's also refurbed the gearbox as a couple of synchro rings were worn
Powerflex bushes, drop links and bolts kit - Steve Heath Engineering http://www.shengltd.com/catalog/
Gaz Gold Pro shocks - Absolutely Shocks http://www.absolutelyshocks.com/
CV gaiters as per alternative parts list
Steering rack gaiters
Track rod ends

[spongy]

owww that looks good my man,must be very happy with that well worth the hard work.

[caduceus]

Tafford said:

Can anyone confirm that the rear ARB brackets are on correctly?

HTH

[boss1uk]

that all looks so good. wish i had the knowledge time and money to give it a go....

[spongy]

boss1uk said:

that all looks so good. wish i had the knowledge time and money to give it a go....

You must have one of em bud;)

[jonnie5]

Interesting thread this. I need to show my Cerb some love, starting with Chassis. It's '97 4.2, FWIW, and I'm looking for somewhere that can do the whole process for me.

Anyone got any pointers as to who does a full chassis refurb as a service, including body removal?

Whilst I've got the body off, as I'm planning a respray next year, is it worth getting that done at the same time?

Thoughts and advice most welcome

[gruffalo]

STR9SIX in Oxon offer this as a service, saw a Cerbera just being finished that had been for a body off, looked like new, cracking workmanship.

[blackiepaul]

jonnie5 said:

Interesting thread this. I need to show my Cerb some love, starting with Chassis. It's '97 4.2, FWIW, and I'm looking for somewhere that can do the whole process for me.

Anyone got any pointers as to who does a full chassis refurb as a service, including body removal?

Whilst I've got the body off, as I'm planning a respray next year, is it worth getting that done at the same time?

Thoughts and advice most welcome

I saw a cerb that Topcats did over the winter last year - they went the extra mile on it for the customer - they are not a million miles away from you so give Warren a call there.