Removing Body from Chassis
Discussion
I expect that's fine, the engine weighs about 160-170kg I believe.
been offered an engine stand on loan.it has a maximum holding weight of 750lb or 340kg.does anyone know if this is ok for the vee6 lump or does it weigh more?
Edited to say: christ, that's as heavy as my entire motorbike... is that right?
Regards,
Mark
>> Edited by dern on Saturday 8th March 10:15
Good luck, I took mine out with the gearbox last summer. You should find it substantially easier with the body removed though.
I attached my lifting gear to the engine mounts by the way (thread them through manifold). If you take out your engine and gearbox at once then the whole thing balances quite nicely like this...
It's pretty straight forward but if you get stuck then please email me.
Most of the issues I had were space related which you won't have.
I couldn't for love nor money get the prop out though until I'd moved the engine and gearbox forward a bit.
The gearbox mount is removed before you move the engine, you'll find that you can undo the nut on the bottom of the mount and jack up the gearbox enough that you can remove the mount and then lower the gearbox enough so that you can take the whole thing out the front of the car. Again, this may not be an issue if the body isn't there.
Regards,
Mark
>> Edited by dern on Saturday 8th March 17:51
I attached my lifting gear to the engine mounts by the way (thread them through manifold). If you take out your engine and gearbox at once then the whole thing balances quite nicely like this...
It's pretty straight forward but if you get stuck then please email me.
Most of the issues I had were space related which you won't have.
I couldn't for love nor money get the prop out though until I'd moved the engine and gearbox forward a bit.
The gearbox mount is removed before you move the engine, you'll find that you can undo the nut on the bottom of the mount and jack up the gearbox enough that you can remove the mount and then lower the gearbox enough so that you can take the whole thing out the front of the car. Again, this may not be an issue if the body isn't there.
Regards,
Mark
>> Edited by dern on Saturday 8th March 17:51
cheers mark great pic,you wouldnt believe how easy it is taking the car to bits with the body off,makes so much difference.same with the prop shaft though had to take the diff off b4 it would come out.off to try and rent an engine hoist tomo.most of the car is now stripped,just the engine and gear box to go. one bit of good luck was the torx bolts on the labros,they came off first try and i didnt even knacker the one and only t40 bit i had 
Kev,
It's been suggested that removing the body means taking out the carpets to get to the bolts inside, is that true?
Also, is there any chance you can document the procedure for removing the body including where the bolts were that were holding it down. If it's not too difficult there's definitely a temptation for me to take the body off mine this summer and get the chassis renovated. I'm assuming once you've got the body off then the process of getting the outriggers sorted and subsequently getting the chassis stripped and repainted would be substantially cheaper.
Cheers,
Mark
It's been suggested that removing the body means taking out the carpets to get to the bolts inside, is that true?
Also, is there any chance you can document the procedure for removing the body including where the bolts were that were holding it down. If it's not too difficult there's definitely a temptation for me to take the body off mine this summer and get the chassis renovated. I'm assuming once you've got the body off then the process of getting the outriggers sorted and subsequently getting the chassis stripped and repainted would be substantially cheaper.
Cheers,
Mark
no probs dern,the carpets have to be pulled a little to get to the bolt heads.i'm replacing my rather rotten set anyway but the glue was'nt that strong.watch out for the little self tappers and remove them,they rip the carpet if you do'nt
as for the rest,here's how i done it but may not be the best way;
1.car up on four axle stands.please make sure it's solid as you WILL be putting a good bit of force into it.
2.discon the battery.
3.remove the bonnet.over night soak in release oil on the hinges a must.and disconnnect the lighting wires.
(yup did get that one the wrong way round
)
4.trace and discon any wires ,cables,controls,linkages that connect the body to the engine/engine bay.labell EVERYTHING!
5.drain clutch and brake fluids and discon the pipes.
6.drain the coolant and discon the hoses to the heater and expantion bottle.
7.discon vacuum hose from the master cylinder.
8.discon the throttle cable.
9.remove the seats.
10.now the nuts and bolts.locations as follows from the front of the car;
two on top of the tunnel(remove consol)
two in each footwell(connect to outriggers)
two middle mounts one either side of the tunnel(i had to remove the exhaust to get to these underneath)
two either side that connect through the seat belt bottom mount to the wheel arches.
there is a bolt left hand side of the seat just next to the seat belt mount same on other side.
remove the other two lower seat belt mounts.
two in the boot that bolt through to the petrol cradle.
11.remove the handbrake handle,retainer under the car(fiddly)
12.we lifted the body manualy,if that's your plan discon the speedo and reverse switch first.then the petrol sender wires and the wire to the fuel pump.
13.if you leave the petrol tank on(which seemed to be the better option imho,remove the boot stay as the nut will foul the petrol tank on lifting (personal experience)
14.double check every thing is disconnected and lower the car back onto its wheels.
15.get at least six burly friends to lift and one to pull the chassis.in hind site eight to lift would have been better!
16.have an experimental lift,just enough to make sure it will come free.rust and stones trapped between the outriggers and body actually stopped the body lifting on mine
the lift goes as follows;
lift the front end about 3 inches and pull the chassis forwards about the same.with the front at that height lift the back end high enough to clear the suspention and then left the front to the same height,spare man then pulls the chassis clear and puts something like 2 by 4's in position to put the body on.then the six,now with very red faces,lower the body onto the wood.and thats that,easy eh?
i removed the rubber gear stick gator as well to stop it getting damaged.
please watch your fingers,damage count was three fingers nipped between the outriggers and the body!
hoist might be a better way to go as it would be a more controlled lift.think i will use this method when replacing the body as it will have to be put in the right place so to speak.
you would'nt believe how much easier it is to work on the car with the body off.been at this now for a week now in my spare time and all ive got to get off the chassis is the engine and gear box. i recon about 20 man hours so far.the fact is its not as difficult as you might think,maybe ive been lucky,but with the help of the bible,the peeps on this site and a friend of mine who is good with cars thing have gone really well so far.will keep you posted as the project progresses,hope this helps,cheers
edited because i cant spell vacuum!
>> Edited by kev s3 on Monday 10th March 20:51
as for the rest,here's how i done it but may not be the best way;
1.car up on four axle stands.please make sure it's solid as you WILL be putting a good bit of force into it.
2.discon the battery.
3.remove the bonnet.over night soak in release oil on the hinges a must.and disconnnect the lighting wires.
(yup did get that one the wrong way round
) 4.trace and discon any wires ,cables,controls,linkages that connect the body to the engine/engine bay.labell EVERYTHING!
5.drain clutch and brake fluids and discon the pipes.
6.drain the coolant and discon the hoses to the heater and expantion bottle.
7.discon vacuum hose from the master cylinder.
8.discon the throttle cable.
9.remove the seats.
10.now the nuts and bolts.locations as follows from the front of the car;
two on top of the tunnel(remove consol)
two in each footwell(connect to outriggers)
two middle mounts one either side of the tunnel(i had to remove the exhaust to get to these underneath)
two either side that connect through the seat belt bottom mount to the wheel arches.
there is a bolt left hand side of the seat just next to the seat belt mount same on other side.
remove the other two lower seat belt mounts.
two in the boot that bolt through to the petrol cradle.
11.remove the handbrake handle,retainer under the car(fiddly)
12.we lifted the body manualy,if that's your plan discon the speedo and reverse switch first.then the petrol sender wires and the wire to the fuel pump.
13.if you leave the petrol tank on(which seemed to be the better option imho,remove the boot stay as the nut will foul the petrol tank on lifting (personal experience)
14.double check every thing is disconnected and lower the car back onto its wheels.
15.get at least six burly friends to lift and one to pull the chassis.in hind site eight to lift would have been better!
16.have an experimental lift,just enough to make sure it will come free.rust and stones trapped between the outriggers and body actually stopped the body lifting on mine
the lift goes as follows;
lift the front end about 3 inches and pull the chassis forwards about the same.with the front at that height lift the back end high enough to clear the suspention and then left the front to the same height,spare man then pulls the chassis clear and puts something like 2 by 4's in position to put the body on.then the six,now with very red faces,lower the body onto the wood.and thats that,easy eh?
i removed the rubber gear stick gator as well to stop it getting damaged.
please watch your fingers,damage count was three fingers nipped between the outriggers and the body!
hoist might be a better way to go as it would be a more controlled lift.think i will use this method when replacing the body as it will have to be put in the right place so to speak.
you would'nt believe how much easier it is to work on the car with the body off.been at this now for a week now in my spare time and all ive got to get off the chassis is the engine and gear box. i recon about 20 man hours so far.the fact is its not as difficult as you might think,maybe ive been lucky,but with the help of the bible,the peeps on this site and a friend of mine who is good with cars thing have gone really well so far.will keep you posted as the project progresses,hope this helps,cheers
edited because i cant spell vacuum!
>> Edited by kev s3 on Monday 10th March 20:51
Top write-up kev 
Thanks for all the info... I might give this a go when the nights get lighter. I think that a really well sorted chassis is a good selling point for one of these cars and definitely makes the underside look much better.
Perhaps this could be marked as a faq. Anyone know how to do that?
Regards,
Mark
PS. you've probably already thought about it but you'll probably want to pop a new clutch in while you have it all apart as getting the engine/gearbox out is a bit of a git of a job with the body on.
Thanks for all the info... I might give this a go when the nights get lighter. I think that a really well sorted chassis is a good selling point for one of these cars and definitely makes the underside look much better.
Perhaps this could be marked as a faq. Anyone know how to do that?
Regards,
Mark
PS. you've probably already thought about it but you'll probably want to pop a new clutch in while you have it all apart as getting the engine/gearbox out is a bit of a git of a job with the body on.
kev s3 said: no probs dern,the carpets have to be pulled a little to get to the bolt heads.i'm replacing my rather rotten set anyway but the glue was'nt that strong.watch out for the little self tappers and remove them,they rip the carpet if you do'nt
as for the rest,here's how i done it but may not be the best way;
1.car up on four axle stands.please make sure it's solid as you WILL be putting a good bit of force into it.
2.discon the battery.
3.remove the bonnet.over night soak in release oil on the hinges a must.and disconnnect the lighting wires.
(yup did get that one the wrong way round
4.trace and discon any wires ,cables,controls,linkages that connect the body to the engine/engine bay.labell EVERYTHING!
5.drain clutch and brake fluids and discon the pipes.
6.drain the coolant and discon the hoses to the heater and expantion bottle.
7.discon vacuum hose from the master cylinder.
8.discon the throttle cable.
9.remove the seats.
10.now the nuts and bolts.locations as follows from the front of the car;
two on top of the tunnel(remove consol)
two in each footwell(connect to outriggers)
two middle mounts one either side of the tunnel(i had to remove the exhaust to get to these underneath)
two either side that connect through the seat belt bottom mount to the wheel arches.
there is a bolt left hand side of the seat just next to the seat belt mount same on other side.
remove the other two lower seat belt mounts.
two in the boot that bolt through to the petrol cradle.
11.remove the handbrake handle,retainer under the car(fiddly)
12.we lifted the body manualy,if that's your plan discon the speedo and reverse switch first.then the petrol sender wires and the wire to the fuel pump.
13.if you leave the petrol tank on(which seemed to be the better option imho,remove the boot stay as the nut will foul the petrol tank on lifting (personal experience)
14.double check every thing is disconnected and lower the car back onto its wheels.
15.get at least six burly friends to lift and one to pull the chassis.in hind site eight to lift would have been better!
16.have an experimental lift,just enough to make sure it will come free.rust and stones trapped between the outriggers and body actually stopped the body lifting on mine
the lift goes as follows;
lift the front end about 3 inches and pull the chassis forwards about the same.with the front at that height lift the back end high enough to clear the suspention and then left the front to the same height,spare man then pulls the chassis clear and puts something like 2 by 4's in position to put the body on.then the six,now with very red faces,lower the body onto the wood.and thats that,easy eh?
i removed the rubber gear stick gator as well to stop it getting damaged.
please watch your fingers,damage count was three fingers nipped between the outriggers and the body!
hoist might be a better way to go as it would be a more controlled lift.think i will use this method when replacing the body as it will have to be put in the right place so to speak.
you would'nt believe how much easier it is to work on the car with the body off.been at this now for a week now in my spare time and all ive got to get off the chassis is the engine and gear box. i recon about 20 man hours so far.the fact is its not as difficult as you might think,maybe ive been lucky,but with the help of the bible,the peeps on this site and a friend of mine who is good with cars thing have gone really well so far.will keep you posted as the project progresses,hope this helps,cheers
edited because i cant spell vacuum!
>> Edited by kev s3 on Monday 10th March 20:51
For anyone contemplating removing the body on an S series I found this website of a guy called Darren Taylor, in N Lincolnshire, who has documented and photographed the strip and rebuild.
www.taylorcars.co.uk
www.taylorcars.co.uk
Yellabelly said:
For anyone contemplating removing the body on an S series I found this website of a guy called Darren Taylor, in N Lincolnshire, who has documented and photographed the strip and rebuild.
www.taylorcars.co.uk
www.taylorcars.co.uk
Thanks, that link is really useful, however I just need to raise one side of the body a little to cut and weld. So maybe I just need to remove body/chassis bolts and a few items that have no slack in them. My clutch slave and brakes are all on rubber flexiblles hoses and will move a few inches, I guess fuel feed hose needs disconnecting, but what else? I am a lazy devil and dont want to work too hard.
Hi,
preparing to lift my s3c body from it's chassis.
I found and removed all bolts, mentioned in point 10 of KEV S3's description.
Except:
"two middle mounts one either side of the tunnel(i had to remove the exhaust to get to these underneath)"
I removed the exhaust, no joy.
Are these supposed to be on the top rail, and somewhere in the vicinity of the handbrake?
I removed the inside seatbelt bolts of course (that held the belt buckle receiver), but you would not have to remove the exhaust for that.
regards Boudewijn
preparing to lift my s3c body from it's chassis.
I found and removed all bolts, mentioned in point 10 of KEV S3's description.
Except:
"two middle mounts one either side of the tunnel(i had to remove the exhaust to get to these underneath)"
I removed the exhaust, no joy.
Are these supposed to be on the top rail, and somewhere in the vicinity of the handbrake?
I removed the inside seatbelt bolts of course (that held the belt buckle receiver), but you would not have to remove the exhaust for that.
regards Boudewijn
Hi Han,
great picture! Thanks!
I was looking for two horizontally placed bolts.
But I was missing the two vertically "underneath carpet" in the back of the floor.
Can see them, they are on square (shimmed with rubber?) plates, rather than triangular.
Now the number of found bolts is the same as KEV S3.
And apparently I did not need to remove the exhaust.
It would have to come off later then anyway.
The extra ones below the seatbelt mechanism, I definitely do not have, there is no triangular plate on the chassis there.
So that is probably a difference between S3C and (S4?)/V8S
I guess, problem solved, except I just washed my hands...
mvg Boudewijn
edited not to mislead followers too much, your milage may still vary though.
great picture! Thanks!
I was looking for two horizontally placed bolts.
But I was missing the two vertically "underneath carpet" in the back of the floor.
Can see them, they are on square (shimmed with rubber?) plates, rather than triangular.
Now the number of found bolts is the same as KEV S3.
And apparently I did not need to remove the exhaust.
It would have to come off later then anyway.
The extra ones below the seatbelt mechanism, I definitely do not have, there is no triangular plate on the chassis there.
So that is probably a difference between S3C and (S4?)/V8S
I guess, problem solved, except I just washed my hands...
mvg Boudewijn
edited not to mislead followers too much, your milage may still vary though.
Edited by ijbd on Monday 13th August 17:50
Edited by ijbd on Monday 13th August 18:02
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