An unpleasent discovery.

[grumpytvr]

This weekend I made a start on my S2's suspension rebuild but unfortunately when dismantling the final corner (near side front)I discovered a small hole in the chassis outrigger. It looks like in order to fix it (or more accurately get it fixed) I'll need to do a partial body lift and find a good fabricator to do the welding.
A full body off job would not be straight forward currently as there's nowhere to put the body once it's off. The garage is miles from where I live and the beams are not exposed so I can't suspend it from the roof!
The car is on axle stands - minus wheels and suspension in a larger than average single garage with no power. For those who have repaired their chassis using the partial lift method, how much space did you need down the sides of the car in order to get the welding done?
My current quandry is whether or not I'll need to put the suspension back together in order to move the car to get better access for welding or whether it can be done where the car stands at the moment. There is around 2 or 2.5 foot of space down each side of the car.
Also does anyone know what size allen key is required to dismantle the front brake callipers? I used to have a special tool but can't find the thing anywhere!

Any advice greatfully received.

[tvrgit]

I think a lot of us will be facing the rusty outrigger problem, even on cars that look and feel sound from underneath. I't the bits you can't see...

Can't advise on the body lift, sorry. The caliper spanner is 7mm though!

[Barkychoc]

It is possible to cut out the rusty part and weld a new part in from underneath - you need to make a triangular access hole when you reweld it - so you weld the top half from underneath / inside the tube, then replace the triangular part and weld that in from the outside.
I used this method to repair an exhuast manifold - its a bit fiddly but possible.

I would consider that the rusty bit you have found is the bit you know about - there could be more

[phillpot]

Did my body lift on the drive but unless your welder is a fat bd a couple of foot should be ok ?





ETA : front calipers will come apart without removing the slider rods, they'll only need to come off if you're replacing them ?

Edited by phillpot on Monday 5th April 22:00

[heightswitch]

Does the garage have brick walls??

if so I would recommend getting 4 no 50mm joist hangers. These can be plugged and screwed to the wall of your garage and then you simply get 2 6 x 2" lengths of timber. get your mates to lift the body slightly higher than the joist hangers. then slip the timbers into the hangers and lower the body onto the timbers.

You can then wheel the body in and out to work on it or work on it below the bodyshell in bad weather. just remember to keep your head low though.

Should be plenty of room in most 2.2 metre high garages..

N.

[grumpytvr]

Thanks for replies.

I think initially I'll do a partial body lift to see what the extent of the damage is. I can then decide whether to employ a thin, double jointed welder/fabricator or find somewhere to put the body if removing it is the only option. Supporting off the walls is possible, although a crash helmet may be required on wetter days...

WRT the brake calipers, I was going to dismantle, clean up and maybe paint - if I can be bothered!

Just noticed I can't spell, so:

Any further chassis related information / advice GRATEFULLY received!