Body lift

[TOPTON]

After sorting the 400's front suspension, the body lift has started. Two front corners to do on the outriggers, every where else seems fine.
After my last unanswered question about spring rates hopefully someone can tell me the answer to this one.

I have taken all the body to chassis bolts out (cut them off really cos it was easier) but the body doesn't seem to want to lift much. I have it propped up 2" at the front but that's all it seems to want to do at the moment. Have I missed something obvious?

Bolts taken out
: 2 below the radiator
: 2 at the front of the doors
: 2 inboard near gearbox
: 2 inboard seat belt mounts
: 2 outboard seat belt mounts
: 2 near the diff

Its a bit cold out in the garage today to be crawling around but I might give it a go with my thermals on

[mrzigazaga]

Hi mate..Did read a how to on this but cant find it(still looking)It did mention 3xjacks..1 with a bit of wood under the front and 2 with bit of wood under back..I recall it saying give it a wobble from each side to make sure it isnt stuck after taking the bolts out..some mentioned exhaust?..Did say it was a very tideous job as the jacking had to be done one at a time and very little each time and was possible to raise it up to waist height without taking it fully off..Though im sure some very nice well educated fello will reply soon..good luck.Zig

[GV]

TOPTON said:

After sorting the 400's front suspension, the body lift has started. Two front corners to do on the outriggers, every where else seems fine.
After my last unanswered question about spring rates hopefully someone can tell me the answer to this one.

I have taken all the body to chassis bolts out (cut them off really cos it was easier) but the body doesn't seem to want to lift much. I have it propped up 2" at the front but that's all it seems to want to do at the moment. Have I missed something obvious?

Bolts taken out
: 2 below the radiator
: 2 at the front of the doors
: 2 inboard near gearbox
: 2 inboard seat belt mounts
: 2 outboard seat belt mounts
: 2 near the diff

Its a bit cold out in the garage today to be crawling around but I might give it a go with my thermals on

Perhaps you should send Blaine an email as he recently did a body off lift?

[mrzigazaga]

Have you un-hooked any wiring..Fuel filler,Neck to tank?..Cables or anything else attached that you might of forgot about...

[1 Finger Bandit]

That sound like all the fasteners from memory. When we lifted mine off in summer it was tight around the tunnel area and took some getting off. As mentioned before there are cables and of course brake and clutch pipes

[cuneus]

http://www.theseacpages.co.uk/bodyoff.aspx

[TOPTON]

1 Finger Bandit said:

That sound like all the fasteners from memory. When we lifted mine off in summer it was tight around the tunnel area and took some getting off. As mentioned before there are cables and of course brake and clutch pipes

Thanks so far chaps. Haven't done anything other than look at things today because its just too cold (or I am a wimp). I think I was trying to cheat and just jack up the front but it will probably all have to come up equal it looks like. (or do it properly, some would say.)
The brake and clutch pipes are all on flexi fittings so don't need disconnected. I haven't found any tight wires yet.

With a shortness of axle stands, I am going to prop it up on short peices of 2x2 all around the body at the mounting points. Will give it another go in the morning

[blaineuk]

i placed some wood under the boot floor and jacked the shell up from the rear, nice and gently, old wax oil, rubber packers and rust stick quite well, good lick, it only took me 2.5 years to do it all.

[1 Finger Bandit]

TOPTON said:

The brake and clutch pipes are all on flexi fittings so don't need disconnected. I haven't found any tight wires yet.

With a shortness of axle stands, I am going to prop it up on short peices of 2x2 all around the body at the mounting points. Will give it another go in the morning

What about the connections to the brake and clutch master - they arent flexi. Lifted mine off square with a forklift

[TOPTON]

1 Finger Bandit said:

TOPTON said:

The brake and clutch pipes are all on flexi fittings so don't need disconnected. I haven't found any tight wires yet.

With a shortness of axle stands, I am going to prop it up on short peices of 2x2 all around the body at the mounting points. Will give it another go in the morning

What about the connections to the brake and clutch master - they arent flexi. Lifted mine off square with a forklift

I have a modified system on mine, I have only seen one other wedge like it. 3 fluid reservoirs fitted to the bulk head, front brakes, back brakes and clutch obviously.



With enough movement on the pipes off the inner wing where the bias valves are fitted.



While I am posting pictures on a freezing Sunday night, here is the mod I have done to carry the coilovers.



10mm steel bracket welded to the sides and bottom, the side and top was welded back up with 4mmx20mm steel and then the leaving room to access the bolt. Some nice new 11" AVOs live there now

[TVRleigh_BBWR]

You may as well rose joint the bottom wishbone while your doing mods, your then be able to adjust the camber.

[TOPTON]

I was going to buy adjustable bottom or top ball joints for that reason but decided against it. Not for any particular reason though.
Hopefully I dont need to adjust the camber as it will be running higher than it was before. The wheel arch had no more than 1 inch clearance with very little suspension movement.

I have managed to raise the body about 3" so I am just about to take a grinder to the outriggers. I was only going to renew the front corners but have decided to cut both sides completely off and fit new as they are obviously passed their sell by date.
My method being to cut 6" away from the centre spine and sleeve the new bits on as well as welding them

[hallsie]

Am I right in thinking that the outriggers are simply to take some of the load of the body shell?

Could you not make a bolt on or clamp arrangement that would simply attach to the main chassis?

Just a though,

Stu

Edited for crap spelling!

Edited by hallsie on Monday 29th November 19:28

[TOPTON]

The outriggers are there to carry the outer body weight. I guess an arrangement could be fitted by bolting it to the main spine, going from one side right across to the other.

Good job I decided to do the whole sides, front and back. While on the car the back 'felt' ok. This is it now its off the car



And this is the front.



As I mentioned earlier, i am going slip a sleeve over and then weld on to original bars then move the sleeve over the weld. May even put inserts inside and weld them too

[HOTTY]

topton

what was holding the body back on your lift, was it the tunnel the gearbox end ?

You have a bit to do, but it does not look like welding is a problem for you.

hotty

[TOPTON]

HOTTY said:

topton

what was holding the body back on your lift, was it the tunnel the gearbox end ?

You have a bit to do, but it does not look like welding is a problem for you.

hotty

It was the bolts that I cut off from underneath holding the body. When I cut the nuts off, the bolts still had a hold of the metal plate. I just wasn't forcing it up enough, every time I jacked the body up and the chassis started moving I let it back down thinking something was still bolted.

I am taking the outriggers to a metal fabricator to make up both sides. That will save me making a jig to hold the rails while welding.
Metal inserts should hold them in place to weld them to the chassis. Going to be like a new car by the time I have finished. Carpets are the next job

[Wedg1e]

Three inches of lift? Can you get in to do a decent weld with a MIG torch in that space?

[TOPTON]

Wedg1e said:

Three inches of lift? Can you get in to do a decent weld with a MIG torch in that space?

The 2 pictures I posted earlier show front and back corners, I thought I had mentioned I was replacing the whole outrigger length on both sides, so welding the tubes (sleeves and inserts) are all inboard of the cill so plenty of room. Enough room that I got the grinder in to cut them off

This is what I am getting made up at the metal shop (hopefully it will look better in real life)

[Wedg1e]

TOPTON said:

The 2 pictures I posted earlier show front and back corners, I thought I had mentioned I was replacing the whole outrigger length on both sides, so welding the tubes (sleeves and inserts) are all inboard of the cill so plenty of room. Enough room that I got the grinder in to cut them off

Indeed. But if the shell is still hovering just a few inches above where you'll be welding, can you get your head above the tubes to see where (and how well) you're welding? MIG torches aren't the smallest of things, or the most supple, and you know what welding masks/screens are like...
Also, to slide sleeves on you'll need to have ground the welds flush, OK you can get your grinder in but the tubes will have to be perfectly straight (unlike the dog's-hind-leg repairs that Steve's (Hotty) car had suffered) or the sleeves won't slide. I guess if your inserts were a nice tight fit that would go some way towards it... but you'll need to find (or make) some tubing of 34mm OD, not a preferred size as far as I know... also can you find 38mm ID for your sleeves or are you (i.e. the fab shop) rolling something for the job?
Don't forget, also, that all chassis welds need to be 100%, you can't just tack or stitch it... or it's an MOT fail.

Look forward to seeing how you get on, I'm planning to whip my shell off this winter (just bought a second electric hoist for the purpose)... there'll undoubtedly be a few surprises lurking for me

[TOPTON]

I am not against moving on to 'PLAN B' and I am open to suggestions. Lifting the body further is not a problem if I need to. There isn't that much more to disconnect. Taking the body right off is a bit awkward space wise.

What would a different idea be, renew the outrigger tubes back to the centre spine? Didn't really want to do this as I thought that welding would put too much heat into the chassis and possibly causing twist


What would be any other ideas?