An easy guide to clam removal

[Lucozade]

Can anybody give me any pointers please? I'm going to attempt to fit the new tow hooks tomorrow and don't want to break anything!

[BobE]

Lucozade said:

Can anybody give me any pointers please? I'm going to attempt to fit the new tow hooks tomorrow and don't want to break anything!

I only ever removed my rear clam - usually to fit the cat for the MOT each year.. For that you need a large piece of carpet to put the clam down on - vertically - and a helper. First open the clam and disconnect the wiring harness connector on the near side diagonal chassis tube. Remove one P clip and take one cable `stop` off the clam. Go around to the other side - hold the clam securely and remove the other P clip and cable. Lower the clam back down. Go down to the pivot points and remove the P clips using long nose pliars and pivot `bolts`. The latter come out easier if you rotate them using an Allen key as you pull each one out. Then with your helper lift the clam off vertically - turn it through 90 degress and lower it onto the carpet. You need to hold clam under a wheel arch and under the rear lip as it`s `rear heavy`. Replacement is reverse of the above but you need to use your foot to stop the clam sliding as you try and lift it. The front clam removal must be very similar.
Hope this helps.

[worty]

You can fit the towing eyes without having to remove the clams. You just need to lean across and your done.

HTH
worty

[Adrian W]

I shout at mine and it jumps off, well it did at Snetterton

[Lucozade]

Got the rear one fitted with little hassle. Had to remove the mesh to get properly in.

Front one is too difficult to get at. Not sure if it's because I've got the front infills but there just isn't enough space to get in and around. Battered and bruised I've given up having removed only the front bolt.

I'm going to pop over and see a mechanic mate tomorrow and we'll attempt the front clam removal.

From what I gather it's a case of:

1. Disconnect light wiring
2. Pull out 1 pin on either side holding the clam wire
3. Pull out 1 pin on either side which holds the allen key bolts in place

I've had a quick look and I'm wondering what's the next move once the pins are out of the allen key bolts. Do you unscrew the bolts? Move the clam a particular way? It's no doubt something obvious I'm missing.

[Rob_W]

They aren't really allen bolts just pins which you knock/drift out and then lift off the clam.

[D_G]

It's easy as long as the pins aren't siezed. You can try to move the pins by 'unscrewing them', they just push out once they are free, you can lever them from underneath with the clam closed to help them out. Mine were very tight on the first removal and have been coated in grease every since and are easy to remove, a few minutes and two people to lift it off.

HTH

Dave

[Jim O.]

If you plan on removing your rear clam on a regular basis, or if you're a curmudgeon who doesn't have anyone to help you remove the clam, here's another way. Get a moving dolly and pad it with something like foam, carpet, etc. (we use a folded moving blanket). Position it behind the car, around the position of the license plate. Open the clam, disconnect the wiring harness connector, and disconnect the leash on one side. Go to the other side, hold the clam, and disconnect the other leash. Flip the clam open even more until the back edge is supported by the padded moving dolly. Make sure the dolly is positioned so that both the back edge of the clam (the rearmost part of the "shelf" under the wing) and the part of the clam that goes over the exhaust cutout can sit on the dolly. Go to one side, pull the clip and the pivot pin. Go to the other side and pull the other clip and pivot pin, and you should end up with the clam standing vertically on its back edge, on the moving dolly. Then you can just roll the clam out of the way.

Reinstallation is the opposite - roll the clam up behind the car, put in the pivot pins and clips, flip the clam up until you can put the leashes back on, then connect the wiring harness.

If you're really slick, you can modify (or custom build) a dolly so that the pivot pin holes in the clam are at the same height as the holes in the chassis....

[Lucozade]

Got the front clam off with help from my local TVR guys. Easy enough to do apart from the clip removal on the lower pins. Was surprised how heavy the clam was.