Back-end won't lift

[Italian450]

I recently decided to go for a partial body lift to check status of the Chassis !

Having read various threads and watched a few videos all seemed to be going to plan ......
radiator out
fuel tank out
headers off
clutch and brake pipes disconnected
2 front bolts out
4 boot bolts out
all bolts inside the car out - even under the dash
hand brake lines loose and nearly vertical
steering UJ connecting rod loose and ready to remove - will do this just before raising above the level where it touches the front suspension
wiring loom still attached but enough play for the moment
heater hoses off
fuel lines at engine still attached - just swapped for new lines (gates barricade sae J30 r14t2 (E10, E15 and E85 ))
all ties around the car have been cut off leaving enough cable lengths to get a few inches lift

excited I tried to lift the front with a hydraulic jack and joist as a spreader and yes after some groans the front lifted with no problems so far so good.

then thinking I had it made I tried to raise the back just a little, again jack ,load spreader under the boot near the rear bolt housing.
the body lifts about 1 cm then the whole back end lifts off the ground and the rear body work stays attached to the chassis.

The fuel pump wiring is disconnected
fuel lines loose and some disconnected - tank to pump out, return loose and enough play to lift an inch or so, idem for vapour line to carbon canister.
I have not undone the top seat belt bolts as these do not appear to be attached to the chassis.

Can anybody help me out with what I could be missing please or help with some good suggestions as how to get separation :-)

[Paulprior]

If you look online you should find how many bolts need removing, see if it matches what you have removed

[Italian450]

So just a little more info:

bolts removed are
7 floor well to chassis
3 lower seat belt bolts
and 1 under dash
on both sides of course

plus exhaust is off and battery out.

[blaze_away]

What about those in the boot ?

[Italian450]

all 4 out + 2 under the radiator

[KugaWestie]

Were there any shims between the lower boot bolts and chassis? If so, have you removed them or are they binding?

[blaze_away]

Have you viewed these guys "body lift" vids ?

https://youtu.be/IdeJeuy-oh0

Edited by blaze_away on Friday 17th December 22:07

[Italian450]

Yep thanks that video was included in my preparation.

No shims on bottom boot bolts as far as I could see.

[Classic Chim]

Have you removed the seat belt anchor bolts to chassis rails?

[Italian450]

Thanks, yep.
3 seat belt bolts on each side out.

[Classic Chim]

Drop it back down at the front. Have you removed the bonnet? The front of the car is very light and flexible without the bonnet fitted.
Take some weight up at the back until it just starts to move then get probably at least two people to rock the rear of the car. You might hear some alarming cracking sounds but that’s fairly normal.
I noticed the rear of the chassis lifting slightly before a large crack and the two became separated. Once you have broken the seal so to speak it should lift up with no restrictions after that.
With bonnet removed but doors and boot lid still fitted the weight is 75% loaded towards the rear. Now you have the front loose then once the rear has broken free it’s easy to manipulate the front of the car. It’s all about the rear mostly.
Spread load accordingly and it should lift up with a bit of jiggling.
You might need to use extra jacks and blocks of wood under both sides of the car to spread the load so place them at the front two corners using the floor and take the weight off the chassis there rather than at the front of the car You should be able to slowly lift body using these 3 lifting positions to get a level lift if you see what I mean. That or a few blokes just taking weight off the corners would help a lot. Rust and mastic is glueing it all together so taking weight up especially on the front corners of the chassis just helps to break it free.

Edited by Classic Chim on Saturday 18th December 08:24

Edited by Classic Chim on Saturday 18th December 08:36

Edited by Classic Chim on Saturday 18th December 08:38

[SMB]

Does it have or has it ever had a roll bar? There may be two fixings at the back of the rear parcel shelf to the chassis if it has, perhaps under the carpet?

[Classic Chim]

SMB said:

Does it have or has it ever had a roll bar? There may be two fixings at the back of the rear parcel shelf to the chassis if it has, perhaps under the carpet?

Ha, this

[Italian450]

Thanks for the suggestions and no roll bar, pulled up the parcel shelf carpet and checked - no bolts.

So with the body under tension I got a lever between the upper chassis and the underside of the boot and after some lovely noises the body started to lift.
It seems that the body work was well mated to the chassis around the area of the upper boot bolts ( those behind the tank).

With the lever this area freed and ..... up up up and away (so to speak).
I was obviously being a bit of a wimp and a little more brut force and ignorance worked a treat.

Chassis is actually not that bad after 23 years - no holes and seems to be strong.
So this time round it will be a clean, converter and paint.

Hopefully I wont have issues getting the body back on !

[Mark and Gonzo]

At the question concerning to the boot your answer was related to the radiator. Did you disconnect and moved the gas tank? Behind the tank there are 4 more chassis bolts.

[Loubaruch]

Thanks for the bolt layout, most useful !

[Italian450]

If you are interested then the full link is :

http://tvrcarclub.de/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/TV...

Actually not all steps are necessary for a partial but a great guide
This is great too :

https://chimrebuild.wordpress.com/

But misses disconnecting the steering.

My body is currently up about 6 inches and enough to sand, clean and treat never reached before areas on the outriggers - quite a palava but great opportunity to :
clean and polish the water tanks,
recondition the radiator
polish the headers
treat any risk areas on the chassis
upgrade the fuel lines
etc

:-)

[Italian450]