Author Topic: It's not easy being green - 1971 TC  (Read 17113 times)

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Offline 4129R

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Re: It's not easy being green - 1971 TC
« Reply #180 on: Tuesday,June 18, 2024, 11:12:21 PM »
Two bottom central dashboard bolts holding the L plates to the chassis. Two seat belt mounting point bolts either side of the tunnel.

Offline Dilkris

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Re: It's not easy being green - 1971 TC
« Reply #181 on: Tuesday,June 18, 2024, 11:30:09 PM »
I've never actually taken a body off - as like a complete idiot I bought my TCS in pieces and the body was already off. No an ideal way to start a rebuild. It will be interesting to see what you have missed when you come to the separation - there is/are bound to be something/s.  :)
What is your plan for lifting it off? A few people or you have a lift?   

Offline 4129R

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Re: It's not easy being green - 1971 TC
« Reply #182 on: Wednesday,June 19, 2024, 01:45:51 AM »
interconnecting fuel pipe which connects the two tanks through the rear chassis.

Offline Cheguava

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Re: It's not easy being green - 1971 TC
« Reply #183 on: Wednesday,June 19, 2024, 02:12:58 AM »
Two bottom central dashboard bolts holding the L plates to the chassis. Two seat belt mounting point bolts either side of the tunnel.

Yes and Yes - thanks.  :)

Offline Cheguava

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Re: It's not easy being green - 1971 TC
« Reply #184 on: Wednesday,June 19, 2024, 02:13:34 AM »
interconnecting fuel pipe which connects the two tanks through the rear chassis.

Done - thanks.  :)

Offline Cheguava

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Re: It's not easy being green - 1971 TC
« Reply #185 on: Wednesday,June 19, 2024, 02:18:21 AM »
I've never actually taken a body off - as like a complete idiot I bought my TCS in pieces and the body was already off. No an ideal way to start a rebuild. It will be interesting to see what you have missed when you come to the separation - there is/are bound to be something/s.  :)
What is your plan for lifting it off? A few people or you have a lift?

I'm sure there'll be at least one thing!  Plan is to jack up slowly, then we'll be using long fence posts to lift as a team.

Offline berni29

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Re: It's not easy being green - 1971 TC
« Reply #186 on: Wednesday,June 19, 2024, 01:04:19 PM »

Thanks Berni - I've not ordered my seat covers yet, need to get round to it now probably. Which covers did you go with in the end?
[/quote]

Hi, I went with the ribbed 2 part ones which I understand to be correct for a TCS......... listed on the banks site as "Seat cover- 2 cushion – plain ribbed (black)" from memory.

Yours should originally be the same I think.

All the best

Berni
Also have some +2's

Offline 4129R

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Re: It's not easy being green - 1971 TC
« Reply #187 on: Wednesday,June 19, 2024, 11:38:09 PM »
Plan is to jack up slowly, then we'll be using long fence posts to lift as a team.

I used two pieces of 4 x 2 wood. The rear one side to side where the rear lights are, and the front one side to side where the radiator was.

Then 4 ratchet straps to either the garage ceiling, or two  6 x 2s sitting directly above the 4 x 2s, on tall metal band stands, and you can lift the shell by just clicking the ratchet straps, on your own. The bare shell without doors bonnet and boot is very light.   

Offline berni29

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Re: It's not easy being green - 1971 TC
« Reply #188 on: Thursday,June 20, 2024, 01:48:17 PM »
Hi

I have done an Elan +2 body on 4 ratchet straps before. I did not particularly enjoy the experience but it was a one man job and certainly worked. Lowering it down required another 4 straps (from memory).

All the best

Berni
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Offline TurboFource

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Re: It's not easy being green - 1971 TC
« Reply #189 on: Thursday,June 20, 2024, 02:06:42 PM »
Used 3 pulleys from ceiling…
The more I do the more I find I need to do....remember your ABC’s …anything but chinesium!

Offline Cheguava

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Re: It's not easy being green - 1971 TC
« Reply #190 on: Thursday,June 20, 2024, 02:30:26 PM »
Used 3 pulleys from ceiling…

Thanks - for all the suggestions - the Europa community is a deep well of ingenuity!  As I have a readily tappable source of labour for the next 2-3 weeks (eldest child plus partner moving back in until completion of their house purchase) my plan is to lift the shell using the posts (in the standard places where the 2x4s are slotted) to lift the shell and support the posts on saw horses. (rated at 170kg each corner so should be ok) I think that gives me enough clearance to roll the chassis out from beneath, but it's partly an interim step while I have further discussion with the bodyshop guy. I'm also going to have to invest in some  better drill bits, you really do get what you pay for with tools (mostly - you can pay lots and get rubbish but if you pay cheap you 100% get rubbish). Cutting the doors off proved all hacksaw blades are not created equal!  :) But both now off, hence the need for drill bits to remove the stubs.   

Just looking at the photo, that is not a Jackson Pollock on the wall (one for the kids  ;D ),  but foam put up for youngest child's first car to stop him biffing the door on the pillar which became a handy surface to empty aerosol nozzles onto after rattle canning something.
« Last Edit: Thursday,June 20, 2024, 02:35:48 PM by Cheguava »

Offline EuropaTC

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Re: It's not easy being green - 1971 TC
« Reply #191 on: Thursday,June 20, 2024, 10:52:21 PM »
I'm late to this topic but here's yet another viewpoint;   I didn't lift the body off using pulleys/ratchet straps or 4 strong blokes at either corner, what I did was to undo everything (or thought I had) and then drop the rolling chassis out from underneath.

Basically jack the car up with a trolley jack at either end of the chassis - the jacks eventually needed spacers to sit on to get the height - and then support the body with planks of wood down the sides using a mixture of axle stands & steel framework.

Once the body is supported, lower the trolley jacks and the whole chassis drops away from the body and rolls out from underneath. Or it would have done had I disconnected the oil gauge pipe -  you'd be amazed how much one of those weedy plastic pipes can take  ;)

My method was driven by circumstances, I didn't have 3 strong neighbours to help and the garage roof had suspiciously small roof beams which flexed when I walked on it to replace the roof, so I didn't want to risk pulling it down. I was also working in a confined space, larger than a single but not a true double garage. So the body would have to stay in place while I dragged out the chassis, repaired it and then replace.

Hence the "lift complete assembly, support body, drop out chassis/engine/suspension" method. There are a couple of advantages, firstly you are using gravity with the weight of the rolling chassis to separate the body/chassis which can be difficult by lifting alone. I struggled when replacing the Elan chassis and ended up using a crowbar to prise them apart with years of rust/mud gluing them together.  Secondly it's another solo method, not as quick as using pulleys but in my case, with suspect roof beams, very safe because the weight was all against a concrete floor.

Offline TurboFource

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Re: It's not easy being green - 1971 TC
« Reply #192 on: Friday,June 21, 2024, 03:33:47 AM »
I hoisted my body up to the ceiling and left it there till later so I had space ( I have 11 foot ceiling)
The more I do the more I find I need to do....remember your ABC’s …anything but chinesium!

Offline Cheguava

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Re: It's not easy being green - 1971 TC
« Reply #193 on: Thursday,July 04, 2024, 09:50:34 AM »
A little milestone achieved. Body off, although needs raising up a bit higher to allow the engine to clear the bottom of the shell. Also done some basic fibreglassing of the holes in the floor pans that weren't supposed to be there, and a couple more damaged spots where the aesthetic quality of repair was less important as it will be covered when reassembled.

Now need to have a further chat with the body shop guy about potential timescales and costs, and if there's anything else I can do to assist. Then I need to get to grips with the metal bits, which are not wonderful. A lengthy body restoration would actually be quite helpful.  :) 
« Last Edit: Thursday,July 04, 2024, 11:29:14 AM by Cheguava »

Offline BDA

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Re: It's not easy being green - 1971 TC
« Reply #194 on: Thursday,July 04, 2024, 09:53:30 AM »
Congratulations!!!  :beerchug:  That's a big milestone!!   :pirate: