separate body from chassis

Ant wrote in news:c0il5b$iq1$ snipped-for-privacy@news.tudelft.nl:

OK, it has been a few years now, but I will try to remember how I did it.

Starting under the hood in the front, there will be two bolts under the gas tank that hold the body to the axle beam. While you are in the gas tank area go ahead and disconnect the steering shaft from the steering gear box.

Now go under the car and you will find four large bolts, two on each side of the front firewall.

Down each side of the heater channels there will be several 10-13mm bolts that will need to be removed. These can be VERY trying to get out as they are rusted heavily into the heater channel and will either break off or strip.

Inside the rear fender wells there will be one bolt on each side that bolts the body to the frame.

Now to the inside of the car.

Under the back seat you will find about six bolts that hold the luggage area to the pan.

Most of the wiring will come off with the body. Just make sure that you check the wires going to the master cylinder and any wires that may connect to the trans and starter.

If anyone finds something I missed, speak up.

Reply to
TerryB
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Hi all

Is there a webpage somewhere explaining how to separate the body from the chassis in a '73 1300? Or could anyone give a few tips on this job?

thanks Ant

Reply to
Ant
  1. First, clean the car. This means take out all the crap that about 50 people that owned the car before you left underneath the seats and carpets.....

  1. Remove the doors, by unscrewing the hinges from the body. Most of the times you will need an impact screwdriver for this. Turn it in tthe right direction and then hit it with a big hammer. Take good care of this tool, since you will be needing it a lot. Remove all window glass from the body. Use a screwdriver to get between the rubber and the body. Push the window out.

3.Go to the driver side front wheel. Remove the hubcap. At the center of the wheel notice a small cap with a thing sticking out of it. There is a small snap ring that holds it in the cap. Remove it with a flathead screwdriver, but make sure you keep it in a plastic bag. Use a hammer to tap the cap untill it comes off the wheel. Put the cap in the bag too, shut it and label.

4.Open the trunk. Follow the cable that screws onto the speedo and goes to the wheel. pull it out of the wheel. Unscrew it from the speedo and label it.

5.Put a bucket underneath the bottom of the gastank.Look behind the front wheel and under the car, remove the gasline and let the old gas leak out.

6.Unbolt the four 13mm bolts that hold the gastank in the trunk.Take out the gastank and label it :-)

7.Remove the running boards. They are bolted on against the heater channels and the front and rear fenders.

8.Jack up one side of the car and put it on a pair of GOOD jackstands.( I'm not kidding here! )

9.Under the side of the car, there is a recessed groove under the heater channels. There are about 8 or 9 13mm bolts in oval washers here. Unbolt all of them on each side.

10.Follow the heater channels at the bottom to the front of the car. You will notice two adjacent 19 mm bolts on each side. Unbolt these too.

11.Remove the rear wheels. There is a 19mm bolt with a rubber block underneath.

  1. Remove the rear seats. Following the rear of the pan, goin up inwards there are four 13mm bolts here.

13.Remove all wiring from the engine. Check the heater channel behind the driver side front seat. This is the voltage regulator. Remove all wires from it. (*only if you're going to paint the car*Cut the other wires*).

  1. Disconect the battery.

  2. Remove the fenders by unbolting all 13mm bolts. CAUTION. You might want to soak these in WD40 for a night first, because they tend to either break or pull out the nutwasher from the body.

16.Remove heater hoses from the engine exhaust system.

17.Disconnect the brake fluid reservoir in the trunk. Try not to spill the fluid, because it will just dissolve your paint.

18.Make some stands that come up to your waist or get some STRONG and STABLE sawhorses.

19.Put a pice of wood between your jack and the heater channel ( near the edge ). Try jacking the body of the frame. You will notice the tar-like stuff. Use a screwdrive to get it loose. Go all around the body this way, checking for bolts that you have forgotten.

20.Call 2 or 3(better) friends to lift the body off the pan and put it on the sawhorses

Reply to
Holger Mootz

I helped a friend with his body-off resto:

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Jan

Reply to
Jan

FYI: You CAN do this by yourself, if you had to. I did it with a bunch of cinder blocks, a few bricks, (2) 4x4x8' posts and a jack. Just make sure you have all the bolts out and your wiring is coiled up and out of the way. I started by putting a 4x4 post under the rear and front, then slowly jack one side up slip a brick do the other side slip another brick then work your way around until you have enough bricks to slip a cinder block in it's place. Just make sure your cinder blocks are stacked crossed way so they wont slip. I found the 8 foot 4x4 posts work great because while you're jacking up one side at the end of the post you can slip the cinder blocks closer to the car.

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Narley Dude®

Reply to
Narley Dude®

Sounds good, except I wouldn't remove the doors. I would leave them on since they will provide some support. Good luck with it, its not as tough as it sounds, especially with a couple of helpers.

Dane '69 Bug

Reply to
Dane Tyler

................My '66 bug is off the pan and sitting on sawhorses in my garage. I left everything on the body including doors, fenders, glass, running boards and both decklids. It took some grunting from four of us to lift it up while the pan was rolled out (yes, the wheels, tranny & engine were still in place). I'm planning to set it back on the pan without removing anything later on this summer.

Reply to
Tim Rogers

Check my 70 Ghia site for some tips and pix. The Bentley book has enough details to locate all the bolts.

good Luck

Reply to
Mel P.

buy the "bug-me video" it has everything spelled out for people like me-- lots of pictures. they even have a way of lifting the body without the help of several burly type friends.

it even covers supers.

bob

Reply to
bob mrazik

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