Body off chassis

[elclem1]

More help needed please - I have now finished replacing my sills - thanks everyone for all of the info provided. I would now like to remove the body from the chassis to rebuild it does anyone have any previous experience of doing this? If you do could you please give me a starter for ten? I would be most greatful. Cheers Clem

[twincamman]

its not so hard ---undo the bolts and grounds and put 2 jacks ---one at either end and with a helper lift -----slowly raise the body supporting it every so often and then roll the chassis forward ------my wife and did it and replaced the body when all was fixed --just common sense and care -ed

[mikealdren]

Clem,
Start here, it lists the steps required although I haven't followed it so I don't know it's complete.

http://www.lotuselan.net/uploads/lotus_ ... al_001.xls

Do you have a workshop manual? They're readily available and cheap enough and you'll find it very useful.

Once the body has been disconnected, it can be lifted off by four people, one in each corner. Taking out heavy items certainly helps (empty fuel tank first!

Remember you'll need to decide where you are going to put the body. I'm rebuilding mine as a Zetec and I have taken the body on/off a few times and I do it by placing a beam under each side and the using bottle jacks to gradually lift it off, replacing them every now and then by heavy concrete blocks. It's very solidly supported.

I did consider supporting the body on trestles, I even bought them, but I decided it was easier to jack the body onto the blocks than keep getting friends round to lift the car onto the trestles.

Good luck
Mike

[Foxie]

Clem,
Start here, it lists the steps required although I haven't followed it so I don't know it's complete.

http://www.lotuselan.net/uploads/lotus_ ... al_001.xls

Once the body has been disconnected, it can be lifted off by four people, one in each corner.
Mike

Just looked at the check-list. There is no mention of an earth-strap on one of the diff upper mounting bolts on my Plus 2, which was not obvious until the most awkward moment of the lift

Avoid lifting at the extreme front corners, it can crack the front wheel arches

Sean

[Foxie]

More help needed please - I have now finished replacing my sills - thanks everyone for all of the info provided. I would now like to remove the body from the chassis to rebuild it does anyone have any previous experience of doing this? If you do could you please give me a starter for ten? I would be most greatful. Cheers Clem

Hi Clem,

If you or a friend are handy with a welder, you can make up a cradle which fits the jacking points (+2, anyway), and use a half-ton block.

I originally made the side supports as an equilateral triangle, but found the top pivot needs to be biased about 6" to the rear to keep the body level. Then you won't need the concrete blocks on the front

Then you can raise and lower the body off with only one hand

[gerrym]

As Mike has already stated, body will likely be lifted several (maybe many times).

You havn't stated your reasons for removal of the chassis. As well as chassis work, suspension, engine work?, you might also want to check out state of fibreglass within wheel arches, nose cone etc.

Sean's frame looks the business. If however you are making do with temporary supports, concrete blocks, trestles whatever, remember to jack and support along the body edge/sill area. Again if you are jacking the body to achieve the lift, I recommend the Mercedes Sprinter Van jacks. They can be had brand new off ebay at ?15 each. These jacks have a massive stroke via a telescopic ram. Save heaps of time.

Regards
Gerry

[elclem1]

Fellas, Great info cheers! Body is coming off so that I can get the chassis blasted and resprayed. Engine getting a refurb and body needs some repairs. Does anyone have any recommends for rear drive mods and where to get them from??

[Foxie]

Does anyone have any recommends for rear drive mods and where to get them from??

Spyder Engineering rear single C/V drive shafts. Fit (easily) and Forget.

Sean Murray

[GrUmPyBoDgEr]

An interesting choice Sean, if you pardon me saying so?
I bought those together with the rear suspension from them.
After putting the drive shaft bits together & staring at them in my workshop for months, I decided that the single donut was still a donut that would at sometime need replacing.
That is not easy as we all know.
Apart from that I had had a change of plans, having decided to install a 2 Liter Zetec with loads of torque.
The fabricated nature of those shafts was the final turning point for me to decide to use TTR UJ sliding spline shafts.
Lovely but expensive bits of kit.
If I was doing the job now I'm sure that I'd opt for one of the twin constant velocity joint solutions due to the reduced maintainance.

Cheers
John

[Foxie]

An interesting choice Sean, if you pardon me saying so?

Hi John,
It was Hobson's choice then, TT didn't appear until some time later !
I've just checked my maintenance records, it was 14 years /60k miles ago I fitted the Spyder CV/Rotoflex system.
I used to get a max of 20K out of the old Do-nuts, but the new do-nuts I fitted then with the CVs are still perfect.

Apart from that I had had a change of plans, having decided to install a 2 Liter Zetec with loads of torque.

I have an 1800 tall block TC with a 420 QED head, so there plenty of torque there. It's a road car which I also race and hillclimb, but now that I'm older and wiser, I don't do tyre burn-outs.

I bought those together with the rear suspension from them.
After putting the drive shaft bits together & staring at them in my workshop for months, I decided that the single donut was still a donut that would at sometime need replacing.That is not easy as we all know.

Agreed, but I have to say that removing a CV/do-nut shaft is a lot less than half the work of a double do-nut one.

The fabricated nature of those shafts was the final turning point for me to decide to use TTR UJ sliding spline shafts.
Lovely but expensive bits of kit.
If I was doing the job now I'm sure that I'd opt for one of the twin constant velocity joint solutions due to the reduced maintainance.

Yes, I'd probably go for the complete Zetec rear drive next time, if I'm that lucky

Sean