Chassis replacement in Single Garage - Logistics?

PostPost by: terryp » Sat Jan 21, 2012 3:16 pm

Thanks to all .....well I have started , albeit slowly
The car is upon axle stands ,my plan is to remove all the suspension and everything that is easy to remove, then either jack the body up, or get 4 able bodied helpers. Then carry the body slightly rearwards in the garage and position just in front of the rear wheel arch (?) on a fixed joist, then position a removable joist to the front over the chassis , just behind the front wheel arch (?)
Then I can finish the body repairs to the inner wings where the chassis has deflected in and cracked everything!
I have tried it with a Lego garage and my Corgi S2 with the removable chassis and it seems to work :wink:
The only thing that concerns me is the exact position of the joists to support the body. I don't seem to quite understand where everyone is putting them. Any chance of a little diagram anyone?
I have also discovered several cracks to the boot floor , crack on the drivers side windscreen pillar (I think this is common) and cracks on the inner wing behind the headlamps and towards the engine (as above)

Just in passing a few funny things about the car .......
There is no headlamp lifting mechanism in place , so I have to start from scratch
The interior door opening handles have been trimmed over and a wire only operates the doors.
Electric motors have been removed. .....but supplied and they work.
Car has been "rewired" AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH ... will have to be a new loom


The plan still is to restore the car mechanically and structurally and to patch the body where possible to look presentable. We both want a car that we won't worry about when we drive or park in a car park, something that always dogged me with a very shinny +2!

Thanks to all
Terry
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PostPost by: alexblack13 » Sun Jan 22, 2012 12:17 am

Has anyone just jacked the body off the chassis? One end at a time?>>>>>>>>>>>Yes! I did (+2) quite a long time ago though but I remember how I did it. 1 side at a time

I had two 5" or 6" wide battens the exact length of the sills. The inners had just been done. Supplied by Spyder. I had two trolley jacks one either side, and plenty of good wide packing PCs and 4 axle stands. Everything removed? I started to jack the body up one side at a time, and when a few inches up I placed some supporting packers either end of the support batten and lowered it down onto them. Went round the other side and did the same. Gradually raising the body high enough and then lowering onto supports. A little at a time. Up up up!!! Just make sure it is kept perfectly under control and the supports (I had longer axle stands but it took a while to get them under. It can be done ok. I then just rolled the chassis out from under the car and got stuck in. I rolled the new one under the body a few weeks later and reversed the process before lifting again for the drilling and taping.

Good luck with it.

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PostPost by: garyeanderson » Mon Mar 05, 2012 12:38 pm

Don't know - probably more, maybe less.

engine 250 lbs
gearbox 80 lbs
diff 45 lbs
chassis 80 lbs
4 suspensions corners with wheels and tires brakes and rotors ~220 lbs (a wild ass guess, maybe a bit more)
rack 5 lbs
drive shafts and donuts 10 lbs
prop shaft 5 lbs
probably some more but thats the quick version

Bill Gavin, Andy Bodge, and I lifted his S2 body off, Andy (he is bigger than Bill or I) was in front and Bill and I each took a rear corner. it was pretty well stripped out and still a bitch. we did it in stages and kicked something under the body in between lifts to maintain the height we had gained. When I went to get the body to replace the sills it was Andy
and I only and we put it in the back of my pickup with Beauregard directing. Andy posted a couple photos.

elan-f14/elan-door-surround-latice-yours-rotten-too-t15161.html

When I got it home I pulled it out by myself and slid it across the deck.

4 people should be able to do the lift but it would be nice to have someone else available to push out the rolling chassis. The only way to know is to do it and see.

Gary
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body_install1.jpg and
This S4 coupe was installed by me lifting it to the height needed to roll the chassis underneath. Lift and block, move, lift and block, continue until its high enough and then the reverse procedure performed to lower it. The back is lifted first as the if you lift on the front the rear towers lock it in place. I did what I did, as I wanted it done!
body_install.jpg and
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PostPost by: elj221c » Tue Mar 06, 2012 4:11 pm

piss-ant wrote:4 people should be able to do the lift but it would be nice to have someone else available to push out the rolling chassis. The only way to know is to do it and see.

Gary


Yup, four people. Here we are reversing the procedure. The rear towers are the problem. A high lift is required.

The 'Body Dolly' is just for show. :D
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Body Dolly! '82.JPG and
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PostPost by: twincamman » Sat Mar 10, 2012 8:09 am

Can you borrow a kids swing set ? Makes a good lift with 2come alongside ...ed
dont close your eyes --you will miss the crash

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PostPost by: bg109685 » Sun Mar 11, 2012 12:16 am

Hi Terry,

I am rebuilding a +2 and came across an interesting lifting thread where an engine hoist was used to great effect. Have a read of elan-plus-f13/rebuild-t23379.html

In my case I went for the cheap option of neighbours and brute force for the stripdown but seriously considering this method on the rebuilt.

Brian
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PostPost by: terryp » Sat Mar 31, 2012 10:20 am

Easy!!!

P3310044.JPG and


Now the difficult bit........
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PostPost by: ardee_selby » Sat Mar 31, 2012 2:59 pm

terryp wrote:Easy!!!

P3310044.JPG


Now the difficult bit........


Hi Terry,

Good to see your solution! I like the use of the multi-porpoise ladder/platform... 8)

Wish they had been on the market when I did mine...well worth ~ ?80.00

(http://www.screwfix.com/p/multipurpose- ... -34m/27581)

Cheers - Richard
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PostPost by: terryp » Sat Mar 31, 2012 3:22 pm

Richard
I toyed with the idea of a movable joist , but then hit a problem with the fact it would have to be inserted from above into a hanger so the body would have to be quite a bit higher, I looked at the ladder platform and saw the safe working load of 150kg and thought ....Eureka!

All the best

Terry
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PostPost by: Dave240 » Mon Jun 03, 2013 9:13 pm

Sorry to bump an old thread. I'm going to be divorcing my +2's body and chassis soon and I have a double garage but I have to share it with my wife's car! So essentially I only have a single garage... :cry:

I has thinking about picking up four of these sawhorses.
Image

They are rated for 1000 lbs so they should be able to easily handle the weight. If I put two on each side of the car, a pair at the front of the sills and and a pair at the back of the sills and linked them with a couple of 2x6s or 2x8s would that be enough to keep the car supported? Anyone see a reason why that wouldn't work?

I want to be able to roll the chassis in and out under the body, as others on here have done.

Thoughts?
69 Elan +2 - Currently in as many pieces as physically possible
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PostPost by: UAB807F » Mon Jun 03, 2013 9:39 pm

If they give you enough height I'm sure they'd work. I used far cruder supports when I did mine under similar circumstances to yourself. Just check for the working height if you want to roll out with the engine in the chassis ?
This is the Europa but you can see how simply it's supported in the shots - axle stands & 4x2's

Brian

ChassisRemove1.jpg and


ChassisRemove3.jpg and
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PostPost by: Dave240 » Tue Jun 04, 2013 1:57 am

Alright good point on height. I'll have to measure it out. The engine is obviously the highest spot and I'll have to take some suspension travel into account since the body of the car won't be weighing it down.
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PostPost by: PeterK » Tue Jun 04, 2013 6:12 am

Don't worry too much about suspension drop. The engine is on the centreline of the car - no suspension there :D just an allowance for the lower wishbones moving.
If the engine is at the entrance to the garage, then you only need to worry about clearing the front valance.
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PostPost by: gjz30075 » Tue Jun 04, 2013 10:08 am

Dave240 wrote:Alright good point on height. I'll have to measure it out. The engine is obviously the highest spot and I'll have to take some suspension travel into account since the body of the car won't be weighing it down.


I'm pretty sure the rear strut towers are higher and they get higher yet once the body comes up. The engine keeps the front end down but with nothing else holding the rear down, it'll rise.

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PostPost by: billwill » Tue Jun 04, 2013 1:56 pm

terryp wrote:Richard
I toyed with the idea of a movable joist , but then hit a problem with the fact it would have to be inserted from above into a hanger so the body would have to be quite a bit higher, I looked at the ladder platform and saw the safe working load of 150kg and thought ....Eureka!

All the best

Terry


Did you manage that with just one of those ladder platforms or did you use two; I can't quite tell from the photo.
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