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Pretty Please - add it to our Events forum(s) and add to the calendar! >> 
Alan_Myers
Luke Skywalker
Offline
Hi all,
Just in case you don't know...
DPO = Dumb Previous Owner
DCO = Dumb Current Owner
While lifting the body off my car I had one of those senior moments and I have no excuse. Heck, I only just started getting AARP solicitations.
No, I'd not been into the Guiness yet that day, either. No excuses!
I'd cleverly prepped everything, had the hoists in place and ready to lift. It finally came down to removing the body-to-frame mounting bolts. I saved the bolts at the base of the A-posts and B-posts for last, since they are the most easily accessed.
All went well on the lefthand side: vacuum off the layers of dirt and powdery rust, locate bolts, loosen and remove bolts & washers. Nothing siezed. Didn't need WD40 or a hammer.
Moved over to the righthand side and discovered someone had been there ahead of me, I have to assume the DPO. All eight bolts were right there under the dirt, as expected. But, *all the washers were missing*!
As a result, all the bolts were pulled well into the holes in the body, making it impossible to get a socket or wrench on the heads to loosen and back them out!
I fussed and fussed over it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif
Tried tapping the end of a socket to push the sheetmetal down, so the socket or wrench could get a grip the bolts. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif
Tried foul language. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif
Tried assorted hammers. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hammer.gif
Tried an air wrench. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/nonod.gif
Considered a cutting torch. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/devilgrin.gif
After what seemed like an hour, a little light bulb went off in my head (a Lucas bulb, I suspect).
*What* am I doing?!
You've probably already figured it out.
Forget those bolts! They have all already pulled through the holes in the body. They aren't holding a darn thing in place!
So, without further ado, I just lifted the body without removing those last eight bolts. No problem! The bolts were all later easily removed from the outriggers on the frame, once the body was hanging from the ceiling.
Scary thing was the car was driven for many years, even raced for a few, with the righthand side of the body barely attached! You can bet that there are nice, new, heavy washers installed under all those bolts now!
D'oh!
Happy wrenching.
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thirsty.gif
Alan Myers
San Jose, Calif.
'62 TR4 CT17602L
Just in case you don't know...
DPO = Dumb Previous Owner
DCO = Dumb Current Owner
While lifting the body off my car I had one of those senior moments and I have no excuse. Heck, I only just started getting AARP solicitations.
No, I'd not been into the Guiness yet that day, either. No excuses!
I'd cleverly prepped everything, had the hoists in place and ready to lift. It finally came down to removing the body-to-frame mounting bolts. I saved the bolts at the base of the A-posts and B-posts for last, since they are the most easily accessed.
All went well on the lefthand side: vacuum off the layers of dirt and powdery rust, locate bolts, loosen and remove bolts & washers. Nothing siezed. Didn't need WD40 or a hammer.
Moved over to the righthand side and discovered someone had been there ahead of me, I have to assume the DPO. All eight bolts were right there under the dirt, as expected. But, *all the washers were missing*!
As a result, all the bolts were pulled well into the holes in the body, making it impossible to get a socket or wrench on the heads to loosen and back them out!
I fussed and fussed over it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif
Tried tapping the end of a socket to push the sheetmetal down, so the socket or wrench could get a grip the bolts. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif
Tried foul language. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif
Tried assorted hammers. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hammer.gif
Tried an air wrench. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/nonod.gif
Considered a cutting torch. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/devilgrin.gif
After what seemed like an hour, a little light bulb went off in my head (a Lucas bulb, I suspect).
*What* am I doing?!
You've probably already figured it out.
Forget those bolts! They have all already pulled through the holes in the body. They aren't holding a darn thing in place!
So, without further ado, I just lifted the body without removing those last eight bolts. No problem! The bolts were all later easily removed from the outriggers on the frame, once the body was hanging from the ceiling.
Scary thing was the car was driven for many years, even raced for a few, with the righthand side of the body barely attached! You can bet that there are nice, new, heavy washers installed under all those bolts now!
D'oh!
Happy wrenching.
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thirsty.gif
Alan Myers
San Jose, Calif.
'62 TR4 CT17602L
