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TR2/3/3A Pulling TR3 body off question Thanks

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B

Beerzz

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Just for good measure, I am thinking about somehow re-enforcing the body before we pull it. Lots of rust and I don't want to fold it in half, in either direction.... Im putting the doors back on but I am wondering if any of you recommend welding cross braces and laterals to keep it whole? It has a decent frame and I can't wait to get to it! That's where the fun begins....Thanks
 
Ben
It is required. If you do not have the book TR3 restoration by Roger Williams get it Williams book You might want to do the floors first to use the frame as a jig and strengthen the body for lifting.

Paul
 
I have not been brave enough to try it yet, but everything I've read says to brace the door openings. I’ve seem pictures of several way of doing this. Having the doors there might help also. If you are going to be repairing the body while it is off the frame the doors will be in the way. It also seems to me that most suggest you replace the floors and sills before removing the body. Someone with BTDT experience will chime in.

The book Paul suggested is the one I was thinking of.
 
Haven't BTDT myself, but one method of bracing that sounds easy and effective is to use EMT (metallic electrical conduit from Home Depot) and bolt it through the trunk and hood hinge mount points. Obviously you'll have to bend it to match the body contours.
 
Here's a pic on how I did it. After bracing the door gaps and bolting to the body, I welded in a cross piece and drilled a hole for the hook for the engine hoist. The engine hoist is great for removing the body, as you can roll it around.
 

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A few pics of my door bracing using the stock fasteners at the door striker postion and door hinge position.

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Cheers,
M. Pied Lourd
 
If you are going to replace the floors I agree with Paul 100% about replacing them before you remove the body from the frame. A weak shell with rusted floors and sills can shift even if you brace the shell when you pick it up. Floor pans are not that hard to replace, but only remove and replace one at a time. And always take measurements before you remove anything, and don't throw the old pan away until you have the new one in place. I myself would keep it until the car was finished. You never know what information it can give you down the road. Good luck Ben.
 
Having done 5 or six of these ladies I must say that bracing up the body is quite pointless.You may as well go ahead and put the sill member in with the body on the frame for support.IMHO do one side at a time!! Keep the door fit correct and install the rocker before going on to the next side.When all is nice and solid,then lift the body off to be blasted etc. The hours spent bracing are better spent getting on with the actual repair,again just an old bodyman with 40 years in the tr business,MHO.
MD(mad dog)
 
MD,
Makes sense as all of the normal rotten bits are easily accessed with the car/frame together....take all of the guess work out.
 
MDCanaday said:
Having done 5 or six of these ladies I must say that bracing up the body is quite pointless.
Click to expand...

While I agree with this method, in some cases, including mine, I don't have enough room in my garage to pull the body off and set it aside somewhere while I was working on all the frame stuff. I needed to roll the body outside for the day on the hook, and then bring it back over the frame each day. In this case, it was more of a semi-permanent lifting jig, placed in such a position so I could still work on the body without getting too much in the way.

I probably had that body on and off fifty times. Lack of room forces one to take other steps to get a job done. I guess that's why it took four years to restore this car. But I'm not complaining, I enjoyed every minute of it...well most minutes anyway. :laugh:
 
Thanks everybody! Great help. Definitely getting the book, looks like the Bible of TR3 restoration!
 
Matrix,my wife is a little thing and after lifting it once she's pretty much done,but if you have lots of friends(and can afford the beer)I see nothing wrong with lots of lifting....?I guess.I just dont like to lift a tr3 off UNTIL the rails and rockers are done and there is NO danger of losing the door aperture dimensions. This is true on the fours and sixes too.We re-did a six last year that had been done wrong by monkeys (I guess)Some how they had the rocker and A pillar so badly miss-aligned that there was over an inch difference in the diagonal measurement from the good side.The fresh new rocker wound up in the trash....due to cobbled up welds etc.
MD(mad dog)
 
So I screwed up. I didn't brace the doors before I took the body off. Do I do it at this point with the body off. The doors are removed. The rockers and floors were done before but my doors have been badly our of allignment so it appears that they did it wrong as well..
 
I have removed 3 bodies without bracing, including the TR2 in which only 3 panels in the entire tub are not rusted through. I have never used braces, and none of the 3 bodies had any deformation issues. Personally, I see 2 reasons to brace.

1) You are removing the inner sills for replacement.
2) you plan to transport the body without the frame.

In all other cases the bare tub is strong enough to support itself.
 
Like John, I don't use braces on a TR3 to remove the body. If the inner seals and rockers are that bad I just cut the tub in half. Only done that once. Not fun. Now a TR4 or 6 I do use a door frame brace.

marv
 
I've done only one body off restoration. I used the Williams recommended door opening bracing. Angle iron stubs bolted to A post hinge mounts. To those stubs, weld long horizontal angles bolted at the rear to inner quarter panels. Then take them off and put them back on when you remount the tub, sills, etc..
Bob
 
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