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TR6 Removing TR6 Body Panels

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Cain,

The front and rear wings, bulkhead sealer plates and the bonnet/boot lids are the only bolt-on pieces. Everything else is welded. Both the front and rear valances are welded to the inner fenders on each side. There are 3 (I think) bolts from the lower front valance to the front wings, these are down low below the bonnet hinge mounting point, and if I remember correctly, the heads are on the valance side with nuts welded on the wing side.

The bulkhead sealers can be a real bear to remove as the bolt heads are/were sprayed with that thick hardened sealer that Triumph used.

When you get the front wings off, you will find a rubber hose that drains the scuttle plenum into the cavity formed by the wing, the bulkhead sealer, the bulkhead and the top of the outer sill. This was not one of Triumph's better ideas as it is a great place for rust to start. Rerouting this tube to drain elsewhere is a worthwhile endeavor.
 
Does anyone have an original paint TR6? I'd like to know if they painted the tub with the rear wings bolted on. On the resprays I have seen the rear wing top seam always looks bad. Many have cracks on the seam in the finish allowing moisture under the paint. I think my restoration book recommends painting wings off, with good coverage on the inner seam, then seam sealer between the panels. They even talk about wiping out the squeezed out sealer evey once in a while.
 
35thbdaytr6, your advise is the right way to do it. If you use the proper washers when putting it back together it will draw up so much it squeeze out most of the seam sealer and you do want it in there. You can take a fine brush and paint it if you have a steedy hand, but just a good wipe will get rid of most of the visible part. Wayne
 
Are there any good rattle can type spray on fillers out there? My panels are pretty straight. I just want to spot shoot some of them.

Thanks
 
Cain, SEM makes a great self etching primer just for spot painting, works on aluminum and stainless steel. I get mine at the PPG dealer. Oh, it is a spray bomb. Wayne
 
Just my 2 centovos, nobody seems to have mentioned the main reason for removing the wings.STOPPING THE RUST ON THE TUB!!!! Since the factory never dreamed that there would be a single car left by now, they never gave the underbody seams any caulk or paint they were left in what ever primer happened to get oversprayed on. If you get the wings off a TR and dont spend 40 hrs or so on rust prevention, you are missing the point. A drop dead beatiful paint job is a waste of time on a rustbucket.
MD(mad dog)
 
I agree 100% with MDCanaday. It may seem like extra expense and a real pain right now, but think about having the entire paint job trash in a year because of moisture under the paint at those seams. I looked at a stunning $10k TR6 when I bought mine, he had a $3500 paint job that was two years old bubbling at the seams. He paid a shop big bucks for the body restoration, but between paint issues, poor floorboard patching and improper frame repairs, he had a $1500 car needing a body off. He had no idea it was done wrong and it broke his heart when I pointed out the problems. Had he purchased Roger Williams two TR books, he would have educated himself and known the shop was doing poor work. His two books on the TR4-6 are the best $30 I have ever spent on my car.
 
Don, when I did the frame off on my GT6, all panel interiors got the same treatment as the exterior body regarding the paint. Two different epoxy primers, and three coats of color. Probably a bit of overkill, but the suckers are protected against rust! After I installed the sills, I additionally coated the inside with rustproofing.
And all this for a car that will never be driven in the winter.
Jeff
 
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