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Thursday, 11 March 2010

A quick mid-week update



I have been continuing to strip the car in my spare time this week in preparation for separating the shell from the chassis. I finally got the drivers' side front wing off with a little persuasion that resulted in bloody knuckles! For some reason this wing had more seized bolts than all of the other wings put together.

I then turned my attention to removing the steering column (with the steering wheel still attached!)...



The parts in the photo below are off the end of steering column and needed to be removed in order to pull the column through the tube that runs up inside the car.



Then the fun began! With my new battery powered reciprocating saw I set about chopping up the old patch that awkwardly connected the shell directly to the floor pan. Because this whole section will be replaced I did not have to worry about being too neat and accurate. From the picture below you can see that the saw went through the metal like a hot knife through butter...



I did not want to remove or cut through the old seat runner in case I need to graft it onto my new floor pan half at a latter date, so decided to cut around it. Once I had cut along the whole length of the patch I used a large flat-headed screwdriver to bend the metal back enough so that I could tap it flat with a hammer. I was then able visually check that the body to pan gasket was unobstructed...



This not-so-pretty operation was a complete success and the floor to shell gasket is now clearly visible (as it should be) in the photos below. I am confident that the body will lift off without any problem (although part of me knows that I am going to regret saying that!).





1 comment:

  1. Uugggh! You've got some great fun ahead of you. I've been there and it is very satisfying once you get it done. Are you working in a home garage or a rented storage facility? Do you watch any of the U.S. car shows on SpikeTV (Trucks, Extreme 4X4, Muscle Car, Horsepower TV) - check out powerblocktv.com - they have unlimited space, tools, budgets, and skills!

    Best of Luck, and keep up the good work. I'm pulling for you.

    Michael

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