gearheadz

My car has been stripped of paint (top & only coat) & all removable exterior items (trim, bumpers, headlights, top, etc.) in preparation for paint. My body man informed me that the #3 & #4 body mounts need to be replaced (& shimmed) in order to get the proper gaps at the rear of the doors on each side. I started the process & so far both on the passenger side will need new bolts/nuts since they are both seized & corroded from rust & need to be cut or ground off.

My car's front half (engine, tranny, engine compartment & front suspension/frame) and interior have been totally restored but the rear suspension still needs rebuild & restoration & back half of the frame is nasty.

Question 1 .. at this stage, I'm wondering if I should remove the body entirely to fix the body mounts and do the suspension & back half while its off.

Question 2 .. if I decide to remove the body, how feasible is it to leave the interior largely intact (except maybe the seats) when lifting the body off? I will not remove the dash & center console AGAIN!

Thanks...Mark

new75coupe

Yes, the only way you'll fix the mounts the right way is to lift the body. You can leave the interior - just makes it heavier. I left all but the seats in mine and removed it with the help of 7 other guys (hand-lifted). Good luck!

Bamavette74

You can work the mounts without completely removing the body. Loosen all of the rear mounts and jack the body up to access and manipulate them - loosen the front too but leave the threads engaged.

Removing the body is a major league job interior in or out. When you remove it you will make a clean spot somewhere and then another, then another :eek:

I put a new frame under mine and can promise you. Body mounts can be changed, shimmed or rearranged with the body still on. :smash:

Big Fish

Only my opinion, but I would pull the body. With everything else you are doing to the car, might as well leave no stones unturned. It's really difficult at best to access the rear portions of the frame with the body on, especially on the forward side of the kickups. Impossible to inspect the frame rails as they are completely covered by the rocker channels, then there is the rocker channels themselves... :cheers:

Mr.Gearhead

I had the same questions a year ago. I pulled to body to make sure the frame was intact before I started doing everything you spoke about. It is not a hard project, it will just take time. All the little things take the most time. ie wires and connections... If I had to do it again... I would have made the decision to pull the body first with the engine and trans still on the frame... hope this helps. See my website for some pics... :seeya

gearheadz

Bama....if it were just the shims & spacers, I would definitely replace them w/o removing the body. My dilemma is that I need to replace the rusted out or missing reinforcements between body & frame on #4, cage nuts/cages on #3 & #4 & seized & broken bolts on the same.

I'm thinking the time & effort (& bloodied hands & knuckles) due to the lack of access to those areas to do this w/o taking off the body might not be the best solution. :confused:

GaryS

I have read discussions where folks have recommended that, unless you REALLY need to remove the body, that you do all of your work with the body attached to the frame. It is not a difficult job to remove the body but it is tiresome and tedious. There are lots of areas to make mistakes in. My vote is to do the work with the body attached.
Gary