I found this list online and was wondering is all these 26 points need to be disconnected/removed on a 75' Couple? Once the 8 body mounts have been discconected, what do people feel is the estimated time to disconnect the remainder of the items on the list if all the tools were available and you were of average skill level? I'm not including the body mounts as I feel that can be very subjective depending on the condition of the car. Yes it would also affect the remainder, but I don't believe as much as it would for the body mounts.

I may have some time off and I need to know approximately how many hours I will need to dedicate to the body removal. If it's too much then I need to postpone this process.

Body Removal Checklist

1. Battery - Disconnect only
2. Steering Column - Disconnect and remove
3. Master Cylinder - Disconnect lines only
4. Clutch Rod pedal - Disconnect wire clip only
5. Back up light plug - Disconnect only
6. Acceleration rod and ground straps - Disconnect only
7. Oil pressure line, big and small block - Disconnect only
8. Engine Wires:
• Temperature sending unit - Disconnect only
• Coil wires + and - - Disconnect only
• Brake warning wire, 1967 only - Disconnect only
• Alternator wires - Disconnect only

9. Distributor Tachometer Drive Unit - Disconnect only
10. A-Frame dust covers - Remove from under A-arm
11. Hood - Remove from car
12. Shifter ball and T-Handle - Remove
13. Side pipe covers or rocker moldings - Remove
14. Front bumpers and braces - Remove
15. Starter wires - Disconnect and remove
16. Splash shields, large and small - Remove
17. License plate trim - Remove
18. Rear exhaust panel - Remove
19. Gas tank sending unit wires - Disconnect and remove
20. Antenna and ground strap - Disconnect and remove
21. Seat belt anchors, left, right and center - Disconnect and remove
22. Emergency brake cable - Disconnect
23. Body mount, rear access door covers - Remove
24. Ground strap, left front body mount - Remove
25. Radiator core support bolts, lower only - Remove
26. All body mounts - Remove

 

It would seem that nobody has had experience with this.

 

You have to disconnect anything that ties the body to the chassis. All of the stuff listed has to be done. Once you do that the body should come off pretty easily. When you start lifting it's a good idea to look underneath for anything that might be preventing the body from coming up, like ground straps. You are always going to miss something. All of those items can be done a little at a time, depending on how much time you have. It shouldn't take more than 1 day to disconnect everything, if the gods of rust and stripped bolts cooperate.



Rick B.

 

Thanks for the reply Rick;

To me one day is 8-10 hrs and I'd be a very happy camper if I could get everything disconnected except for the body mounts in 8-10 hrs. I was thinking more like around 20 hrs not including 8 body mounts. I was working on body mount #1 today and spent about 2 hrs on it. I came to the conclusion I'll have to cut the nut and bolt, if that's any indication of things to come......I'm not starting off well.

 

Frank, You're doing a body off on a car that is near perfect?

Les

 

I let a guy use my lift to take the body off of a 73. Put someone, ( best be you so you're the only one to get mad at ) as the lift, whatever type you use, raises the body watch for anything to get hung up. The guy under his car kept waving me on at the lift controls and a support bracket in the rear got hung and pulled up and through the left rear fender. Ripped a nice 8 inch seam that was not needed.

 

Take a look at my thread: Small Garage Restoration in the General C3 Section ... my car is also a 75. This list is accurate but double check as your SLOWLY raise the car ... I'll bet you find one or two items you didn't disconnect. I completely removed the front bumper and frame extensions. I also removed the headlight assemblies, rad/condensor and rad support. In the rear, I just unbolted the rear bumper from the two collapsible supports. I removed the seats and the steering column.

My advice: If your worried about time, don't start it. I removed my body with casual hours over a couple months.

 

Thanks for the compliment Les, I wish the car was indeed near perfect, since it wouldn't be costing me many thousands in new parts to bring er back to what I remembered her to be.
I thought I'd spend a couple days with her and remove the body mounts first (another thread). Seems it's much more work than I had planned so the body removal may have to wait.
Ouch.............yup, ripping an 8" seam doesn't make for a happy day.
I thought leaving the rad support gave it additional strenth when raising the body. I may have to leave it suspended to the ceiling since I'm fighting for garage space. Let's see how much time the body mounts are going to take me, then I'll go from there.

Thanks for the info and I'll go check your Garage restoration.

 

I left the rad support in when I removed the body on my '69 roadster. I used the strap lift method and added a smaller support strap around the support to balance the front end. The fiberglass is pretty flimsy without some type of front support.

Since I took the doors off for the removal, and it being a roadster, I made some conduit braces to fit from the hinge area to the latch pin. I removed the body it to paint the car on a dolly, so that is why the doors were removed (also a lot less weight to lift).

Have fun.. Ralph

 

In addition to the 26 items listed, I also had to disconnect the rubber overflow cup and tube that is around the gas tank inlet. It was keeping the rear end from lifting.

 

I have a 1973, I do not see any mention of heater hoses or A/C components, is this just assumed that you remove these?

 

Anything which impedes the actual lifting of the body will have to be disconnected. It may not be necessary to actually remove the item. As an example, heater hoses: disconnect them at the engine and they can come off with the body without having to be removed.

 

... and I'm sure it will be abundantly clear when I do this but why do you have to remove the steering column? My car is a 71 coupe with a flip nose on it, the motor and trans are out as well as the rad and core support. The front clip has also been removed I haven't looked at the car for a while but as I am planning to take the body off for the winter I though this was a great resource.

So why steering column removal?

Dave

 

It took me about 60 hrs to remove everything including all the body mounts that were all rusted and spinning in the cages. All heads had to be cut off. Also reinrforcing the rocker channel drivers side because of rust.

I used Nolands list but he did not include the antenna wire that I didnt see and got ripped.

steve L
73 coupe since new

 

How many body bolts are there? My antenna will be a gonner anyway.

Dave