Rabs Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 Hi, I am in the process of doing a complete restoration of a 1979 1500 Spitfire. We have stripped the car back and are about to get the body sent off to be bead blasted. My question is do you have to put any bracing in between the door frames to keep the integrity of the body once it is off the chassis? The sills and floor plans will need to replaced as they have been patched in the past but they are solid.Also any other tips when removing the body?Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete TR7 Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 Probably best to weld an iron bar across the door gap. I have used a door gap adjuster, but I don't think that would be robust enough for what you are planning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheepy Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 You will have to make a brace to support the body.Fit the doors, get the gaps good, then fix the brace, (look at my thread "mk2 restoration") to see what I mean.If you pull it apart without bracing, it will fold up, the bulkhead will move, and the rear tub!I have just started stripping my mk3, the boot floor is rotten, and you can move the rear tub a centre meter. And that's before I have removed any panels.Do the sills, floors etc one side at a time, and I would strongly advise leaving the body on the chassis while you do this, it is best as it will keep it all aligned.Welcome to the forum, where abouts are you located?Start a thread, so we can see your progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted October 26, 2013 Author Share Posted October 26, 2013 Thanks for the advice. I am based in Bristol, England. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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