Body on

[PhilS3c]

After a long period (8 years) in bits I am within a week of fitting the body back on my TVR S3c reconditioned chassis. As this is not the original chassis I am interested if anyone has any hints or tips. I am uncertain how to fit the rubber pads it sits on. I was thinking of getting the body on and then jacking the whole car up onto ramps and axle stands and the getting underneath to check for pads needed using a jack to lift the body slightly.

But honestly any ideas would be useful. Thanks Phil

[TVR-Stu]

Hello Phil, I will be doing a similar task myself at some point in the next 6/12/18/24 months (delete as appropriate when I finally get around to it!).

I have been gradually working through numerous upgrades as part of my chassis restoration (started mine in late 2017) and like most of these 'body off' posts on here my to do lists just seem to have escalated! Rear discs fitted, new handbrake cable, front brake upgrade, limited slip diff, wheel bearings, ball joints, etc.

I'm not sure what information you have with regard to the original position of all the body rubbers/packers but below is an image of the position of all of mine. Hopefully you can at least make out where they all go.



I had a bookmark of a very helpful post by Rich Kitchen (Kitchski) of Southways Automotive but alas as usual I can't find it, however I did print off a copy which is below. If it is clear enough for you to be able to read it should give you a very good starting point for putting the body back on. Please do post back on here how it goes. All the best.

[PhilS3c]

Thats really useful thanks Stu.
The notes are great and readable.
I am waiting for a new speedo sensor and as soon as I have fitted it I will fit the body. I will let you know how I get on.

I have some of the previous rubber pads and know that the drivers side rear seat belt mount for example had 4 pads on it! The issue I have us that it the chassis is a different one and based on the rebuild so far I think there was not great consistency of product at TVR.

Thanks again and best of luck with your build. Phil

[TVR-Stu]

I think the way I would approach your situation with a new chassis would be to lower the body down on to some thin packers (2mm?) placed at all the location points and get under and see how the body is sitting. You can then see how many no doubt huge gaps you will have and from there infill with the correct thickness packers whilst checking your door and roof fit.

My advise would be to take your time and try not to put too much pressure on anything, like the roof to windscreen joint as you adjust the packers. Hark at me sounding like I've done it before

Just for reference I bought some rubber sheeting used for conveyor belts and it feels like a really good compromise between stiffness/flexibility and strength.

[PhilS3c]

Hi Stu
As I have the body on two hoists I am aiming to seat the front on the triangular mounts and then initially control the height of the rear of the car until I can get to packing the rear mounts. I dont want to risk cracking the shell!

The problem is getting underneath but I have four dollys on casters under the wheels which I hope will help initial positioning as well as offering some wriggle room. At some point when stabillised a bit then hoping to lift the chassis to get easier access and the gently lift the body if needed to place the pads. Going to take my time.

Having said all that this may change on the go!

Thanks again I will keep in touch. Phil

[NZDave]

I haven't tried to put my body back on yet but it is quite flexible so just checking the gaps on the mounts will not be enough. You will need to check how the doors fit and how the roof looks as all these gaps will vary with different thicknesses of rubber. I shouldn't have a problem as I have no rust on any of my mounts or outriggers and have carefully marked with rubber came from where. The way the rubber sits on the outriggers with gaps between it and the chassis tubes it is no wonder they rust away. No thought given to how long the cars would last.
Dave

[88S1]

Not my car, but here’s a visual of where the rubber isolators go.

[88S1]

Some here too.

[PhilS3c]

Many thanks for the pictures. I must admit I did not see any rubber padding on the tank mount on my original car .

[PhilS3c]

Spent the afternoon dropping the body of my TVR S3c onto my chassis. It went really well. I took it very slow and lifted the rear of the car well above the near suspension legs and then dropped the front. Basically I then dropped The rear gently and then raised the front gently allowing the chassis to be shifted backwards as the back dropped to ensure that the front of the body moved forward on the chassis until it sat correctly. I was pleased to see that the rear of the car has not dropped as I feared it might so I have removed the support from the hoists. A quick check underneath shows that not all of the support platforms on the chassis have contact with the body so tomorrow I will lift the car onto ramps and axle stands so I can get underneath and start to introduce the rubber pads I have already cut to shape. Suffice to say really pleased with the results so far!

[Bercilac]

Brilliant, well done! Great feeling when it lands with no nasty cracking noises.

[PhilS3c]

Thanks - been worried about putting the body on to the chassis but it went well. Next I am going to reconect the wiring and consider restarting the engine after 10 years - should be interesting.

[TVR-Stu]

Good work Phil, sounds like it went really well.

Your approach is exactly as I propose doing mine with the only difference being that I knew how many rubber sections were in each chassis position originally. So I will replace them like for like with new rubber and see how it looks when the body is first placed on and make any adjustments from there. Theory is often easier than experiment though!

[PhilS3c]

I supported the body from two hoists with the rear sling under the rear body not the wheel arches and the front from a sling attached to the front of each pointed body wing to the hook on the front hoist. This allows you to set the body down without worrying about the straps. I also found this gave good control over sliding the front into the chassis. As someone said like putting a shoe. Certainly slow and careful worked well. Best of luck.