The next step for this restoration project is to remove the body from the frame. Sounds simple. Most restorations brace the passenger compartment and the door frames and pick up the body in one piece. In this case, this TR3 was parked in a carport with the back end facing west in South Miami where it was rained on by storms coming in from the Everglades and baked in the Florida sun. This resulted in very bad rust through the trunk and the spare tire carrier floor. Additionally, the car had been hit at least twice in the rear which resulted in sheet metal wrinkling in several places. In short, the rear clip, as the back half of the body is called, is beyond repair, at least for my skill level. I got a different rear clip on Ebay that is in much better shape (a topic for a later post).
When I got the car, there was sheet metal riveted to the floor. When it was removed, there were gaping holes in the floor. Examining the inner and outer door sills revealed cancerous rusty holes on both the passenger and driver's. So, the floor pans and door sills will need to be replaced. In reading various repair guides, one suggested restoration plan would be to cut the body in half across the door sills and then repair the front and rear clips independently. Then you very carefully weld in the sills and floor plans while using the frame as a jig for the body. No, I really don't know how I'm going to do that. But like many things so far on this project, I'll figure that out when I get there.
The task this weekend was to cut the body across door sills and floor pans, remove or grind off the dozen or so bolts holding the body to the frame and then lift off the body. Helping me this weekend is my friend Bob Rose, in the long sleeve tee shirt, my son Matt and Kathaleen recording it all for posterity. The first six bolts on the front clip came off easily, as I had presoaked them with lubricating fluid for a week or so. The next step was to cut through the door sills with a reciprociating saw. When the the rust is so pervasive, its better to just take a saw to it. Bob cut through the driver's side. I cut through the passenger side.
The next step was to take some tin snips and cut through the rusty floor pan. Bob is manning the snips. I'm working the big channel lock pliers.
Next, I used a angle grinder to grind through the remaining bolts. Sorry, no good videos for this. Then the front clip comes off!
Cut a few more bolts and the rear clip comes off as well exposing the frame for the first time in perhaps 40+ years.
The frame was covered with a mixture of dirt, sand, rust, greasy residue and a thin coat of black paint. A bit of time with a wire brush and scrapper and things looked much better. No rust holes, a few mysterious dents but not in to bad of shape.
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