The big experiment - amateur 3B shenanigans

[Acidburn]

Any idea yet when your getting the other shell to yours? you finished stripping the first shell?

[Nj]

Ciaran - think I have the solution to that bolt......

[Nj]

I now have more car in the 2nd lockup than the 1st

[Nj]

haha. yeah, I have a voice at the back of my head all the time i'm doing this that keeps giggling and saying "there's no way you'll remember where that goes" so i've labelled everything in sight and taken loads of pictures.

Got a 'new' shell from Sal in the midlands. still working on how to get it up to Glasgow though. one guy I know up here was going to bring it for me but a last minute recalculation of costs skyrocketed and I had to decline his offer.

The new shell has the interior still in apart from the dash so I won't have to mess about too much inside, apart from maybe swapping my seats over if I need to. And a lot of the parts i'm taking off underneath are going down to Sal so he can leave the same on the new shell. saves him taking them off and me fitting my own on.

still scares the crap out of me though

[s2dude]

god bless 'im lads. he's an optimist through and through.

taking it all aparts the easy bit matey

Its remembering where all the bits go and putting it back together that is the tricky bit

have you got a new shell lined up yet (new to you that is!)

[Nj]

god bless 'im lads. he's an optimist through and through.

[ciaranthemurph]

I'd still be there just now with the trusty hacksaw! I can't honestly see it taking any more than 5 minutes to get the rest of it stripped.

[Nj]

haha. in this case I brought home an almost perfect specimen and when I got her clothes off she appears to have been hiding some issues. So.. it appears i've pulled a munter.
But.... i've a new lady lined up and shall drape her in the disgarded finery of her predecessor...
Have I gone too far with this analogy? yeah.. probably. sorry

[mcandmar]

that's the hard bit done

...great pics by the way, always wondered what an S2 looked like with no clothes on.

[Nj]

cheers Az. that's the hard bit done so the rest will be downhill from here on.

[Azman]

Going well from teh looks of things matey.
Keep up the good work!!

[Nj]

Well I managed to get out Sat and Sun mornings. I haven't poked myself in the eye with a screwdriver just yet so I'll take that as a sign things are going well. I got almost everything from the interior removed and then Ciaran (ciaranthemurph) was down with me today to lend a hand. Much appreciated mate, thanks again. We got the dash out, labelled absolutely everything in sight and the rolled the car back into the garage to get it jacked up. Unfortunately high chair shopping called an end to the games in the afternoon and Ciaran had to go home, rather than stay under the car to fight the rusty exhaust bolts.

Couple of pics....
The idea of a roll cage + chunky suspension = beach buggy crossed my mind briefly



And the question of "WTF are all those then?" also crossed my mind. (seats are just thrown back in there until I get the keys back to the 2nd lockup I use for storage. bloody council didn't give them back the other day after going out to assess the damaged door)


At this point it was still running and I drove it into the garage. wonder how fast it would be without all that extra weight? Of course the aerodynamics might be a tad crap.

Ciaran Vs the 16 year old rusted bolts


right - I'll continue with more thrilling tales of amateur mechanics when I've more to report
cheers

[Nj]

Look into my eyes, look into my eyes.... you will keep absolutely everything from the shell.



Cheers mate. Appreciate the tips. I've obviously misread something. I'll use the trolley jack and soft wood trick to hold the gearbox. although i'll need a new trolley jack. a circlip disappeared off mine (clarke) last night and lurched a bit. and i found myself at 10.30 jumping on a wheel wrench thing (what are they called - tyre irons? is that am american term?) trying to get a couple of wheel nuts off. Got my breaker bar out and had to sue a 1/2 to 3/8 convertor... which snapped.

Ps - i'll remove every nut, bolt, screw, plastic doofer, doodah, thigmy and waddyacallit I can find.

[Azman]

Engine will not come out with gearbox and subframe attatched!!!!! Look at the width of the frame and then everything else. Unless you plan on hammering the front of the car to shape IIRC it will just not work. Get under there and drop the frame off the gearbox, support the Gbox with a soft (remeber soft!!!) block of wood on a jack and drop the frame off if you can. best way I found v.hard to manouver all the bits att he same time given the width of the subframe!.

P.s. Unless the ratchet spanners were good epensive ones sling them!!! As sson as you come across something that needs a bit of decent force they will break (experience again!!!)

Other than that keep everything!!!! Go to town on the shell st4rip every little bit. Keep every little nut bolt plastic nut, retainetr for the side strips EVERYTHING!!!!!

They will always come in handy or someone on here will need one!!!

Remember EVERYTHING. EVERYTHING EVERYTHING (sorry trying to hypnotise you to remeber EVERYTHING!!!!! lol )

[Nj]

Paul - really appreciate the offer mate but Rob seems to have it covered.
cheers Rob - that'll be first on the list of things I don't have that I need you to bring
cheers