What order to do things in a total restoration?

[bobjacqs]

Hi All,
This is a general question about the order in which to do a complete restoration.

I was talking to someone who restores classic British sports cars and his preferred order is as follows. I wondered whether this was good for Renault 4 projects.
1. Remove body
2. Fix body (including paint)
3. Refit body to chassis to make sure it all fits
4. Remove body again
5. Fix chassis
6. Refit body

His argument is that the body may not fit if the chassis is repaired first because often they were bodged in the factory when new and nobody thought that the body would ever be removed. But maybe a Renault 4 is fundamentally different?

My intended order is as follows:
1. Remove body
2. Put body under tarp in garden and leave to mature some more
3. Remove engine and put to one side or until my wife lets me take it into the kitchen
4. Prepare chassis for welding
5. Take chassis to welders
6. Bring body into garage and prep for paint
7. Take body to paint shop
8. Clean engine (if we have not done so before)
9. Get chassis back and refit engine
10. Get body back and fit to chassis

I know this won’t work out at all smoothly with things overlapping etc but this is my basic plan. Any thoughts?

Thanks
Bob

 

[malcolm]

Take body to welders might be another step in the process. Personally I wouldn't trial fit a painted body due to the risk of damage. I would go about repairing the chassis and the body, prep the body for paint, then paint the chassis and body. Saves getting too much dust on one or the other.

New chassis are available from Melun Retro Passion. I would seriously consider one for my next restoration - taking into account time and parts cost (mostly time) I spent on the last one I could have bought a shiny new chassis for the price.

 

[bobjacqs]

Mm.. Buy a new chassis... That took me by surprise. Well, I shall have to think about this...

 

[mr-reno-139]

Reports from derek flavell suggests that not all fixing points line up with body work
So maybe not such a time saver
As it might seem
Shame derek hasn't become more involved on forum but as like me he is running a business so time spent typing here can mean less time fixing things

 

[Paul Narramore]

Mm.. Buy a new chassis... That took me by surprise. Well, I shall have to think about this...

Well I also didn't know about them, however I've you've 1600euros going spare....... The 2CV City galvanised chassis I bought for my 2CV six years ago cost £250 brand new.

 

[JonathanT]

Hi Bob

It's a great thing to have a good plan. At the beginning it all seems logical ....further in it could get confused as logistics come into play to mess the process up.? Like get that engine off my kitchen table or I'm fed up stubbing my toes on windscreens under the bed or why do you keep leaving screws in your pockets they are destroying my washing machine!

BEFORE painting the body it is a very good idea to plonk it back on the chassis. In this way the front wings can all be aligned correctly and the fit of the bonnet checked. The front end without the chassis is off in mid air without it. There is a subtle factor to take into account too and it took me a while to realise. I believe Malcom may have experienced this with his gordini. The butyl strip sealer between the body and chassis has a thickness. I know it gets squashed when the body is bolted down. But it does influence the height of the bonnet relative to the wings as the bonnet is hinged off the chassis and closes onto the slightly raised (by butyl) body. Therefore when doing this alignment process place a spacer about 3mm between the body and chassis. Then the shut lines can be trued to best effect.

 

[malcolm]

That makes sense - I wondered why by bonnet needed spacers underneath the hinges when it had fitted perfectly previously.