Has anyone done a frame off?

I am thinking about lifting the body off the frame to re seat the body on the frame with proper body gasket to remove rattles. Has anyone done the reverse? Any hints?

I have not pulled a body for the sake of a gasket but no reason why it can't be done. You are only lifting it a few inches so that most everything can stay in basic position. Unbolt the body, (I bet the front bolts in the forward frame pockets will be a pita to get out) disconnect the steering shaft and a few misc and lift. Remove the old gasket (if there is one) clean and replace the gasket. ~Alan

Have to remove carpet on both sides - hopefully bolts aren't rusted (I used stainless steel ones when I assembled mine recently) and they didn't fiberglass the body to pan (like the CMC manuals says to do).

i did this:
http://www.mangosmoothie.ca/images/months/2007/July/

i used a couple of 2x4 pieces to lift the body enough to get the gasket in there. after bolting down the body/pan between the gasket, i used silicon on the outside (black) and expanding foam (trimmed) on the inside. It's solid and doesn't make a sound. of course - i have not driven the car in the rain so i cannot vouch for how much it leaks/doesn't leak, but I would put money that it doesn't.

Yep that's the way I'm going to go, thanks Mango. There's supposed to be a frame supporting the front above the beam which I don't have. I will add this as well...

Monsieur Le Marteau:

Front body mount:

Want me to take pictures of mine or produce a dimensioned drawing?

All I have to do is drag the two pieces out of the box and measure them.

gn

Do you mean this piece (actually 2)?

https://www.speedsterowners.com/library/cmcmanual2/images/cmc53.jpg

Yeah that's it, isn't it? And why don't I have one? Would this make the car creak and groan....? And why is it in 2 parts in the manual? And why so many damn questions????? :)

I am thinking a nice industrial 1/8" or more gasket to properly fuse the body from creaks when I go over bumps. And at the same time open the holes for the bumper (support) in the body. Because when I smack the bumper (not too hard) with my hand you can hear the support resonate through the body. When I go over bumps it sounds like a can in the trunk.....

6 years I had this car and it was built in 1988...maybe getting tired...

Its really the only support for front end fiberglass --- and heavy gas tank and battery. I guess 2 piece so you can tilt top to mesh with trunk floor. Get the gaskets for the early VW bumper bracket to fender - you can cut off the gasket's inner flange and glue/silicon them around the bumper support for a finished look (vs raw fiberglass cut out). This works for back bumper brackets too.

http://www2.cip1.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=VWC%2D111%2D707%2D197%2DA

Having just cut he openings for my bumper irons at the weekend, I also made them with a little clearance, (more by mistake than intent :) I have the rubber trims mentioned in the link

Also, my front body support also went missing somewhere between Florida and Glasgow....I measured the space and made up a one piece bracket. I added a stiff rubber gasket between the body and the frame then, in the trunk, I put in another rubber strip and a plate to sandwich the fibreglass, spread the load.....I'll get pics if anyone is interested.

my cmc front frame piece wouldn't fit cuz the holes were too close to the angle and I couldn't nut 'em. So I made a new one. I glued rubber roofing to any steel to steel or steel to glass joints. Found some gym floor (1/4 in rubber) that i made frame to body gaskets. I tried to use the rubber under the head of the bolts as well to further insulate/isolate. I haven't finished the build and will need to seal up ALL around where glass nearly meats steel- mostly on the CMC body itself(inside rockers to and across the back.

Doesn't the CMC build manual specify roughing up gelcoat and applying a 3-4" band of Fiberglass cloth/resin all the way around the body to pan perimeter (or is it just the sides)? Build manual is vague here but seems the big leaks would come from behind seats where rear tires throw up water so that should be foamed and glassed too (hence need also for the splash shields used on Tom's coupe).

Ah, I found references -

https://www.speedsterowners.com/library/cmcmanual2/images/cmc60.jpg

https://www.speedsterowners.com/library/fiberfaba/images/fiberfaba058.jpg