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Author Topic: Body swop  (Read 7063 times)

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Offline minidaz

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Body swop
« on: 22, August, 2009 - 16:59:56 »
Finally getting round to swopping my original white body for the one i bought from Karl, which is now a nice shade of purple ( and white, with spiders, and fairies  :o ;D )
I'm basically using C5martins instructions for body removal, along with my own ideas and seeing how it goes.

I've already found that removing the 4 main body screws first is not a good idea  :D

One thing i am having a bit of trouble with is removing the handlebars. I've followed the advice on here : removed long stem along with the conical nut thingy, but it still does not want to budge. Is it just a case of keep trying or have i missed something ?

I'm hoping to get it all swopped over, and back up and running in time for Brooklands. It'll certainly stand out from the white C5's  :D :D

Daz
« Last Edit: 22, August, 2009 - 17:56:43 by minidaz »

Karl

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Re: Body swop
« Reply #1 on: 22, August, 2009 - 19:28:38 »
Daz, the handlebar stem can be a real pain. I'd recommend spraying with wd40 or something similar, then re-assemble everything and start again.

Make sure you loosen off the stem bolt and strike it with a hammer before fully undoing it and removing it.
 With the handlebars still attached, but with all the wires & brake cables disconnected, get someone to hold the front wheel whilst you waggle the handlebars from side to side. It is easier to loosen the stem off this way. Once its freed off, you should then be able to pull the stem up by the handlebars.

No guarantee of this method working in all cases, but it works for me  ;)

Hate to say it, but sometimes they do just rust solid and there's very little you can do  :-[

I've destroyed one chassis by getting too aggressive with the hammer, and also melted a shell by using a blowtorch  :o







Offline minidaz

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Re: Body swop
« Reply #2 on: 22, August, 2009 - 20:16:42 »
Thanks for the hints and tips Karl, will give it a try.
Hopefully rusting on shouldn't be an issue as my C5 was completely stripped, then refurbed and rebuilt before i bought it ( only May this year ).

It's probably just being a pain  :D

Had to call it a day for now ( getting a bit too dark outside and no room in the garage ), but had got to the ' removing wires / cables from the body ' stage. It's another fun job getting it out of the main underbody black cable tidy, and there's lots of it  :D :D

I'm enjoying it all though , as i'm getting to see more on how it all actually goes together, even if it ends up taking a bit longer than planned  ;D



Offline Retro Andy

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Re: Body swop
« Reply #3 on: 23, August, 2009 - 07:32:40 »
I was'nt sure I was removing them correctly, but then all of a sudden they came out, great releaf when they did.

Retro Andy

Offline minidaz

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Re: Body swop
« Reply #4 on: 23, August, 2009 - 11:48:02 »
The hold and twist method worked a treat fro removing the handlebar stem  ;D

Well i managed to remove the cables from the black thingy ( although i could have done without the dog dropping his dog toy on my head while i was lying on the floor  :D )
Next fun thing : Pedal removal.

Went and bought a crank removal tool from Halfords. Only problem is that it has quite a long handle, which means if i try to turn it, it catches the pedals, which means that it doesn't actually work  :D

So off to ebay to get one with a ratchet attatchment ( similar to the one in the crank removal topic ).
Unless anyone has another method of removing ?

Daz
« Last Edit: 23, August, 2009 - 12:19:42 by minidaz »

Offline minidaz

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Re: Body swop
« Reply #5 on: 29, August, 2009 - 17:15:34 »
I'm so nearly there  :D

Pedals are now off ( surprising what a difference the correct tool makes ), however the crank ( bottom bracket ) removal is a different matter  ???

I've read C5martins ' how to ' and i've also looked at the photo that Karl added. I don't have the correct tool for the job ( and the one i bought from Halfords isn't suitable ( take that back tomorrow for a refund  ;D ).

Is it just a simple case, as the photo shows, of hammering a screwdriver into the groove to release the locking ring ?

Think i need to find my hammer ... the large screwdriver is ready and waiting  ;D

Daz

Offline minidaz

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Re: Body swop
« Reply #6 on: 29, August, 2009 - 17:45:48 »
My C5 is now naked  ;D ;D

Okay, so the bottom bracket might still be in place, which could make putting the new body back on a bit tricky, but atleast the current one's off.
( and before anyone asks, the white body is still fine and was not damaged during the removal  :D )

Looking good for Brooklands  ;D

Karl

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Re: Body swop
« Reply #7 on: 30, August, 2009 - 14:26:23 »
I find removing the bottom bracket really helps make life easier when it comes to lifting the body from the chassis.

It's a really easy item to remove, takes seconds, and prevents any damage being caused to the 'shell ...might not apply to Daz, but while it is all out and in pieces you can always use the opportunity to grease everything up.

As in the picture, place the end of the screwdriver in the groove of the locking ring, and then gently tap the handle of the screwdriver

Offline minidaz

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Re: Body swop
« Reply #8 on: 30, August, 2009 - 16:00:56 »
I managed to get the new body shell on with the bracket still in place, but it did take 2 of us, and we took our time. It did mark up the underside a little bit, but nothing serious or visable.

Luckily, as mine was only recently refurbed, everything had been greased up nicely. I did try using a hammer & screwdriver but i just couldn't shift it ( maybe that technique works well on one that isn't covered in grease, or maybe it was just me doing it wrong  :D )

I've still got to put on the pedals, handlebars, and tidy the wiring up, but the good news is that the pod still works and so do the lights, so i must have done something right  ;D

Daz

Karl

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Re: Body swop
« Reply #9 on: 30, August, 2009 - 19:51:45 »
Yours was a refurbed c5 from Lee, so removing the bracket shouldn't be a problem as he probably removed it for strippng the chassis and re-greasing etc.

Offline minidaz

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Re: Body swop
« Reply #10 on: 31, August, 2009 - 19:29:21 »
Finally got everything done  ;D

Meet ' Purple Haze '  ;D







I'm thinking of replacing the front wheel, and removing the rear wheel covers.
It probably wont be to everyones taste  :D , but i like it. Something a little bit different  ;D

Daz
« Last Edit: 31, August, 2009 - 19:38:08 by minidaz »

Karl

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Re: Body swop
« Reply #11 on: 31, August, 2009 - 21:30:21 »

A proper use for that spare shell  8)

It will look so cool parked up amongst the "ubmobile" and "Malcolm" (the furry one)

 ;)

Offline Retro Andy

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Re: Body swop
« Reply #12 on: 31, August, 2009 - 21:45:23 »
Nothing wrong with being different, I think the "Sinclair" in black on the boot look really good.

Retro Andy

Offline Umpa

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Re: Body swop
« Reply #13 on: 31, August, 2009 - 22:13:02 »
yeah - that looks very good indeed.

Karl

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Re: Body swop
« Reply #14 on: 01, September, 2009 - 12:56:29 »
Nothing wrong with being different, I think the "Sinclair" in black on the boot look really good.

Retro Andy

Agreed, helps with that 80's retro look !

Sinclair should have done that from the beginning  8)