Five-Day Disassembly: from Daily Driver to Boxes of Bits

Disassembly in Five Days: After a nice long fast cruise for the last time in mid-June, I began disassembling the T34. Front end parts first, then door, then sunroof, and rear end. It took five days and went smoothly with few surprises. The rocker rust was better than anticipated (at that time), as the fiberglass peeled off to reveal original metal, rusted at the front 18" of the front rocker section. The sunroof drain tubes (inside the headliner) were all rusted-away and the insulation was a combination of yellow foam & industrial felt used for sound-deadening. The front wiring harness came out easily, but the rear was too difficult, so I left it for now. The majority of rust was in the typical places: rocker panels, wheel well corners, spare tire well, & rear air-duct drains.

Body Separation: Finding & removing the 32 bolts holding the body to the chassis was frustrating, but once they were removed the body came off easily. I did the disassembly & separation on my own by using jack-stands & wood blocks to lift the body up one side at a time, then add the blocks, then do the other side. The body is suprisingly light and Jason Weigel & I easily lifted the body off for the photo-op on the driveway. It was obvious that this T34 had previously been separated as the bodyshell was completely painted the hideous metallic green, despite what the previous owner had said ("I swear it's never been restored and is completely original"). Amazingly, 23 days after it arrived in the USA from England it had been completely disassembled. This was the first time I'd separated the body from the chassis and it was a lot of fun and a lot easier than I'd anticipated. Sure will make it easier to access the rusty areas and powdercoat the chassis.