Body Reassembly
 

Know how they say you can never take enough pictures when you are taking a car apart? Whoever they are is right.

My Sa22 is on the rotisserie and I am starting to reassemble for painting. I can't figure out what the bolts look like to hold the door hinge to the body. Description or, even better, pics would be appreciated. They do get painted body color, right?

Herb

its an 8mm bolt with 12mm head and lockwasher. like the pic

parts catalog says the ones going from the hinge to the door are an -820 part number and the ones going to the body are 825, so the ones going into the body are longer, i'd guess by 5mm. you'd have 8 of the short ones and 10 of the long ones i think?

i think they should all be body color.

Body Reassembly & Painting
 

Thanks for the PICS. I found the bolts.

You can't imagine how thrilled I am to be putting things together instead of taking them apart. The doors line up great. Considering the accidents this car has been through it's amazing. I need to finish sanding the engine bay and install the front clip. Then it's time for paint.

I'm trying to reproduce the way the factory put these together and painted them. (I earned my moniker.) It seams to me that all of the bodywork was on the car with the exception of the bumpers (& bumper shocks) when painted. Nothing else (like the suspension, steering, engine gas tank etc) was mounted. Correct?

Once the body is assembled I'll paint it and it's all down hill from there. I've already rebuilt the engine, carb, gearbox, axles, suspension, brakes, and steering. I built this neat little trolley I'll use to slide the engine and trans under the car then hoist it into place. The trim is all cleaned up and painted. I've purchased most of the seals and other rubber.

I don't have the carpet, seat kits or some of the badges yet. And one of the door panels needs some help. Oh, and a new windshield. That's about it. Think I'll drive it by the end of October?

Herb

neat. yeah the body seems to have been totally assembled, and then painted. since there are such big drain holes in the floor, the rust treatment, and primer might have been a dip.

the later cars have the doors put on last, it makes it easier to put the dash and other interior in. the hinge to door bolts aren't painted on these, which is unlike the SA/FB. one wonders if the SA/FB had the doors on it the whole time, or maybe the bolts were put on the door and painted? maybe it doesn't matter after the fact....

but yeah, all the metal bits are assembled, painted and then everything else is put on.