DISMANTLING THE VEHICLE

THE BONNET, tailgate and spare wheel are all easily removed. The seats and floor panels are also easy to take out, giving easier access and making the body assembly lighter, which aids lifting and manoeuvring. But don’t remove the doors, as keeping them shut helps the body retain its shape while lifting. The main body fixings on the 90 are the tabs along the top of the rear cross-member, securing the load bed to the chassis, the bulkhead mounting brackets at the bottom of the A-posts bolted to the chassis outriggers, and a pair of brackets at the front lower part of the bulkhead bolted to the main chassis rails. Other fixings include bolts through the front of the seatbox, and brackets under the forward end of the load bed. Some bolts may be corroded tight, but leverage and penetrating oil often do the trick. To release any that are truly stuck, use an angle grinder or cold chisel to remove the head, and replace with a new bolt. Many people replace the nuts and bolts as a matter of course – but be wary of using stainless steel fasteners where they come into contact with the body because it will encourage the aluminium alloy panels to corrode.

With the fixings undone, the body is ready to lift. We supported the rear half on a steel beam passed under the load area where there’s clearance between the bottom of the body and the top of the chassis rails. At the front, a sling was passed behind the body/chassis brackets, feeding the lifting loads directly into the strong bulkhead area. Make a good inspection of the bulkhead, as corrosion is common and best rectified now. If you need to replace the bulkhead you will need to split the body apart, which makes this job a lot more time-consuming.

With the body removed, the engine and transmission can now be hoisted out of the chassis, and the suspension and axles unbolted. Keep an eye out for wear and damage in any of these components, and consider using the opportunity to make repairs or replacements. On our Defender, the running gear was mostly sound, though we replaced worn suspension bushes as we went along. The axles were cleaned up using an air-powered needle gun which hammers the surface with fine steel pins – the effect is similar to bead-blasting.

Lifting the body off in one piece makes the whole job much quicker and easier – as long as you have the facilities to do so.

Drain the cooling system and remove the radiator first, as this gives much better access to the rest of the engine bay.

At the front, the green lifting sling goes around the two forward bulkhead-to-chassis brackets (edges of brackets padded to protect sling).

Rear of body was lifted by a steel bar, passed through under rear arches. For safety, adhesive tape keeps sling positioned before starting lift.