With all parts removed from the body shell, it was time for what should be the last bit of work of the dismantling stage. Removing the front wings and the sound proofing material.
Although the front of the shell didn't look to bad, it was a fair assumption that (judging by the visible patch repairs on the inside) the wings should be hiding more roust and/or rot. And I have to admit that I hate removing panels from a car, especially when it has to be done carefully (thx René). Luckily I had some help here by someone who is rather experienced in breaking all sorts of Triumphs over the years. And it is not his car he's working on, which certainly helps ...
The left hand wing came of fairly easy. After drilling out all spot welds only a few spots needed a well aimed blow with a flat chisel. And as expected there is some rot there:
But as you can see it is not too bad. Rather pleased that the outside edge of the inner wing is in pretty good condition and straight. Most important is to treat all the rust that is present properly. Still looking at the various options for this at the moment.
The right hand side did put up more of a fight. This was caused by the fact that this side has been repaired in the past. And these repairs were rather difficult to drill out. So it took rather longer, but in the end that wing too came of. Here also some rust but again overall not too bad.
With the wings removed we attacked the sound proofing in the interior. Was a bit of a mixed bag this time. Some pads could be removed with a flat chisel only but that didn't work for all. For those some added heat from the paint stripper was needed to get them of easily. But after a few hours of scraping and chiselling the soundproofing was all gone. With no nasty surprises hiding underneath
And to end the working day I had a closer look at the fuel tank yesterday. It looks like the tank that came from the car is in pretty good condition. Haven't had a look inside yet. But at least the outside looks pretty straight with no signs of rust. Especially the areas underneath the straps look almost factory fresh ...
With the car dismantled the time has come to decide how to carry on from this point. Will have a chat with the guy who will be doing the body repairs soon, see what his advice is now the extend of the work clear. Maybe I have to attack the underside, again depends how the paint will be removed.
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