Removing the body

[Charlie b]

Hi guy I'm gonna take the body off my sj 410 is this a hard job or relatively easy I have all my own tools and know my way around the vehicle but didn't know whether I was going to run into any problems it's only so I can work on the body else whale and the chassis elsewhere anyhow to guides or steps to follow or is there a link to a thread on this
Thanks in advance

[RickUK]

Must admit i have never taken a body off a SJ and if i am honest when i finally scrapped mine about 3 odd years back it was because of the dreaded old tin worm,then i went for the Vitara LWB V6 that was a really lovely car too drive but once again the tinworm cost me a few bob to get it repaired.

These days i drive my BMW X5 and will be also getting a new/ish Jimny or Vitara for the wife,wont go back again and get another SJ,although i did have some fun nothing compares to the luxury of driving a X5 with the 3ltr Turbo diesel engine.

Cannot help or suggest about removing the body but its not a job that i would cherish taking on for sure.

[Jordi]

Its a doddle.

Unclip all the wires, fuel filler and cables. Unbolt and remove bonnet, wings and doors. Gear lever, transfer lever, steering column.

Unbolt body mounts and get a few mates to help lift.

It is literally that easy. Just work around it methodically to ensure all the cables and pipes are undone.

[palo123]

It's a relatively straight forward job but i would only do it if necessary. The body has 10 mounting points if i remember correctly, two at the back by the tailgate, four in the middle, one under each foot well and two at very front by the grill.

From when i did it this is what i remember disconnecting:

Handbrake cable
Speedo cable
Clutch, throttle and choke cable
Brake master cylinder
Wiring from the engine including various grounds and other misc wires
Coil bracket
T box and G box gator
Steering shaft
Heater matrix hoses

I also took the doors and front wings and bonnet off to make it lighter as i had to lift it off.

Might of missed some stuff.

[mike harris]

Yes it's very simple just take your time and stay safe whilst lifting, any issues or questions just ping a reply in this thread and one of us can advise I'm sure !

Good luck !

[ScottieJ]

I always take the front end off completely first, doors and bonnet and if it's a soft top take the windscreen off. Make the body as light as possible and it's easy for 3/4 people to lift it off.

I can take a body off in a few hours start to finish using an engine crane on my own

[Charlie b]

Thanks guy it's a big help I don't really want to have to do it but the body is so far gone it's a joke it's been hand-painted with Emma Wright and his blobs I feel like every way it's really not something I want to try and repair rather just cut my losses and start again with something else

[ScottieJ]

Thanks guy it's a big help I don't really want to have to do it but the body is so far gone it's a joke it's been hand-painted with Emma Wright and his blobs I feel like every way it's really not something I want to try and repair rather just cut my losses and start again with something else

Post some pics up, I'll soon tell you if it's worth saving, I have saved a lot of SJ bodies over the years.

The big problem with SJs is that although some look better than others once you dig into it they are all nearly as rusty as each other well that might be a slight exaggeration but even the ones that look good are usually a lot worse than you think once you start looking for the rust.