Separating Jimny body from frame

In order to sort out a severe underbody rusting of a Jimny, it was recommended to first dismantle the vehicle (to completely separate the body from the frame).
The thing is that the lot of the rear floor area (under the seats, bottom of the boot etc.) is eaten away, and the chassis rails, mounts, panhard rods etc. are severely rusted too.


So, my question is - has anyone separated Jimny's body from the frame (dismantled the vehicle) and how complicated is it?

Is the wiring a major issue? Which items have to be dismantled first in order to remove the body - like the headlights, wirings, gearbox stick, center console and instrument panel items, ventilation pipes, etc.??

Thank you very much for this link. I contacted the guy and I am waiting for his response.

Well it appears that this is a rather tedious endeavor. Not complicated per se, but a lof of things have to be taken care of, and a lot of things can become an issue (seized bolts, corroded brake lines, etc. ...).

A few mechanics told me that it would take approx 30-60 man-hours just to dismantle the vehicle (without touching the interior console and without dismantling the engine). The amount of time depends on the condition of the bolts and on who does it.

According to them, it takes at least 60-90 man-hours to put it all back.

Well there it goes ...

it's not that hard! In 5 hours alone I was able to dismantle all the components.
it took 6 people to lift the body.
I will come back with detailed specifications in no time

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I done it to many SJ's and it cannot be that different. You can also see the bodylift instructions as they loosen all you will have ti in addition you will have to loosen also electrics, steering, brake lines, filler hose and so on. allways best to dismantle all you can out of the way like bumpers and smart maybe to reduce weight from the body like doors and seats.

I used an elefant type crane not sure what you call them in Britain. The ones designed to hoist eninges out of your car.
bolted lifting eyes to the seat belt bolts inside and jacked it up and since the crane is on wheels just rolled the body away.
When I did it like this I could do it all by myself.
I have a home made car body rollover jig for the bodies so you can more easy get to the underside of the car.

what is being dismantled first:
all 3 dors..
front and rear bumpers
brake pipes and fuell under the batery
rear brake lines "hand break "
front wings and plastic under
gear stiks
steering wheel shaft
front lights
there are 8 screws holding the body
under the dashboard are some sockets to be dismantled. on both sides
and the whater pipes for cabine radiator
the body has about 200 kg without chairs and benches and doors

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more photos

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Thank you both very much for the list of things to be done, and for excellent pictures.

I have a few questions:

1a.
Did you encounter many seized bolts during disassembly, and did you have to cut them off?

1b.
Did you have to bore new treads in the holes for the cut off bolts?

2.
Which type of replacement bolts did you use (stainless steel, zinc-plated iron, or perhaps genuine Suzuki bolts)?

3.
Today me and my friend tried to unbolt a few bolts in the suspension just to see if they are stuck (radius arm to chassis, shock absorber to axle, panhard rod to chassis, etc.) and they were ALL stuck like concrete ..........

If I for example have to cut away a radius arm to chassis bolt, does that mean that I will also have to change the bush, or is the bush "salvageable"?

4.
I see that the chassis and suspension components were sand blasted. But what about corrosion inside the chassis? The inside is not reachable with a sand blaster. I read that the only method to eliminate corrosion inside the chassis frames is to dive the chassis into a pool of molten zinc ("hot zinc plating") at 450 degrees C. However, the technicians as the zinc plating facility told me that there is a real practical risk of the chassis getting bent (distorted) from heat, and that I must first sign a disclaimer that I take full risk in that case. In short, they do not recommend hot zinc plating for small chassis like 4WD vehicles because of the above risk, they recommend that process only for heavy duty trucks.

So, has someone had experience with solving internal rust in the chassis?

5.
Is it possible to properly assemble (bolt and align) everything back, so that nothing squeaks, rattles, misaligns, etc. later during driving?

6.
5 hours of time to dismantle a vehicle seems quite optimistic. Is that with no bolts being stuck? All the mechanics which I spoke to, told me that it takes at least 20 work hours with the best luck .... I really have no idea but I certainly acknowledge that a dozen stuck bolts can really slow down the process.

I am just afraid that almost every bolt will be stuck and that I will have to change almost all the bushes because of having to grind off the bushes together with the bolts!