Dismantling Alfetta Interior

[joestram]

Hi All,

I have been given the opportunity to have 5 hours to dismantle as much as I need out of alfetta for a fixed price.

My questions are - I need to remove the complete interior and was wondering if I need any special tools to do this?

Can I get away with using standard tools in an everyday toolbox?

Also, any tricks to removing the doors and dash and centre console?

I will also be removing the front grill along with the lights - how does the grill come out?

The other thing is the seat belts - I remember I tried to remove the passenger side belt once and I couldn't get the nut out - it just kept spinning - What is the trick to this?

Thanks

Joe

[festy]

Sedan or coupe?
The seatbelt bolts have captive nuts on the underside of the body, so really shouldn't spin.
Do you really want 30 year old seatbelts of unknown origin though?

As for non-standard tools, my first choice would be a plasma cutter (unless you have to leave the shell in a half-reasonable state).
A couple of allen key sockets will speed things up, 6 and 8mm would be the most useful ones from memory.
An electric rattle gun and an assortment of extension bars and impact sockets would come in handy, and a cordless drill with a phillips head bit will save your wrist - and an assortment of drill bits for removing rivets. I vaguely remember the grille being held in with rivets but might be thinking of a different car...
Also a manual impact driver (the kind you hit with a hammer) - they're fantastic for loosening the rusty screws you'll run into.
Other things I'd take would be a pair of small bolt cutters if you're planning on having to hack through much wiring, a gear puller for the hubs, steering wheel etc, angle grinder with thin cutoff wheels and cold chisel/big hammer for bolts that just won't undo.
Also a can of good penetrating fluid (you can do much better than wd40) - first thing you start with is spraying every nut and bolt you're planning on undoing, and let it soak in while you're pulling the easy stuff out.

Have a read of the workshop manual before you go (and take it with you) - it will show the procedure for removing the dash, grille etc. and save you wasting half an hour trying to find that last bolt holding everything together

[alfa duk]

 Are you participating in some kind of game show, 5 hours?

[John A Pucak]

Game show , now thats an idea!!. Maybe someone could donate an Alfetta, preferably a shit one. We could pull it apart at Club night , that might generate some more numbers. Beats watching the Voice.

P.S. who wants to be Seal!

[Cool Jesus]

Yeah, everything festy mentioned plus... actually, I was about to suggest a steering wheel puller, but don't bother. Undo the lower universal nut and the whole column is held by two further nuts, take it all in one piece then

What can't you take?

Dash board is just 4 fixing points, remove gauges and undo centre console first then take dash as a whole. The remainder is very straight forward and easy. Be real careful with interior lights on B pillar, very brittle and hard to come by.

Exterior trim picks off with a screwdriver, just be careful, start at one end ( which ever comes off for you) then with light leverage on trim and continue prying along length to remove.

Joe, you've certainly been busy recently. 5 hours is a fair amount of time to do some serious shopping.
Any arrangements on how many pairs of hands?
How did you come across this deal?

[joestram]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the responses.

I found this car on ebay and the guy wanted to get rid of the whole car. I offered a few hundred dollars and asked if I could strip it and leave it as a rolling shell and he agreed but I need to do it in a set time frame.

I have put the pics of the car - as you can see the body is in terrible shape but everything else looks in good condition.

Is the rattle gun and the manual impact driver a definate tool I need or can I get away without them?

I am bringing another friend of mine to help me strip it and have managed to get a hold of a ute with an 8ft tray so that will help me cart quite a few bits back

Re the seat belts - I will take these ones just in case, but should I want new belts, where would I get them from?

Anything else I should know.

Thanks guys.

Joe

[aggie57]

Like the one I got a year or more ago....took me a couple of days to strip but I took my time and that included getting the transaxle out.  If you don't want the loom that makes it much, much easier.  Just be brutal with rusted up screws and bolts.  Saves a heck of a lot of time.

[alfa duk]

 Al, that pic is a sad sight, leaving those poor bitches out like that is criminal.

[Paul Gulliver]

Al, that pic is a sad sight, leaving those poor bitches out like that is criminal

Alfa Duk , Imagine how i feel. I was picking up some bits & pieces from Alister last year and he showed my the shell. I said to him I brought a new  Piper Yellow Alfetta in 1980 registered AXL 395 from Talbot Motors in Melbourne  . He went and checked the old rego on the windscreen and guess what.  I get misty eyed every time that photo comes up.

Gully

[Darryl]

It depends what you want off it - I don't believe you will need impact tools to get the interior out. Failing the plasma cutter (!) a small (easier to get into tight spaces) angle grinder may get you out of trouble if something is really stuck.

[alfa duk]

 Ah Gully,  that is tough,my condolences

[joestram]

Thanks for the responses everyone.

Just to clarify - how would one remove a rivert?

It is just a matter of drilling off the head and then punching the body of the rivert out?

Thanks

[festy]

yep, drill out the head and hit it with a punch if needed.

[joestram]

Thanks Festy.

Appreciate it.

Regarding the seats - do they come off in one piece or will I need to remove the seat+rails and then the mounts?

I am just trying to gather all the info now so I am not wasting time tomorrow as I can't afford to.

Thanks

[scuzzyGTV]

Joe

From memory, it's just the 4 bolts in the rails, and then the seats should come out.