How do I remove the side skirts on an 82 Turbo Esprit?

[TAR]

I have started to remove the riveted parts from my Turbo Esprit body. I need to remove the side skirts (sills) and am looking for some good advice.

 

So far I have drilled out all the rivets I can see. These are located in the body along the door sill, about 7 or 8 rivets in the boots space under where the fuel tank would sit, under the car and the 2 at ether end in the wheel arches.

 

The skirt is bonded to the body and I assume I will need a sharp blade to cut it.

 

The main worry I have is how the pipe which feeds air into the engine bay comes out with the sill? Is it bonded all the way around in the engine bay?

 

Have I missed anything?

 

cheers.

[vintaylor]

Hi Tim,

 

I can only help you with advice from my s2.  The sills are in fact bonded in 

 

Not sure about the air duct as my car doesn't have this.

 

Paul Coleman wrote up a thread about removing the sills on his s1 : http://www.thelotusforums.com/forums/topic/24828-removing-the-sills/

 

Hope this helps

[molemot]

I will admit that I left the sills alone on mine....a miserable task, rubbing down and spraying etc. in situ, but after a good hard look at how they were fitted to the body I decided these snoring canines could rest undisturbed!!

[TAR]

I think the seat belt anchor points need attention, so the sills will have to come off.

[vintaylor]

definitely worth it if you are going through the whole car

[TAR]

I'm just scared I'll break something...

 

[vintaylor]

How about this then,

 

If you take yours off and you break the side skirts, let me know because I've got a pair of turbo side skirts you can have

 

Only problem would be postage from Malta though

[TAR]

Thanks Vin, that is a very kind offer. I will see how I get on.

 

[jonwat]

I'm just scared I'll break something...

 

 

Being fibreglass their easy enough to repair, I broke in half the roof capping rail when I was changing the plastic chrome strip that runs up the windscreen & above the door on an S3. A bit of grinding & sanding, some mat & resin followed by a skim of filler & a dusting of paint & a lot of polishing & it was good as new. 

[vintaylor]

One of my s2 sills had an inspection panel cut out of it lol  Got them professionally repaired by a fibreglass guru in Malta

[TAR]

John, I'll try to be more careful than that