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BODY 1 A-9
vents, belt and roof line trim moldings in the
damaged area should be removed. The panels,
which are secured to the rib with a poly-
urethane adhesive, are difficult to separate
and remove from the body .
The suggested
method which follows should make the - repair
job easier .
NOTE :
There are numerous overlapping
joints on the vehicle where the front and
rear fiberglass panels are joined to the body
structure and to each other.
These joints
are glued together .
Some panels are also
bolted together or held by fasteners behind
the exterior skin . These panels include : (a)
the lower front panel which is bolted to the
lower front side panels at the front corners
of the vehicle (5 bolts each side of vehicle),
(b) the lower side panels, which are held to
the main body side panels with two screws
and a pop rivet, and (c) the rear corner pillar
assemblies, which are bolted to the main
rear
side
panels (8
bolts each
side of
vehicle) .
Should the corners of the vehicle become
damaged, or should any part of the front or
rear "cap" need replacement, the lap joint
bolts must be loosened or removed. To do so
may require that specific interior compo-
nents, trim panels, cabinets, dash panel,
etc., be removed to allow access to certain
of the bolts .
When all the attaching bolts
are loosened or removed, the adhesive bond
between the joints must be broken.
Then
the exterior skin must be "peeled back"
before the affected panel(s) can be pulled
off the vehicle for repair or replacement .
NOTE : , Carefully read and follow all manu-
facturer's safety precautions for primer,
solvent and body adhesive.
PANEL REMOVAL
Typical positioning of body structural mem-
bers (right and left hand views) in the standard
TransMode and Motorhome vehicles is depicted
in figures 3 through 6.
Figures 7 and 8
illustrate
TransMode
and
Motorhome
roof
structures.
NOTE :
Individual Motorhome and Trans-
Mode vehicles may have structural additions
and changes not represented by these veiws .
If possible, determine vehicle alterations
from standard before beginning body repair .
Using
these figures for reference, it is
essential to determine position of the rib
Figure 9-Pneumatic Chisel Set
structure of the vehicle prior to repair. This is
important to avoid damaging structural com-
ponents,
piping,
wiring,
insulation,
etc.
located immediately behind the panels.
It is
suggested that each damaged panel be re-
moved in two parts, using Special Tool J-26805
(figure 9). This tool is a Pneumatic Chisel Bit
Set, to be used with a standard air chisel
(parker shank) for body repair.
1 . Remove
all
mechanical
attachments .
When removing rivets, drill only deep enough
to remove the rivet, or piping, wiring, insula
tion, etc . directly behind the panels will be
damaged. After rivet head is drilled off, use a
punch to carefully drive out the rivet shaft .
2. Determine position of vehicle structural
supports in area to be repaired . Trace frame
or rib area with washable marker on outside of
vehicle.
3. Working from the vehicle exterior and
using a
standard
air chisel
with
a Rip Bit
(J-26805-1), cut along the inside edge of the
damaged panel, parallel to the ribs and approx-
imately
two
inches
"inside"
of
the
rib
structure. (See figure 10 .)
Then remove the
cut-out section of the panel.
Figure 10-Panel Removal With Air Chisel-Step 3
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