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MG TD TF 1500 - Frame Off? How is that possible?

I keep seeing the expression "Frame-Off". That is impossible without first taking off the body.

Unless of course, its intended to mean that the frame is restored, but the body is not.

Do they mean to say, Frame-Up, or Body-Off.

Frame off .... hmmmm

Gord Clark
Rockburn, Qué.
Gordon A Clark

Even worse are the numerous 'body-off restored' adverts for the unitary constructed MGBs.
Willem van der Veer

That's why I just say "nut and bolt restoration" if anybody asks me.
Ed
efh Haskell

You can take the "Frame-Off" the suspension.

Stretching it you could consider taking the "Frame Off" the drive train?

Jim B.
JA Benjamin

Gordon - Thank you, I have often wondered about the 'frame off' expression. It is often amusing to see terms that have taken hold that are, in reality incorrect. A more correct term would be from the frame up, but that may have been copyrighted by Doug Pelton.
Cheers - Dave
David DuBois

But Jim - wouldn't that mean that you would have to leave the suspension on the ground, and remove the frame up from it? You couldn't do that with the drive-train.

I think that people have conflated "frame-up" and "body-off".

Tom Lange
MGT Repair
t lange

off frame would be more correct. regards, tom
tm peterson

I have wondered what sequence is involved in "restored from the ground up". Wouldn't it be easier to restore from the sky down?

And how do I apply this Downunder?

Matthew.
M Magilton

Its OK, I just figured it out, I fit a garage hoist to the ceiling.

Matthew.
M Magilton

No silly!

You just turn the car turtle. Then un-do the bolts that now are holding the frame on the body. Take off the frame, leaving the body in place, restore it, and replace it.

Voila - Frame off restoration. Didn't even have to touch the body!

Gord said that

(gotta stop sniffing that stuff!)
Gordon A Clark

Oh heavens!

Agreed,the confusing terminology is nearly as
bad as the Concours versus Concourse scene!!!

Cheers(lol)

Rob Grantham
R GRANTHAM

Soooo...."Frame off Concourse" would be upside-down, and done in an airport using airport transfers tunbridge wells! Right?
(Unless, of course, it was done in OZ... where the toilets run backwards.)
How far does one have to dig to be "ground up"?
David Sheward "IZZY" TF 7427

I prefer the term "clockwise restoration." Of course, this would be "counter-clockwise" south of the Equator.
David Littlefield

To me "frame off" always sounded like an abbreviated way of saying " taking everything off the frame".
Mort
Mort 50 TD (Mobius)

Maybe we should say :-

Off the - windows, hood, bonnet, spare wheel, tank, windscreen, wings, running boards, seats, floorboard, tub, Rad, engine, steering column, firewall, wheels, rear axel, suspension, chasse restoration -
and just stop at the relevant part?
R D Jones

I once considered a nut-and-bolt restoration, but it seemed a shame not to restore all the parts that were not nuts and bolts.

Matthew.
M Magilton

Gee Wiz, I didn't know the toilets flushed up in Australia! We had an up flusher in the game room in the basement once, never took notice if it was made down under or not! Makes sense though! LOL.
Paul S Jennings

A frame-off restoration means major work was done off the frame (chassis) as opposed to being completed while on the chassis. It is like saying 'engine out' to mean that an engine has failed while flying.

Restoring things from the ground up is easier, because the body and engine are off the frame when the suspension is rebuilt, then the system is set on the ground, the driveline added, and the body placed over the top of everything.

"Frame off Concourse" would be upside-down, and done in an airport ONLY if the engine were out as well. ;)

And Willem is quite right about the MGB... most of the time those are refurbishments... because the body isn't placed on a rotisserie. I know ours wasn't.
Dave Braun

This thread was discussed between 09/02/2014 and 11/02/2014

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