How long to take rear clam off ?

tenkfeet · Post by **tenkfeet** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 11:03 am

How long will it take me to remove the rear clam the first time I do it ? Just a ball park time . Its for the rear window replacement as I am very dubious about letting MMC anywhere near my car .

Post by ed » Mon Jun 11, 2007 11:42 am

The front takes 5 hours! Not sure about the back! Id take it to a specialist!

tenkfeet · Post by **tenkfeet** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 12:13 pm

ed wrote:The front takes 5 hours! Not sure about the back! Id take it to a specialist!

It took me longer than that to get the front off and back on . mmm

Rich H · Post by **Rich H** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 12:16 pm

ed wrote:The front takes 5 hours! Not sure about the back! Id take it to a specialist!

S1 front clam is about 3/4 hour or so on your own. Rear can't be much more tricky.

Ed's just a mincer

garyk220 · Post by **garyk220** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 12:28 pm

If it is roughly the same mountings as the VX, then a full day to remove it would be more than enough, even allowing for the odd awkard to get to bolt. On the VX you need to remove the passenger seat and bulkhead cover to get access to the 4 main bulkhead bolts inside the passenger cabin. The 2 little M8 nuts securing the rear of the roll hoop cover to the clam are awkard to get to as well. All other bolts are accessible in the boot, by removing the wheel arch liners (2 bolts each side securing the clam to the side sill behind the intake grilles) or from underneath (rear undertray to clam bolts).

I've modified a few connectors on mine and can remove it in 15-20 mins now. So it is a pretty straightforward job once you've completed it the first time.

The rear clam is pretty heavy, so while it is possible to remove it yourself (about 35-40 kgs iirc) you'd be better enlisting some help at the removal stage to prevent any damage to the paint.

Post by ed » Mon Jun 11, 2007 12:46 pm

RICHARDHUMBLE wrote:
Ed's just a mincer

Ive obviously never done it but thats what MMC said it takes!

Rich H · Post by **Rich H** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 1:01 pm

Ah well, if I were charging you £95+VAT it would take me that long too...

Post by **simon** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 1:05 pm

Is the window definitely a clam off job?

MacK · Post by **MacK** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 1:33 pm

simon wrote:Is the window definitely a clam off job?

Had a quick look in my service manual and there is no mention of removing the rear screen, or removing the panel on top of the roll bar.

Any illustrations of rear clam removal do not include the roll bar cover, it appears to be a seperate piece, so the rear clam might not need to come off.

tenkfeet · Post by **tenkfeet** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 2:48 pm

The roll bar cover is a seperate piece . Access I think would be ok without the roll bar cover but the lower side of the screen is an issue. There is a gap enough to slide the screen in but I suspect that may be too awkward for a glass fitter .

The lower edge is also bonded on to something quite flexible , not sure what .

_leon_ · Post by **_leon_** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 5:18 pm

3-4 hours!!! *gulp*

that'll surely cut down by almost half after the first time you do it.

tenkfeet · Post by **tenkfeet** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 1:55 pm

It took me about 4 hours to get the rear clam off

, would have been less but I had a few issues with the passenger seat bolts and the harness bar did not want to come out .

I left the window cover in place to save breaking the seal for the roof . Nuts easily accessed when the wheel arches are removed .

If they did not bond the lower part of the screen you could change it without removing the clam .

It is suprisingly light and I could lift it easily .

LH engine mount has been added to the job list as its dropped .

Rich H · Post by **Rich H** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 2:01 pm

Good work!

_leon_ · Post by **_leon_** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 2:09 pm

hmm take the rear clam off and it looks easy to work on. nice. wouldnt mind trying my hand at seeing how long it takes to get it off. reckon you could do in much less time now?

tenkfeet · Post by **tenkfeet** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 2:44 pm

_leon_ wrote:hmm take the rear clam off and it looks easy to work on. nice. wouldnt mind trying my hand at seeing how long it takes to get it off. reckon you could do in much less time now?

I could probably get it off in two and half hours even two at a push . I would be more focused by going inside , Engine and battery ,LH then RH.
However putting it all back together to my satisfaction will take much longer and I dont intend to rush that bit. .

Access still looks quite rubbish in places .