BODY ON!

Today was a perfect day for it.Some local chaps from the cobra club and some friends kindly came to come help.
With the chassis mounts lubed up with Vaseline we got the body off the stand, turned it round and slowly lowered it. As it snuggled down, it appeared the holes were out. It needed to come forward about 10mm. We tried to tug it and lift it about 4 times but just kept settling backwards. (Andy at GD had emailed me the night before kindly giving me some tips, one of those was not to be shy to give it a good tug forward.)
So we lifted up and tugged forwards and we tried to get the engine bay bolts in to keep it forward but no joy as it started to pull the mounts away off the chassis.
It felt like something was pulling the body backwards. So how about bolting the boot in as there were holes pre drilled there, that may keep it forward. But those holes were out, both holes were further in towards the middle than the mounts. This gave some people the feeling that the other holes were out too. But I wasn't having it. :) The boot holes, maybe but not the side ones.
(After speaking with Andy today(Mon) these boot hole aren't normally drilled and as my body is an early Mk4 these mounts have been moved a little since)
After a few goes of on and off we rested it on trestles to check there was nothing snagging or fouling and put it on axle stands so we could remove the wheels.
Trying again lifting and tugging it forward, some of the chaps were urging me to open up the holes, but I stuck to my guns as even though the body had been sat on trestles for nearly 4 years there was the fear it may have sagged a tiny bit but it hadnt! It was just a need to get it forwards enough as the side bolt holes were all out by the same amount. The front of the tunnel is tapered and it felt that this was forcing it back and just needed to be persuaded enough forward.
We finally decided to try and get some other holes in the tunnel at the rear lined up where the seats would go. Both holes either side were close and on the third jiggle and hold, we got both rear bolts in, then the rest went in with ease! Only the boot holes to re drill and a couple by the front bulkheads need tweaking. the rest lined up perfectly lol. So don't get the drill out! Keep trying.

Was a bit of a mission as the body went on and off about 4 times, only one chap had done it before (Trevor) and some had some doubt it would line up.
I'm sure that once you have done it once, you know what to look for and what technique to use for it go on easier the next time. GD can do it in about 20 mins. I have seen it and they made it look easy.
Now to get the rad back in.