For different reasons you may find yourself needing to know how to disassemble a car, either because you have decided to paint the vehicle body or because you have to do a repair that involves disassembling some parts of it.
In this case, we are going to explain the first steps that you must carry out, bearing in mind that we are not going to delve into specific details, since it would be impossible because there are thousands of different car models. This means that each one of them has its own peculiarities, since it will have its own parts and mechanisms that may be different from one another, so it is impossible to explain how to disassemble each car part.
Vehicle Disassembly Considerations
Before proceeding to disassemble a vehicle, it is necessary to know that, if you are looking to disassemble it completely, you will need to disassemble the greatest number of elements that are involved with the areas that you are going to paint or that you need to repair. This part is essential to achieve an optimal final result.
In addition, when it comes to storing the parts that you have disassembled, it is recommended that you do it in an orderly manner, keeping the removable parts in bags, boxes…, so as not to have problems when reassembling them. In addition, it is preferable that you use a pen to point on these to which part they belong. This way you will not have problems when it comes to finding the necessary parts during assembly.
What must be disassembled to repair a body?
For a repair of the exterior bodywork you will need to disassemble the following elements:
- wiper arms
- Front bumper
- rear bumper
- Number plates
- front grille
- Aileron
- Skirt
- Antenna
- Wheel arch plastics
- Emblems and anagrams
- stickers
- moldings
- headlights
- pilots
- door handles
- lock barrels
- Lateral mirrors
- Etc.
If you are going to repair it both inside and outside, you will have to disassemble the vehicle on all the elements mentioned and, in addition, the following:
- Doors
- Seating
- Interior upholstery
- Hood
- Boot lid
- Engine block (in some cases it is painted by wallpapering it).
Instructions to disassemble a car (first steps)
If you want to know how to disassemble a car, you must take into account what we have previously mentioned, but also follow a series of steps that you must keep in mind.
- The first thing you should do before definitively getting down to work is to wash the vehicle; and place it in an area where you will be able to enjoy enough space to be able to move freely, without there being walls, columns or objects that hinder mobility, which is so necessary in this type of operation.
- Next, you must cover the steering wheel and the seats with protective covers, thus preventing them from getting stained while you carry out the disassembly work. You can also put protective paper on the floor so that the upholstery does not get dirty.
- Before starting to disassemble you must bring all the tools closer and you will leave all the doors unlocked, including the hood and the tailgate.
- Next you will have to disconnect the positive terminal of the battery, whenever possible. For this you have to follow the manufacturer’s recommendations. This is very important to keep in mind as many latest generation models can be seriously affected if there is an interruption in their power supply system. However, there are some protective devices on the market to be able to carry out these tasks safely.
- From that moment you will have to gradually disassemble all the elements that make up the vehicle. These will depend on the parts that you are going to need, depending on whether you are going to repair it both internally and externally or only externally.
- In principle, you will have to disassemble the exterior elements of the bodywork, such as the doors, the hood, the trunk, to later continue with the interior of the passenger compartment.
- Also, in the case of these doors, if you are going to paint them completely, you will have to remove the moldings, as well as the window and the mechanism of it completely.
- It is important that you keep in mind the manual of each vehicle, to know how to proceed in each model, since each brand has its own peculiarities. This means that not all the elements are disassembled in the same way, but it can vary between brands and models. That way, even though there are some parts that are similar, like removing a door, you may have a few different steps that you need to know about to avoid problems.
What do you need to disassemble a car (first steps)?
- Boxes, bags.
- Tools
Tips for disassembling a car (first steps)
When disassembling a car, you must take into account a series of tips:
- Always check work clothes before entering the vehicle. In this way you will be able to avoid entering with dirt with which to stain an upholstery, which will be very difficult to clean if it is stained with paint, grease.
- Avoid putting tools in your pockets, since in any carelessness you could damage any part of the car.
- Do not use the passenger compartment of the car to store the disassembled parts. This will cause it to be damaged, as well as not being practical. It is preferable that they are stored properly and in an organized manner.
