Triumph Repair: spitfire body removal, door hinge, rear corners

Question
I'm about to remove the body from the frame of my 79 Spitfire.  I have everything unbolted but I'll need a few extra hands to get it off the frame.  My question is should the body be reinforced before removal from the frame?  I picked up on the rear of the body a bit and watch the door gaps change.  There is rust in the rocker and floor area near the lower rear corners of the door that is probably weakening the body.  I thought about creating a brace that would span from the door hinge mount location to the door striker mount and possibly across the car as well to help stabilize things...  Maybe the body is far enough gone that I shouldn't worry about it and if anything I should be looking for a new tub...  Please let my know your thoughts.

Thanks!

Matt

Answer
Matt,

You could leave the doors in place and rely on them to keep the shell from crumpling.

Or remove the doors and figure the bracing as you've suggested.

As to whether to rebuild or not.... if there's not a good tub available locally and you really want to drive a Spitfire... the decision is up to you.


Cheers,

Jim