Celette UK alignment and repair
Systems
Celette UK offers a wide range of fixed or mobile
jigs, from the mobile bench to the four-post jigs lift.
Celette benches
The Celette bench (Figure 14.13) is mounted on four
heavy-duty wheels, two of which are fitted with
brakes to allow the bench to be locked in position
during use. Being completely mobile, it can be
Figure 14.12System 5000 pulling tower and frame
(Celette UK )
414Repair of Vehicle Bodies
moved to wherever it is most convenient and the
space cleared after use. It can also be fitted with four
bench legs, which allows it to be used with existing
in-ground pulling systems. The vehicle can be fastened
in place on the bench using either four sill
clamps or the modular cross beams. These cross
beams are bolted directly on to the bench and have
the MZ bracket system attached above them. Once
the tops and towers of the bracket system are fitted
they give immediate visual indication of the location
and extent of damage, and continue to do so throughout
the course of the repair (see Figure 14.14). The
brackets also act as a solid welding fixture, clamping
new parts in their correct position at the critical
points during welding up (see Figure 14.15). The
most important feature of the brackets is that they
provide progressive anchorage, locking newly
repaired areas in place so that they are not disturbed
by subsequent pulls to other areas.
A hydraulic push and pull unit can be quickly
clamped to the jig bench at any point. Its double
adjustments at the base of the vertical arm and on
the horizontal beam allows the push or pull to be
widely adjusted to any angle or height without the
need to relocate the unit. In addition this equipment
can be used for vector pulling and pushing
and upward or downward pulls. The bench can also
be used with the Metro 2000 measuring system.
Celette jig lifts
The jig lifts (Figure 14.16) are of wheel-free design
which enables rapid loading and anchoring of damaged
vehicles. The wheel-free system allows the
vehicle to be moved easily lengthways and sideways
Figure 14.13Mobile bench showing pulling system
and MZ bracket system (Celette UK )
for easy bracket or sill clamp location. The design of
the decking plate enables the sill clamp outriggers to
be left permanently in place which gives the benefit
of a drive-on and drive-off pulling facility.
When not in use as a body repair system, the
jig makes an ideal general service lift, as the
vehicle can be supported either on its own four
wheels or on its underside using the wheel-free
system. The lifting capacity of the jig lifts ranges
from 2.5 tonnes to 3 tonnes, and so large cars and
light commercial vehicles can be worked on. The
jig bed can be fitted with the full range of Celette
brackets, including the MZ repair system and the
Metro 2000 measuring system. The hydraulic
push and pull unit and adjustable sill clamps can
be used for anchorage and pulling, providing a
dual repair system (see Figure 14.17).
Celette UK MZ system
This system for crash repairs incorporates all the
traditional benefits of jigs and brackets, but, in addition,
has been designed to reduce the model-specific
content of the system to a minimum while maximizing
the number of brackets which can be fitted,
without the need to strip out the mechanical parts
first. It consists of 22 universal lower brackets called
‘base towers’, into which upper brackets called
‘tops’ are fitted that are specific to the model being
repaired. These tops are much smaller and lighter
than the conventional brackets, and so are easier to
insert or remove when the vehicle is on the jig. This
system was made possible by the use of computeraided
design (CAD) equipment. Details of vehicles
currently in production were inputted on to the
computer; it then identified the most common reference
points and evaluated a number of alternative
arrangements. From this a set of universal towers
was developed to suit the wide range of different
vehicle models. The CAD system is also being used
to produce manufacturing and user drawings for the
top sets, resulting in the faster introduction of tops
for newly designed vehicle models.
The basis of the MZ system is in effect a twopiece
bracket set. A model-specific top slides
under a piston action into the universal tower unit,
and a locating pin holds the two together at the
correct height. The top locates into the bodywork
of the vehicle in the same way as a conventional
bracket, and likewise the base of the tower is fitted
to the jig using four bolts into the modularly
Major accident damage 415
spaced holes. The towers come in five different
heights to cater for various requirements. A complete
set comprises 22 units, with between 2 and 6
of each height depending on the frequency of use.
To cater for variations in width or length, the
tower unit is mounted offset on its base. It can
therefore be set in one of four mounting points. In
so doing the area within the 100 mm modular grid
spacing can be covered; any further variations are
covered by additional offset on the model-specific
top unit.
The choice of tower, plus its required location
and rotation, is clearly marked on the information
sheets which accompany all MZ sets, showing
both plan and three-quarters view. To simplify
identification and rotation, each tower has a coded
Figure 14.14Use of the Celette bench (Celette UK )
416Repair of Vehicle Bodies
arrow which corresponds with arrows on the sheet
(see Figure 14.18). When the tower has been
fixed, the required top unit can be slid in and held
in place by pushing in the locating pin. To cater
for mechanicals in requirements two sets of holes
are drilled in some towers and tops, the upper set
being for mechanicals out and the lower set for
mechanicals in.
Celette UK Metro 2000 measuring system
This is a universal diagnostic and repair measuring
system based on simultaneous three-dimensional
verification of important points of the vehicle. The
measuring system is dual purpose as it fits directly to
any Celette bench or jig lift, and there is a choice of
using brackets or measurement. Thus any degree of
damage can be repaired using the most appropriate
system. A complete damage diagnosis can be carried
out without any stripping of mechanical components,
facilitating speedy and effective repairs.
The system is calibrated using points on the vehicle’s
underbody which are accurately jigged during
manufacture. The jacking sill clamps ensure that the
vehicle’s underbody is brought parallel to the measurement
frame; this is vital if height measurements
are to be accurate. To ensure accuracies, either the
vehicle or the measuring frame must be adjusted so
that they are parallel. The calibration procedure is
that the vertical scale built into the sill clamps and
telescopic pointers set the vehicle at the correct
height. The pointer carries slides on transverse rules
with their own scales to allow width positions to be
set. A tape runs along each side of the frame, and
slides within its housing for instant setting. Three or
four datum points are selected on any undamaged
area, and the system is calibrated to the height, width
and length position of these points. The frame can be
bolted down after calibration. All eight pointers are
Figure 14.15Car fixed on M8 mobile bench
(Celette UK )
Figure 14.16MUF 61 Bodymaster jig lift with Cobra
3 puller and MZ brackets (Celette UK )
Figure 14.17Bodymaster 2000 with Metro 2000
measurement system (Celette UK )
Major accident damage 417
available for taking measurements, since none needs
to be left in the calibrated position; therefore all eight
locations are available for simultaneous checking
during repair.
One data sheet is usually required for each vehicle,
giving published dimensions from manufacturer’s
drawings. These data sheets show the initial
sill clamp settings, and the critical dimensions for
all mechanical units in place and removed. They
also give the MacPherson strut data, which enables
a check on the position of the front suspension fixing
from above without any stripping of suspension
components. The checks include the length,
width and height positions of the strut fixings and
also the angle of the flitch plate; these are all vital
to the correct steering geometry of any vehicle
under repair (see Figure 14.19).
Celette UK Bodymaster 2000 drive-on repair
system
The Bodymaster 2000 drive-on system is easy to
operate. Faster repairs are achievable, as vehicles
can be loaded and off-loaded very quickly. In order
to facilitate the loading and unloading of a damaged
vehicle that cannot be driven on to the bench,
a winch is provided.
The system has other features which make it
attractive to body shop operators because they
greatly facilitate the work on crash repairs. These
Figure 14.18Example information sheet for use with the MZ bracket system (Celette UK )
Figure 14.19Metro 2000 measurement system
(Celette UK )
418Repair of Vehicle Bodies
features include a hydraulic adjustable platform
and an integral high-capacity twin pulling tower
system. The hydraulic platform provides easier
and speedier loading and off-loading of a vehicle
and allows the operator to set the bench at
any suitable working height to a maximum of
700 mm.
Bodymaster 2000 is particularly versatile owing
to its 5 metre long tubular steel rigid base. As a
result the system is suitable for the repair of passenger
vehicles, vans, four-wheel-drive vehicles,
and light commercial and chassis-based vehicles.
The design of the system enables it to be used with
Celette’s Metro 2000 measuring system and also
with Celette’s MZ diagnostic and repair bracket
system (Figure 14.17).
Celette UK Metro 90 measurement system
The Metro 90 is a complete crash repair system
based on both bracket and measurement methods
of repair. Centred around the Celette MT10 mobile
bench and Metro 2000 measuring system, Metro
90 is a complete package including a pulling and
clamping system, loading kit and full range of
accessories (Figure 14.20). Pulling capacity is
provided by the Caiman pulling unit, which also
provides extra adjustment, making the system easy
to use. An additional wide range of checking
accessories also allows more points on the vehicle
to be checked, and a telescopic measuring gauge
can be used in such areas as engine, upper body
compartments, and screen apertures.
The Metro measuring system consists of a rigid
alloy frame with eight trolleys that run along the
frame. Each trolley is fitted with a half-bridge
carrying the vertical pointers and measuring
adaptors which allow location on various points
of the vehicle’s underbody, including horizontal
axis locations. Thus asymmetric points can be
checked and repaired simultaneously.
The vehicle is supported on four three-way
adjustable sill clamps and is calibrated in all three
dimensions – height, width and length – on an
undamaged area of the vehicle underside. With
conventional structural sills being increasingly
replaced by aerodynamic skirts, the clamps can use
swivel jaws that clamp on to the lower sill panels
where conventional clamps cannot be used. The
jaws of the clamps rotate through 360 degrees,
ensuring that damaged vehicles can be securely
held in place, enabling structural alignment to be
guaranteed.
The unit is supplied complete with a full set of
laminated colour data sheets, and regular updates
are available.
Another advantage of the system is that, with the
use of beams and towers, it can be used simply as a
bracket system, as this mobile bench has also been
specifically designed to accept the MZ diagnostic
repair system. The Metro 90 can also be used in
conjunction with Celette’s ECO 2000 mobile lifiting
trolley.
Celette UK ECO 2000 mobile lifting trolley
This unit is a mobile lifting trolley which operates
using a compressed air supply at a pressure of
7 bar. Capable of lifting weights of up to 2000 kg
to a height of 1 m, it provides a simple and effective
means of loading damaged vehicles on to a
mobile bench, thus creating a comfortable and
adjustable working height for various mechanical
and servicing work. It is very maneuverable in any
workshop area. With its controlled lowering speed
and integrated safety system it is ideal for any shop
needing a mobile lifting unit, not just the bodyshop
but also the general workshop, workbays and
mechanical lifting bays (Figure 14.21).
Figure 14.20Metro 90 measurement system
(Celette UK )
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