Show me your Tips and Tricks for lifting your body off your frame . . .

Hi guys,

I can use some suggestions on how to raise the body off the chassis to put it on a dolly so I can fit the engine and transmission and then measure to order a driveshaft.

I was originally planning to build a couple A-frames from 2X4's, but soon realized that they'd be an eyesore, useless for anything else, and would need a lot of bracing to have any real lateral stability.

It didn't take long to realize that it was not one of my better ideas.

Then I thought . . . . (I know, . . blonds thinking can be dangerous)

That since I already have 1 gantry crane, (2000# capacity) that has wheels and adjustable height, that 2 might be twice as good . . . so I bit the bullet and ordered a second one, (just 1000# cap) so I'll have solid and stable lifting equipment,

. . . . But I have no idea how rigid these bodies are when off the frame, or how's the best way to attach to them to lift them, or even how much they weigh, although I guesstimate about 500# or so with the interior and top.

If anyone has some pics or a description of their setup, especially with a body being lifted, I'd be really keen to see them.

If it's of any value, I have an electric hoist for each crane, as the end game here is to be able to remove or replace the body from/to the frame without needing a helper.


Thanks in advance,

Darlene

 

Put 4 I-bolts at the corners o the floor and a chain to the center and lift it with your motor hoist. Put it on 2 saw horses. If you have ma couple of friends you may pick it up.

 

Eye bolts thru the floor never came to mind, although that approach may work better on a 23 than a 27.

I'd have to take the top off, but it's worth looking into . . Thanks for the tip

 

Eye bolts as John said. Just leave the chains long enough to clear the top of the body with a 4x4 going over the body and just below the top. A couple more eye bolts in the 4x4 with a chain to center the load. That body with top can't be all that heavy. I lifted the body in my avatar with two tie downs and my chain hoist. On my roadster, I used my engine hoist with a 2x4 under the cowl and the seat top ridge on the body.

 

You might put a floor jack under the middle to find the center of gravity and just use 1 hook to lift it and hold it to direct it. If you don’t want to drill more holes use body mount holes.

 

Good ideas guys,

I was thinking about using lifting straps and 3" PVC pipe for spreaders.

4X4's and chain gets a little too heavy for me to handle.

 

That should work fine. See, nuttin to it.

 

Swing set chains or ski rope would probably work. This is a t bucket not a bulldozer.

 

Someone sent this pic to me a long time ago:

 

Mark that is my last body photo and yes that is how I removed it from the frame many times....

 

I used my engine hoist, load leveler and rope. I wasn't looking for a permanent tool,
just something to get the job done.



.

 

I have to keep that in mind, seems I'm much too eager to over-engineer the whole process of body off / body on.

Just worried about getting myself jacked up in a corner without help and damaging something . . . . which with my luck, there's no chance it would be something cheap and easy to replace.

I hadn't even thought of using my cherry picker as a body lift tool.

 

I'm fortunate enough to have a 17 year old son who works out nearly every day at my beckon call.

 

Mike - I hope that you do not mind me sharing it. Could not remember who sent it to me.

 

Not a problem Mark..

 

You could call these guys when its time to remove your top.

 

That might make me forget about the car entirely . . . .

 

I actually just did this last night. It was a bit tricky in my one car garage, but I managed to get it done without hardly a scratch on anything.

 

Thanks again guys for all the pics and suggestions.

The second gantry crane I ordered from Amazon finally got here and I assembled it this weekend, (what a bloody freakin' chore for a single old lady) so now as soon as hurricane season's mostly over I can pull the body and look at getting the engine /trans installed . . .

No doubt I'll be picking everyone's brain again once that starts.

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