I need to lift my body off the frame to work on the frame.
I have two cherry pickers/engine hoists available.

I have seen pics with one in front and one in back.

The back had chains/straps through the trunk access holes attached to a 2 x 8 under the trunk gas tank supports.

The front I am not sure...I have seen chains/straps bolted up to the cowl fender attachment points...on top of the cowl.

Are these attachment points strong enough to hold the weight without getting tweaked...the cowl is solid...no rust.

Is there a better way to hook up in the front?

Thanks,
Andy
1965jetstar1

Posts: 7
Joined: Wed Apr 17, 2013 8:33 am

 

Hello:
Sounds about right, that is how I lifted the body on my 66 Cutlass when we started the restoration. Have everything in place and ready to slide under the body to support it. I used cinder blocks with 4x6 timbers on top of them for the body to rest on. The support need to be wide enough apart for the chassis to roll between. I placed mine under the rocker panels, the fronts were in the door hinge area, the rears were just in front of the wheel openings. I also supported the area under the 1/4 panels after the body was on the forward supports, I used cinder blocks with misc 2x6 lumber built up to the sheetmetal. Just take your time and make sure everything is solid and safe before you go crawling around under it. Good luck with the project.
Thanks, Ron

 

Thanks Ron
Andy

 

The easiest and safest way (short of a two-post lift) is to go to Harbor Freight and get one of their A-frame hoists. They often go on sale, and add the 20% off coupon.

 

Mine may be a little overboard but you get the idea. Two engine hoists would do the same I'd think. Maybe you can gain some ideas here. I actually switched my rear set up to a 4x4 slung between the fenders rather then use the hinge supports as shown in the one pic.

 

The problem with one engine hoist in front and one in back is that you have to block the body up and move at least one hoist to get the frame out from under. Also makes it tough to get the body on a rotisserie. The nice thing about the A-frame is that you just need to lift the body once - roll the frame out, install body on the rotisserie, and remove the A-frame.

 

How much ceiling height do you need for the gantry route?

 

Honestly, I did mine by myself with a simple floor jack. I just jacked the car up as high as possible and supported the frame on jack stands. Then I stacked the cinder blocks, jacked the body up (rear then front), slid the 4 x 6's under it and dropped the frame. All in all, it was a super quick and easy procedure.

 

Thanks for your input.
I did it with two cherry pickers and cement blocks/4x4's.
It went very well.
Andy

 

Interesting approach, although it doesn't allow me to buy new garage toys. (I'm still pursuing a 2-post lift.)
Why do you have to raise the whole car? Why not just use your method to lift the body, with tires on the ground?

 

I did it that way because it just seemed easier and safer with less chance of a disaster. I felt much more comfortable lifting the body 6-8 inches rather than 2.5 feet with a single floor jack.

 

Thanks!

 

OK, I'm back. Are you saying that the body has to be about 30" above the frame (tires on the ground) in order to roll the frame out from below? Seems like a lot, but I'm liking the method. (I have my frame on jack stands, and it's ~27" from the rocker bottoms to the floor.)

 

Sorry for the late response, I'm sure you figured it out by now.


How much clearance that is required will depend on what you want to do. If you want to pull the frame out from under the car you will need enough height under the 4 x 6 to clear your tires (keep in mind the frame will be a couple inches higher than the top of the rear tire). You can also pull the rear tires and support the rear axle housing in the center with a jack and roll it out that way, obviously this will require less height.

 

Thanks, your method worked well.