I am re doing my 1980 olds cutlass (my first car in which I still own). I am wondering if there is anything special I need to do before I get several friends over and we lift it up.

I have never done this and was hoping somone might have some advice for me on here.

Thanks.

 

Asked the same question. Here you go
https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums/...-how-hard.html

 

That link is not working...Thanks though..ill try and do a search for it...

Thanks

 

Let me see if I can help you.
1) Strip the interior of seats, windshield and back glass.
2) Remove the steering column or at least disconect the trans linkage and steering coupler.
3) Remove the doors. You want to make the shell as light as possible.
4) Remove the front fenders and unbolt the brake booster.
5) Disconnect the wiring harness at the firewall.
6) Disconnect heater hoses & AC lines.
7) Remove the fuel tank and drain the fuel lines. You may even want to disconnect the lines at the engine and blow them out with compressed air.
8) It's important to clear the area of any fuel or fumes because chances are you will have to torch the body mount bolts. Have a hose or fire extinguisher handy because the rubber bushings will burn.
9) You can use an engine hoist to lift the body one end at a time.
10) You can use two long 4x4s to set the body on four 55 gallon drums and then just roll the chassis out from underneath.
11) The best way to work on the body after that is to borrow or rent a roticery.
12) If you don't plan on going that crazy with it you can buy some monster casters and build a cradle to move it around.

 

Any chance that car has t-tops? If so, you should think about adding bracing inside the body so it doesn't twist on you. If you have them, let us know and it can be addressed.

 

Good list right there. I used floor jacks to get my body off the frame far enough to push the 4X4 through then used farm jacks to get it up high enough to roll the frame out. I put the 4X4's on cinder blocks while I worked on it.

 

I bought a couple of nice items from AccessibleSystems.com that make this job much easier for a guy working out of his own garage. First is their "Body Lift", which consists of an extension for an engine hoist, and an "H" shaped attachment that allows you to pick the car right off the frame in one move. You can then roll the frame right from under the body, or roll the body away from the frame if you want to. I also got a "Body Cart" from them, which was great for rolling the body around as needed. These items both break down into smaller pieces so its easy to store them away when you are done. Here is a picture of my 65 Cutlass on the "Body Cart". Also a couple pics of the items from accessiblesystems.com.

 

Hey thanks for the help everyone. I think I have everything ready just about.

My windshield is cracked....I need a new one. Should I leave it in the car to help with stability when lifting?

Do I need any bracing- Doors are off, dash out, all seats out, and rear glass is out.

I got the gas tank out tonight, and tomorrow I am going to undo brake lines to master cylinder.

The only problem is I am going to make a 4X4 frame to set the body on. The bottom needs attention, so I am going hafta figure how to get to the bottom to fix a few pits in the metal.

 

http://www.restorationsbycarshine.com/scan0051.jpg This company uses the engine hoist right through the side. the car is hooked to a chain at the front center seat belt bolt holes.

 

Thats pretty interesting looking.

how much you think a 80 cutlass wieghs with everyout of it?

 

I would use concrete blocks NOT cinder blocks. They're alot stronger

 

This is important ! Do NOT use cinder blocks !

Years ago, I witnessed a cinder block fracture/disintegrate while holding up a friend's boat trailer (w/boat) that he was working on... Nobody was hurt, but scared the **** out of us...

As near as I can tell, cinder blocks have about the same weight capacity as those plastic milk crates.....

 

+2.

Cinder blocks are brittle - they will support a great amount of weight, then suddenly crack without warning. The fact that they are made out of holes means that when they crack, they will essentially disintegrate.

Good for bookshelves, but not holding up cars.

Of course, you should do as I say, and not as I did, back whe I was in college:



($75 for a new TH350 at Charlie Molt's junkyard, and I was back on the road!)

- Eric

 

I never even thought about the blocks disintegrating, didn't have any problems though. They also didn't have much weight on them comparitively, plus I wasn't getting in the car, just working on the underside cleaning and painting the parts that I couldn't get to while it was on the frame.

 

But, of course, under the car is exactly the place where you don't want to be when a cinderblock experiences a "catastrophic failure" .

I survived a transmission transplant with the car on cinderblocks when I was in my youth. I won't tempt fate like that again.

- Eric

 

Cinder blocks are stronger with the big holes vertical and a 2x6 across the top to spread the load. However, they are a really bad idea and used, bent wheels are cheap or free at tire stores, junkyards. I weld the lips of two wheels all around to get double height. They make nice strong stands that won't collapse like jackstands can with a side load. They are also good to stand on when working on a 4x4 pickup.

 

Maybe I am calling the blocks I used by an incorrect name, someone help me out. I bought them at Home Depot and they were regular building blocks which would have been made of concrete, correct? I just always heard them called "cinder blocks." Am I right or wrong by calling them that? I still think that what I had resting on them was not enough to crush them, just the body shell, and when I say I wasn't inside it I meant that I wasn't putting any extra pressure on them by getting inside the car, plus I had 5 stacks of them supporting it, 3 in front, two in back as shown in picture.

 

These are cinderblocks:


They crumble.

A person's extra weight in the car isn't important - they don't care.
They just shatter like glass when they feel like it.

- Eric

 

Well, at least I'm still alive and can learn from this.

 

Im attempting to lift the body off Friday nite. I am worried about how I am going to lift the car with a engine lift from the rear of the car. I really cant find a good spot to lift from.

Any ideas?

 

Rear bumper mounting bolt holes.

- Eric

 

You're right, on that '80 Cutlass there isn't much to grab onto and what is there is thinner metal than the earlier cars. Your best bet would be to use a jack to lift the body slightly off of the frame such that you could place a few pieces of wood between the body and frame. With that done, use the rear body mounting holes on the underside of the car. You will have 2 that are back there near the ends of your frame rails. I would bolt a chain between those bolt holes, leaving a loop that could be brought up and connected to the engine crane. Put a heavy blanket between the chain and the rear body section so the chain doesn't hurt anything as it lays against the rear panel. You don't want to attach to the bumper mounting locations as those are on the frame.

Speaking of the frame, have you looked at your rear frame rails in the back area near the bumper shocks? It is very common on 78-80 Cutlass (and other G bodies of that era) to get rot in that rear section of frame. The immediate and very obvious sign when approaching one of these cars is a sagging rear bumper. I've seen them on Ebay and know right away the rear rails are rotted by the way the rear bumper sits. You might want to give that area a close inspection to make sure yours is solid or what you will need to do if it is rotted.

 

I jacked the body up last night and the frame is good....I like the idea u mentioned about the chain on the bumper hole area..I'll prolly try that. Thanks

 

Ok, good luck.

But make sure you bolt the chain to the rear body mount bolt hole and not the bumper holes. And as always, work safe and don't place any arms legs, head etc under that body when you lift it.