Is there a way to lift the body off the frame without having 6-8 guys? Has anyone come up with a sling or fixture to do this? I have an overhead beam in my garage with a trolley on it that I use for drivetrains. I have about 8 1/2' of clearance from the trolley hook to the floor. I also have a 1/2 ton chain hoist. When doing a search the only thing I found was someone wanting to do this with a cherry picker and it didn't sound to promising. Sometime ago it seems like another individual was using camper jacks. Any suggestions out there? Thanks, Ted
-
-
Re: Lifting C1 Body
Ted,
I pick up C1 bodies using a cherry picker and a pair of light weight chains run from the radiator support to the decklid hinges. I use two chains which criss-cross and then put the hook of the engine hoist in the middle where they cross.
I have got the location of the hook down to a steely-eyed science and can pick a body up at almost the exact center-of-gravity. I work alone in my shop and frequently have to take a body on and off the chassis a couple of times a week, and have never had a problem. With the 59/C4 conversion that I am building now, I'll bet that the body has been on and off at least 20 times, and it is still a long way from being bolted down for good! Thse old C1 Bodies are stiff as hell and you almost can't hurt them. Oldtimers talk about rolling C1 bodies over on a pile of tires to clean the underside of the body! If you look at how they lifted them at the factory, you can see that they must have been very strong, and those bodied were already loaded down with all the doors, hood, trunk lid and most of the trim and glass!
Regards, John McGraw -
Re: Lifting C1 Body
john's take on the rigidity of the c-1's (and c-2's for that matter) is right on. i attach chains to the door strikers and the hood latches on the firewall to effect the four point lift stance. i too criss-cross the two chains centrally then lift with the overhead electric winch hung on the i-beam that supports the rafters in my shop. as john states, pulling and re-installing a c-1 or c-2 is most efficiently done with one fella(me).i get much more done by myself than i can do with a bunch of beer-sipping buddies. get the work done solo, then have the guys by for a cold one. mikieComment
-
Re: Lifting C1 Body
I did it with nylon tie down "camper straps". I used the trunk hinges and radiator support with four seperate straps to four hooks in the trusses. With this set up I was able to work gradually and alone. This was done with most all of the weight off the body. Creating a center point with one lift would be great, I didn't have enough ceiling height.
LarryComment
-
Re: Lifting C1 Body
Where do you hook to on the trunk hinges and radiator support?
Do you do any of the body work before the body is lifted for the first time (the main thing I have is stress cracks, a few small repairs, and the bulge at the center of the wheelwells on the front fenders)?
Is the buldge usually caused by a worn radiator support mount?
Thanks guys for the responses. It gives me a lot more encouragement than I had. I've got most the trim off of the '58 so I am getting closer to this point. Mostly I have the windshield, some small trim pieces, the power top stuff in the trunk, and the steering column to remove. From there I plan on pulling the trunk lid, deck lid, and doors. My understanding is I'll need to brace the door opening before I lift it. I am planning on stripping the paint prior to pulling the body from frame per the recommendations on this board.Comment
-
Re: Lifting C1 Body
I lifted the body a little and put a 2+4 between the frame and the body. Then i used the 4 holes that the body is mounted to the frame (under the seat and at the toe boards furtherest away from each other) using large washers and #8 bolts i conected chains chriscossing to the center leaving about 4 feet of slack, hooked a comealong to it, and pulled it myself. it stays balanced and nothing is in the way. I have done this many times by myself. Make shure you put something under the front radiator and the rear trunk areas (mounting holes) after you set it down on the saw horses, I made a set of saw horses the with of the frame and used solid plywood gussets on the legs. And then i cut 2+4 to length and put them at the radiator and trunk areas and then used wood shims and adjusted the body to fit the doors before i took them off. Dont let the body sag! (if it will be sitting for a wile). all bodywork and paint can be done and lifted back on the frame with no chance of damage.Comment
-
Re: Lifting C1 Body
Ted,
I just use some "S" hooks and hook them in the bolt holes at the rad support and decklid hinges. You will not need to brace the doors on the car as it is an extremely stiff body. While it is not a bad idea to support the rad support, I have left cars sitting on a dolly for literally years with no sag at all in the nose. I would suspect that the bulge you are talking about is more than likely the result of a bump to the front of the car, but I suppose an extremely rotted out radiator support and some bad potholes could cause this as well. I would repair the nose of the car while it is either on the chassis or on a jig that assures that the elevation of the nose is correct when the repair is complete.
I usually do all the body work off the chassis, but I have built a steel rotisserie to bolt the body to to make it easier to work around. Keep in mind that the entire body when stripped of all these parts only weighs a couple of hundred pounds! I have a 59 body right now in the shop that sat for over 15 years with no radiator support in it at all and the nose has not dropped in the slightest. If you look at the way the inner fenders are bonded and screwed on, you will see that the inner fenders form a pretty good truss from the firewall out to the fender tops. You will probably have to unbond the inner fenders from the outer fenders if they have not already broken loose, in order to get the "bulge" to release, and then re-bond them back in place after the fenders are straight.
Regards, John McGrawComment
-
Re: Lifting C1 Body
I agree it's hard to screw up one of these bodies. Mine sat with no support on front or rear for at least 7 or 8 years. When we remounted the doors they fit perfectly. I would also opt for an arrangement to lift and replace the body as mentioned above rather then 8 guys grabbing fiberglass with a beer in the other hand. The handfull of fiberglass we had to replace on mine is my reason. If you do use that method, make sure everybody knows where to grab and where not.
LarryComment
-
Re: Lifting C1 Body
Yes, we recently lifted a C1 body by fabricating a fixture from 2" steel tubing designed to be used with a fork lift. It could be modified for use with a chain hoist, although I would have to check the dimensions to determine if you have enough clearance to use it. We patterned it after a photo we had of the fixture used to suspend the bodies on the assembly line and it worked great. This unit may be for sale since we plan for this to be the last frame off restoration on the vehicle. If you are interested let me know. I can email a picture if you would like to copy this design.Comment
-
Re: Lifting C1 Body
I have read several responses to the question about lifting a C1 body. My 1960 body is ready to lift off whenever I figure out how. The responses talk about using four of the various holes to use as lift points, such as the body mount holes in the floorboard, radiator frame, hood latch, etc. My concern is that these are nothing but holes in fiberglass with no metal reenforcement backing of any sort. If it takes eight guys to lift a body, how can the fiberglass around one of these holes carry the weight it would take two guys to lift without pulling through. Am I missing something or is the fiberglass really THAT strong?? Thanks.Comment
-
Re: Lifting C1 Body
Bob,
Two guys could lift it. It's not the weight, it's stability and moving the chassis, replacing the body onto a jig. With a mechanical lift, you can work more slowly, safely, move things as needed. Make sure you have a place to set it back down that will conform to the body as the frame rails did. I wouldn't use anything except the trunk hinges and the radiator support. I also had everything else off of the body.
LarryComment
Comment