63 body lift

[Steve D.]

I am getting ready to lift the body using a hoist. Are there any alternatives to the belt or strap type lift kit for attaching to the body? I once saw a picture of an assembly line and the bodies were lifted by a rigid apparatus that looked somewhat like a cage. Has anyone used or fabricated something other than the belts?

Steve

[Stephen L.]

Re: 63 body lift

I just recently lifted my 67 coupe using a belt/spreader combination.
The belt hooks did not attach as prescribed. They are too long in the metal shank and interfere with the roll in the body at the rocker panel that extends beyond the door opening to match the bottom of the door. Therefore to prevent damage I had to place the hooks in the extreme ends of the door opening with the door open where there is no "roll" (Check the body and I think you'll see what I mean....
I did not want to lift with the straps pulling at an angle against the roof as shown in the directions for the strap so I made a spreader beam 2x2x3/16 tubing that allowed the straps to pull straight up at 4 places. The spreader beam was then attached to the hoist at the center point. I found that I needed a hoist hook height of at least 8-1/2 ft with everything drawn as tight as possible. If you try to use the straps as supplied your hook height will need to be much greater. The next problem with a single point lift (hoist) is balance. I positioned the hooks as far forward as possible without harming the fiberglass and the front was still "heavy". I needed 3 helpers to "assist lift" the front corner and roll the chassis out from under the body.
I still prefer a hoist lift over a "muscle" lift in that you can do it slowly and the hoist doesn't get tired.
When I reinstall the body I plan to modify my spreader to better balance the body, possibly using a main hoist and a "come-along cable" to aid in the balance/leveling for ease of dropping onto the frame.
Send me an e-mail for some photos of my lift. There is a great "lift check sheet" by the Yankee Lady on the internet.. www.yl-gazette.com/tech/mackay.htm that you may want to check out
Steve

[John M.]

Re: 63 body lift

Steve, I made a square frame with 2" square tubing. Put 5/16" eye bolts at the location, in plan, of the hood latch attachments and the door latches. Then, using angle iron make "copies" of the hood latches with eye bolts welded to them. Used a 1/4" steel strip with holes at the door latch locations with eyebolts welded to them. Cut the eyebolt such that a small chain (24" long is enough)will fit over them and you then have an adjustable length between the frame and the body. I lifted from a 3/8" eyebolt thru the center member of the frame. I think the frame is 60" x 60" with a cross member in the center. Cost about $43.00 including tubing, eyebolts and chains, excluding welding, which I did at work. I couldn't use the standard straps because they are so long you need a skyhook. Where do you live? I'm in Vermontand would loan it to you.

[Robert V.]

Re: 63 body lift

Steve, I used the wooden dolly by Noland Adams, used a 8 man lift team, with another body to roll the chassis out and roll the dolly under the car (64 coupe)
As long as everything is removed and unhooked to get the body off, it was a piece of cake with no problems at all. I was really surprised at how easy the body came off. And the dolly has been a wonder, you can move the car in/out, turn it around and around, etc. Good luck.

[Pete VanSeggern #30920]

Re: 63 body lift

I got the body off of my '63 using two 8' 2x8's on each side of the body. One was just ahead of the door and one just behind. On each side, used 1x4's to connect them inside and out at top and bottom. I connected them similarly across the car at the top and braced the whole thing off the garage rafters. I drilled 2-1/2" holes about 4-5' off the floor and ran a piece of 2" pipe through them. At one end of each of the pipes, I drilled two 7/8" holes at 90 degrees to allow 30" pieces of 1/2" pipe to function like handles on a vise. I attached 5/6" cable to the pipes with muffler clamps and put chain "slip" hooks on the ends. The hooks grabbed the body under the rockers and the "vise" handles turned the pipes to wrap up the cables, lifting the body. I had some help but probably could have done it by myself.

[Steve D.]

Re: 63 body lift

John

Thanks for the offer, but I'm in Texas. Sounds like a good set up. You apparently didn't have any problems lifting from those points, but I'm curious how you determined that it was safe to lift from there. (I have fear of the unknown coupled with a yellow stripe down the back.) Did the cross brace flex alot since all the load was at a single point? Also, how did you hoist it ?

Steve

[John M.]

Re: 63 body lift

Steve, I was concerned about those attachment points also but got advice from the guy who is going to paint the car and does restorations and also from Angelo Finateri, Adirondack Chapter, both of which have used this method. The square tubing is very strong and did not flex noticeably. One thing that I did notice is that the balance point is not in the center of the fixture. If it was, one person could do the lift. As it was, my son and I did it with ease. We used a chain fall to lift it, which is really the best way to go beacause it locks in place going up or down. Watch out for come-alongs, they are not the proper tool.

[David H.]

Re: 63 body lift

Steve; I made a T brace very simalar to the one john described and lifted at the hood latches and door strikers on both 69 and 65 coupes. These are strong locations on both cars as the bird cage is utilized at the striker and the hood latch is reinforced over to the cage. I did use all bolt holes at each hood latch location for good load distribution. My lift rig is 3" chanel iron and bolts together for easy storage; it consist of one main beam with several holes in the center top area to change the weight transfer as needed and two shorter beams at each end for spreaders. The spreader beams have holes cut out at the ends that will allow for a chain to pass through or drop in and lock at any heigth, (looks like a large keyhole shape), the chains hook on to the peices I made at the hood latch and door striker locations.

It works so good with a regular engine lifting hoist that I can do the whole job safely and slowly by myself, the body moves to the side and you role the chaisis out and prepare to set body on doly.

If you remove everything from the body it does'nt weigh very much, I would say not any moe than an engine and tranny together. David (in louisiana) I-10 N.Orleans area.

[Steve D.]

Re: 63 body lift

John

One more question. What did you attach the chain fall to? My garage ceiling is only 8 ft. I'm leary of using the ceiling joists, so I have been trying to come up with a pipe structure that would support a cross beam above the rafters to give me some extra lift room. (I would have to pull off some of the ceiling drywall.)

Steve

[John M.]

Re: 63 body lift

Steve,
I did it outside because of the same problem. Our Chapter Website has some photos of it. I used two 2x10x10 to make a beam and then two 2x8x10s to make posts, one of which was temporarily attached to the side of the garage, and the other stabilized by x braces and stakes in the ground. Put a good chain with hook around the beam and attach the chain fall to it. I know you can pull an engine by attaching a plate across two floor joists so maybe you could pull the body by attaching a plate or something like doubled up 2x8s to 2 or 3 (or 4) rafters? Check gallery, John McRae's project http://newenglandchapterncrs.homestead.com/home.html
Good luck