removing 1957 corvette body off frame

[Roy A.]

I am getting ready to remove my body and would like to know where I can get info on the proper removal procedure our if there is a member I can talk to.

[Don H.]

Re: removing 1957 corvette body off frame

Roy,
I don't know where you are located, but if you go to the tool bar above to the contacts heading, click contacts and find the local chapter nearest to you, click on the chapter's website, and find one of the officers of the chapter listed on the website, and give him/her a call. He/she can put you in touch with a local member who has done what you are doing and can give advice and maybe help you with the job.
welcome to the club and to the tech discussion board.
Don

[Mark S.]

Re: removing 1957 corvette body off frame

There is also Noland Adams Body Lift Workbook that can be used as a resource; available at the NCRS store.

[Richard P.]

Re: removing 1957 corvette body off frame

Roy,
I used a pair of "genie lifts" - portable manual fork lifts. I placed one on each side of the car at the door. Used 4X4 spacers behind the rocker panels between the body mounts.
This allowed me to lift the body by myself and then roll the chassis out from under the body and then lower the body onto a jig with casters that matched the body mount points of the passenger compartment. I then supported the radiator support and rear of the body at the correct height.
There are probably as many methods as there are posters on this site but this is what worked for me.
Rick

[Jill J.]

Re: removing 1957 corvette body off frame

Hi Roy.

Initially, I removed my body with an A-frame and a wooden body dolly built from C2 specs. Once the body was on the wooden dolly, I still had to support the front radiator area and rear end to keep the body level. The body just primarily rested on the wooden dolly. I also had small tires on the dolly which made it difficult to pull it in and out of our garage onto the driveway each time I worked on it. The wheels would tend to get caught when entering back into the garage while trying to go over the 1-2" drip ledge at the opening of the garage.

I then purchased/modified a rotisserie (with bigger wheels that roll like a dream) so that it would fit into the same body mount locations as the body would normally fit on the frame. This was done with square tubing strips measuring the width of the body at the body mount locations. The square tubing strips were also adjustable on the main rotisserie frame. Once the body was placed on the rotisserie, the strips were slid up and down the main rotisserie frame until they were positioned properly. We bolted the body at the body mount holes with the square tubing. We then tightened the "adjustable" areas (there were 2 on each square tubing strip) so they wouldn't shift as we turned the body to work on its underside.

I just recently purchased an engine hoist and it also works great for moving the body off and on the frame onto the rotisserie and back.

Each time I've moved the body, I've used ratchet straps in an X pattern between the upper door hinge and connected it with the opposite seat belt bracket on both the driver's side and passenger side. Note that I use 2 ratchet straps on each side (total of 4 straps). I was originally using 2 straps (one on each side) until one of the straps broke while the body was suspended. Luckily the body was only about an inch away from the frame which didn't cause any damage. I think I would have had a heart attack if it would've fallen while it was 6 feet in the air...

If you use a similar method to what I've done, you'll also want to make sure to keep the doors installed on the car to avoid any flexing of the body. If you decide to remove the doors, you'll need to replace with some sort of bracing in the door spaces to keep the body from flexing. This could really cause some issues and I wouldn't think it's that great for the fiberglass.

I've attached some pictures of the A-frame, wooden body dolly, rotisserie, and engine hoist so you can see what I've done.

Let me know if you have any questions and I'll be glad to help. Just send me a PM if you'd like to contact me directly.

Good luck with your body removal and your project. I've had mine for 2 years and have enjoyed every minute working on it.

Jill, 59140

[Brooks G.]

Re: removing 1957 corvette body off frame

Roy, I had a project on my '56 a few years ago and the body was removed from the chassis. I will try to be a person of not too many words and see if I can attach a picture of what was done on my car. You can see the clamps, 2" X 6" & 2" X 4" boards, and car lift. I was able to pick up the body and then place it on a dolly and later on the restored frame with this set up. I built a dolly from the Body Lift Notebook previously mentioned. The body dolly DID NOT fit my body mounts and there was NO support for the rear body of the car. You could build your own from a drawing of the frame with dimensions in the ST-12 manual. I wish you good luck with your project. Brooks Glover Jr. (2141)DSC01453.jpg

[Mark C.]

Re: removing 1957 corvette body off frame

P1010076.jpg100_0272.jpg100_0350.jpgThis was the system we used through the entire process. Worked great. You have a job in front of you but its all worth it in the end. Good Luck!!