Body removal-install 2 men

[fiftyv8]

Sling it to the roof at the front and use tall axle stands under the over hang of the body at the rear and just roll it out.
I fabricated a triangular hook/bracket that I use to use up front where the front body bolts are located.
Reverse procedure to place back onto frame.

Pickup cabs are obviously different...

Could call this the teetotallers method, no beer required.

 

[CarlG]

These cherry pickers show up on Craig's list all the time. That's where I got mine, and it was brand new, never assembled. Mostly guys just want to get it out of their way and reclaim the floor space once they are done with it and are willing to sell "cheap".

 

[Bob/Kansas City]

Bob,

I have a '30 roadster too. Is that a one ton or two ton hoist? I have to buy an engine hoist and I also need to take the body off. I'd like buy a one ton hoist if I can get away with it.

David

That's a 2 ton hoist that I got from H F on a super sale. I've used it for working on my Model A's as well as on my motorcycle. It's a nice lift !

 

[Fred K-OR]

Here is the way we loaded our huckster body.

Two men and a dog plus some lifters. Made some hooks to put under the front and back of body.

 

[wrndln]

Boy, Fred, that looks like quite a lift rig! It must have taken a while to build. It looks nice.
Rusty Nelson

 

[Fred K-OR]

Boy, Fred, that looks like quite a lift rig! It must have taken a while to build. It looks nice.
Rusty Nelson

I borrowed the yellow lifter beam thing from a neighbor. It did work great.

I think the huckster body being made of red oak weighed a bit more that a normal Model A body. But this setup did the job.

 

[jeep44]

That "lifter beam" is from Harbor Freight, I'll bet-they cost about $700, and If I had a concrete floor in my pole barn, I'd have one of them in there. I've thought about getting one and just leaving it at the edge of my driveway, but that probably wouldn't set too well with the house boss.

 

[California Travieso]

That's a 2 ton hoist that I got from H F on a super sale. I've used it for working on my Model A's as well as on my motorcycle. It's a nice lift !

Thanks Bob. Luckily I have two coupons for HF, one for the one ton and one for the two ton. Guess I'll have to spring for the two ton.

David

 

[Fred K-OR]

That "lifter beam" is from Harbor Freight, I'll bet-they cost about $700, and If I had a concrete floor in my pole barn, I'd have one of them in there. I've thought about getting one and just leaving it at the edge of my driveway, but that probably wouldn't set too well with the house boss.

Yes I think you are correct about the lifter thing. It is a Harbor Freight product.

I did buy a Harbor Freight 1 ton engine lifter for around $99. It worked great to take my neighbor's engine out of his 29 pickup. They had a real special on them awhile back. But I just got a new ad from HF and I see they are selling them again for around $99.

 

[Ronnie Lawson]

I removed and put mine back on by myself.

 

[Ed Saniewski]

Ronnie, why did you paint the cowl without the firewall in place???

 

[Terry NJ]

I use my Backhoe and 2x8s through the windows. I agree with Tom W. 2X4s are kind of light. Inspect your lumber for knots and splits. If you're buying it in Lowes or Home Depot, buy "Doug Fir". It's relatively knot free as opposed to "hem Fir".
Terry

 

[Mikeinnj]

Ronnie, why did you paint the cowl without the firewall in place???

The "missing firewall" you mention is the gas tank on the 28-29 Model A's

 

[Ronnie Lawson]

Ronnie, why did you paint the cowl without the firewall in place???
Like Post number 33 above said the "missing firewall" is the gas tank. You put the gas tank in from the inside of the body and it is part of the firewall. __________________

 

[Ed Saniewski]

I have never seen one apart before, very interesting. Dose it go in and come out after the body is on the frame? Thanks.

 

[Capt Quahog]

Thanks for posting this topic. Have been looking for info on body removal. Only thing found was a "You Tube" video showing of a bunch of old guys handing lifting a Tudor body. There were four men on each side. Thinking about it, doing that funeral pall bearer coffin carry mode no doubt becomes more routine after a certain age.

Anyway, I was curious . . . With seats, doors and floorboards removed, about how much would a Tudor sedan body weigh? The neighbor keeps bugging me to remove the body of my 31' Tudor sedan and do a proper inspection of channels, blocks and body subrails. Since there are just two of us over-the-hill heart patients, we were trying to figure out how to do it without wrecking the car and / or getting killed..

 

[fiftyv8]

A stripped down body can be moved with 3 people, being 1 at the front and 2 at the rear but getting over the frame up front is half the problem the other half is having a comfortable place to grip on to.

Not a good idea at our ages to think that brute strength is the way to go, we must have become a little wiser over the years...

 

[Cool Hand Lurker]

QUOTE=MoJo's A;1247543]I did it this way.
Just have to keep moving the straps to get the balancing point.

Then I made a rolling cart for the body[/QUOTE]


This is a VERY dangerous method. Getting it to the balance point means very little if your pivot point is below the center of gravity line. That line is where the weight of what is above the line equals the weight that is below the line. You want the center of gravity BELOW the pivot point so the greater load weight is below the pivot point. If you have it "balanced" as in the photo with more weight above the pivot point than below, it will topple with the slightest bump. Once it starts to go you will not be able to stop it.

You must put the straps somewhere near the top, most likely through the window openings. An alternative would be to strap from the sills at the bottom and then upward around the outside of the body to the lifting hook so the whole thing is wrapped and supported by straps. Something like the second photo.

 

[Bob Bidonde]

I removed the bodies from my Coupe and my Victoria by myself using jacks and adjustable height saw horses. I have a friend who does the same using a pulley attached to a roof rafter in his garage.

When done by a gang, precision is lost due to lapses in coordination.

 

[wgmatt]

I used a egine hoist on my Modelt T body. The A sedan used a 4 post hoist to get it off.

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