question for anyone that has removed 34 body from frame

Ken Arms

Ken Arms

Well-known member
Help! There are what looks like 6 rivets(three on each side) going through the floor pan and into the rear cross member, do these need to be ground off to remove body? Any advise would help, what to be carful about? Ken:confused: ...Oh tudor sedan.
 
Yes, the frame is riveted to the cross member with 3 rivets at the top on each side. The body floor panels have raised dimples, 3 on each side for clearance over the rivet heads on the frame. There is no connect at that point.
 
Ken,
I see that same thing on my 3 window coupe and was about to ask the same question.
Still I do not see an answer so I am guessing here, I am going to have to somehow cut those rivets before my body can be removed.
Pretty hefty rivets too.
 
Barn Junk..thankyou. I sent you a PM. basically all bolts out (I think) and body wont budge. Im using a car lift at the bottom edge of body next to frame, no running boards or fenders on, steering column disconnected etc. but no go, I must be missing somthing or its just rusted to the frame! Ken
 
Sure there are Rivets in the Frame but should not continue through the body .Don't forget there are 4 bolts on the inside of the frame into the sill ,
 
The body is held on by bolts only, mostly carriage head bolts. Did you get both in the cowl section? Pete/Ct
 
How about all those attaching the floor to the center X-member? No way is the body riveted to the frame; what you're seeing are clearance domes stamped into the sheet metal to clear the cross member to frame rivet heads underneath.
 
yup I dont think I missed any, I think tomorrow I will try some wedges but go gentle and see if it will break free. thanks everyone for now, going to have a bourbon and hit the pillow. Ken
 
Ken

I assume all of the bolts through the top of the floor pan are out because they are obvious....BUT if you look inside the frame along there are four bolts(I think it is 4) that go through the frame into the side of the subrail. The subrail has gage nuts spot welded on to accept the bolts.
 
There are 4 bolts horizontal, that hold the body to the frame, two on each side. They're located near the door area. You could have missed those, I know I did once.

Chuck
 
Ken has not posted for a while. He must have got it off by now. It is 9:30 AM here. I hope he tells us what bolt s he did not see. Maybe he had more than one bourbon. It should be about lunch time in Vermont. Hope he is not having a wet lunch too.
 
Im Here! Bourbon didnt work, laid awake half the night taking the body off in my head! Talked with Barn Junk, he said because the body is chaneled over frame along the sill it can rust tight to frame there. I think he is correct. I did remove all the bolts in sill, I think even if you miss one or two bolts you should see the body flex some. I think its life here in Vermont didnt help! Ken
 
Ken Arms said:
Im Here! Bourbon didnt work, laid awake half the night taking the body off in my head! Talked with Barn Junk, he said because the body is chaneled over frame along the sill it can rust tight to frame there. I think he is correct. I did remove all the bolts in sill, I think even if you miss one or two bolts you should see the body flex some. I think its life here in Vermont didnt help! Ken
Click to expand...

Ken

I have a two door sedan and I plan to remove the body this winter. How do you plan to lift the body? Did you install braces inside to keep the body from from moving around after it is off the frame? How did you get the screws out of the X members that hold the floor to the frame?

This seems like a big job to me and I would like to learn more from your experience.

Pictures would be a nice learning tool.

Thanks
 
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stugis 39, I would think if your 34 lived in the Dakotas it would be fairly clean, basically any screw/bolt/nut can be persuaded with a little heat from a "blue wrench" (torch). It helps to have a friend to turn on them wile you run the torch. I plan to lift the body with my car lift at all four corners, once up I can roll chassis out. I have some staging with casters that the body can rest on wile I repair it . I will try and post some pics. I try not to consider this as work, more like a love affair with arguments. Ken
 
The body can be a tight fit to the frame mainly at the rear quarters. I've used a cherry picker at the front and then a pry bar sometimes to help separate the two.
 
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