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Body Prep Complete The base primer coat is completed here. I have not final sanded this coat. This primer coat will serve to protect the body when I remove it to work on the frame. Any contaminates (dust and/or dirt) that settle on the primer during the frame work will sand off when I prepare the body for actual color and I will have a clean fresh surface to apply the color coat on. Additionally, any boo-boo's that show up from lifting and replacing the body can be repaired in the primer stage instead of the color / finish stage. Body Lift and Dolly When you run out of room in your workshop you must be creative. I needed room to work on the frame, room to store the body, and room to move around. That's a tall order for a two car shop....... so I built a dolly to store the body on and enable me to move it about when I needed access to the frame. This is how it was done
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The Lift
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| Body hooks were made from Stainless Steel I bolts. The crook allows the bolts to run perpendicular where they pass through the body floor and align with the hoist chains. | Using the gunnels, a floor jack, a 2X4 and a towel, I raised the body slightly. Separating the body off the frame allows me to mount the Hooks to the floor above the frame | The hooks mount in the original body mount holes. Fender washers, and rubber washers above and below help to distribute the load where the hooks attach to the floor. | Four chains attach to the hooks and run to a central point where an engine hoist is attached (chain lengths are adjusted to balance the body when lifted). |
The Dolly
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| Once adjusted - the body lifts easily off the frame. The hoist boom has plenty of scope to raise the body high enough to clear the wheels and engine. | Once raised I constructed two 2x4 sawhorses under the body. The sawhorses are temporary supports that allow me to remove the Hoist. . The blonde is not the dolly | The sawhorse rails are incorporated into the dolly structure . Once built and braced the legs of the sawhorses are removed. What's left is a portable dolly. | I did something similar to this once before, but the sawhorses were not tall enough to clear the wheels, so I had to deflate the tires to roll the frame out. Check the height & width. |