jkg2101

I am an experienced restorer (just for fun) and I am just starting my own 67 coupe restoration. my work space is limited to one car spot in my home "shop." I want to take the body off the frame to do a real nice job. But I dont have space to store the body and frame separately.

Anyone have any suggestions how to lift the body up high enough with an 8 foot ceiling, and then store the body above the frame, so that I could roll the frame outside when needed for cleaning and painting, and then roll it back in when I am done at the end of each day?

The only idea I had was a 4 post lift, that could simply hold the body up in the air. I guess that would work but might be expensive.

looking for any ideas or experience doing this.

thanks

jkg2101

Instead of '4 post lift,' I should have written '2 post lift.' it looks like a portable 2 post lift will fit inside my ceiling, but I am not 100% thrilled leaving the body sitting up on one of those for a few months or more...

i guess I could use tall jack stands with the lift while the frame is in place, and just remove them for those moments when I roll the frame out...

someone else must have done this before and maybe has some better ideas

64roadster

I don't have a complete answer for you, but, I don't think a two-post lift would provide the needed support for the front and rear of the body.

saopm

I'm currently doing what you described with a four post lift, but you would need at least 10' ceilings.

DUB

I feel a 2 post lift would work and you could make steel supports that could span out and support the front and rear of the car...and this long steel support could be attached to the arms of each post.

As for the 8 foot height issue. You should be OK but it would be tight.

With all of the engineering and making of supports and welding them up and so on...

Why not make a jig to hold the body securely and put it in a secure storage unit while you do the frame and them swap it when you need to work on the underside of the body? Costs of storage could be less than installing lifts and what have you. Unless you feel you will take years to work on the frame in your spare time.

Just a thought.

DUB

jkg2101

Regarding the storage unit, i do plan on taking a year or more to work on the frame. i figured I would do the drivetrain at the same time. i work slowly. i definitely am a stubborn do-it-myself person.

the more I think about it, it seems that a 2 post post frame could hold the body up indefinitely. I think I would use long boards under the rocker area, and then probably a separate support of some sort for the rear body mount area to minimize stress on the rear of the body. Just not sure what I would do under the front of the body.

there are plenty of pictures on the internet of C2 bodies being held by 2 post lifts. the only downside seems to be the cost ($2000)

00Nassau

You might consider putting the body on a body dolly and renting a self storage unit while you are working on the frame.

mark6669

DUB

It appears that you now have to decide....how much money and time do you want to spend to figure out how to support your body...versus putting it in storage like I had mentioned....OR...your can rent one of the outside containers that are basically watertight and put the body in there...and it would still be at your house...permitting you have room.

I wish you the best.

DUB

Bill32

A lift (2 or 4) would be nice but that's a lot of money to tie up.

I used the least expensive setup I could to set up my 67 (I had a race car to feed at the same time).
It worked fine, I could easily roll the frame out.

The frame dolly was 4 - $8 Harbor Ft, furniture dollies with 4 x 4's on top of them, strong enough to hold the bare frame with the bare body sitting on it and roll it around the garage.



I do have a rather large engine hoist.
The ceiling is a tad less than 8 ft.

DUB

Bill32,

Necessity is the "mother" of all invention.

BUT...I would advise anyone doing what you did...it to not used cinder blocks with missing material from them...especially placed like you did...which is not as strong as it could be. Because all it would take is a good hit...and the cinder block will crumble...especially with weight on them...as I have seen. The cinder blocks should have been placed as they are designed to be placed. Knowing you live in Nevada...which is dry...many forum members may live in a wet area of the country...which if using cinder blocks that get really wet for a long period of time...in the position you placed yours...can easily crumble when struck by something by accident...as like I wrote...I have seen many times.

DUB

Hopefully your front end was supported (which can be seen in the photo)...which IS always a wise thing to do.

DUB

Bill32

Dub, I have extreme respect for everything you post.

But I will comment on this.
While I'd never use the blocks under a heavy load, what they carry here isn't much.

And yes the front end is supported along with the rear mounts.

So, if the stripped body weighs say, 700 and is supported by 5 columns (one column at the rear body mounts), that's 140 lbs. of weight on each block column. Even if it weighs 1,000 lbs (which it doesn't) that's 200 lbs. on the blocks (not counting supporting the front end which is like 50 lbs.)

The whole rig's been hit/bumped more times than I can count.
I put the body on the blocks in 1986 and didn't start on it until 2005 (race cars prevented working on the car).

So, it worked for 19 years and survived the body work and restoration of the bottom of the car. I did have the hoist hooked up as a safety backup.

I agree about the block orientation, changed it the last time I pulled the body.

DUB

I was not meaning to come across as an A$$...all I was doing was pointing out something that if someone who does not know any better...would follow it and HAVE a problem...that is all I was doing.

I understand the weight transfer and such...BUT...having a 63-67 and supporting it is ALL up to the owner if he/she is doing it at home. I ALWAYS err on the side of caution...and having a back-up support system was wise also...which some people may not have seen or known you did.

Glad to read that you changed the positioning of the cinder blocks....because HONESTLY...I have had friends who have supported things incorrectly with them and the slightest tap on the side caused the block to crumble...especially when they were wet. I just would hate to read that a Corvette fell off of a stack of improperly positioned cinder blocks that crumbled. Because I do body work...I know I really would not like to see the aftermath of that incident.

Sorry for any hard feeling because I did not mean to make you feel poorly on your set-up.

DUB

Bill32

Never thought you were, DUB. And no hard feeling, if I didn't like what you said, you'd have known it.

Just wanted to say that it sat there for 19 years.
Yea, the engine hoist was hooked up all the time as a backup (just not in that pic).

I did pull it off the blocks when I cut the R/F fender off and put all the 1970's bodywork back to 99% glass.

Mr D.

Given the lack of space your working with this option would go a long way in making the frame restoration a more pleasurable task.

jroutt

I wouldn't want to use blocks but with no other choice I would opt. for concrete blocks instead of cinder blocks. They are readily available at your local builders supply and if they will provide the foundation for a multi story building, they will support any auto body. Concrete and cinder blocks look much the same but are two different animals.