Mikesfreetime

Tomorrow evening I will be lifting my body off. I may only have 4 people so I was considering using my engine lift on the front or back. I have seen pictures of guys putting strap hooks on the fenders connected to the engine hoist. How safe is this tactic?

Alan 71

Hi,
I'd say the only safe place to use straps and hooks to lift is at the steel rocker channels under the door openings.
I think with 4 lifters they'll need to be pretty strong since each will be lifting about 200 pounds.
Regards,
Alan

Mikesfreetime

So would you say dont do it using a hoist and make sure to have 6 guys?

jnb5101

if you use a hoist and 4 guys, only 3 guys are going to be lifting-the skinny guy gets the hoist handle! leave a trail of beers from the street to the garage. you'll have plenty of help.

Sunstroked

The front is very light and can easily be managed by 1 guy. I lifted my body off, by myself using a shop lift. Attach straps using the seat belt mounting holes. The hoist can do all the work and 1 guy in the front can balance as needed. To do it with 1 guy only, a load leveler can be used, some will attach the fwd straps to the hood hinge bolt holes. I used the radiator core support. If you have 4 strong guys it should be sufficient. I used 6 ft heavy duty nylon straps I bought from harbor freight at the seat belt mounts to the lift arm and lighter wt nylon adjustable straps to balance the front.

Mikesfreetime

Using the seat belt straps sounds like a great idea....One guy on each of the front fender/door area, one guy using the hoist hooked to the seat belt straps and one guy towards the back. I should have 4 total no problem...

bwinterstine

I lifted my body off with 1 guy (me) and an engine hoist. Just go slowly.

PUNISHER VETTE

Pretty sure the seat belt brackets are very tiny and only riveted on to bare fiberglass. Not sure if I'd trust having them hold that much weight...even though they are designed to keep a person from moving forward in a crash.

Here was my seat belt brackets before my body off...


I used the hoist with 4 straps by myself. Wasn't the easiest but I got it done. 2 people would have been a lot better. Only really works with my lift since I don't care about the paint...as the hoist rubs on the door.

Alan 71

Hi,
Notice where the strap hooks are in Punisher's photo.
Regards,
Alan

LeMans Pete

Also note the location of the hoist just over the windshield, sans t-tops. And also note all the knots Punisher had to put in his straps so that he could lift the body high enough with the hoist.

I would also have at least 1 person supporting the nose - and make sure you support it once on the body dolly.

I would use the hoist vs. a group of people. One of those people slips/trips and it could get ugly.

Mikesfreetime

I noticed the hooked are clamped on the fiberglass/metal at the bottom. In that area it wont pull out forcing some bend in those areas?

Sunstroked

I utilized the seat belt mount holes the second time I lifted the body. The first time, I used straps which went under the body similar to punishes picture. It was not the best way in my opinion.
After seeing another thread posted last yr where it showed the simple genius of utilizing the seat belt holes, and a testament from the guy who has used it on several corvette body lifts, I gave it a try when reinstalling the body. It was so much smoother. But I used a load leveler to balance it. I lifted the car, a buddy was on the nose as needed, and we put the body on in a few minutes time. Literally.

Jig A Low

I pulled mine by myself with an engine lift and 4 ratchet straps, I used the two outer seat belt bolts through the hook eyes on the straps, then hooked the other two straps in the opening for the #2 body mount bolts behind the kick panel. then I used a load balancer running lenthwise of the body on the lift, hooked the two rear straps to the rear of the balancer and the front two to the front of the balancer, that way when the body started comming up I could adjust the balance with the balancer, worked great very easy to control.

LeMans Pete

I have not noticed any bends in that area. My biggest concern was the force put on the door panels. If you do go this route, make sure that your knots are up near the hoist, and not down on the panel.

garym52

I used an engine hoist and ratchet straps, on the fenders....worked just fine coming off and going back on. That said, I do understand the risk in doing it this way. Here is a link:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-g...ny-tips-2.html

Just curious, why are you taking the body off?

Take care,
Gary

brent319

I put mine back on in the garage with a cherry picker.

My neighbor loaned me a pair of these straps. He runs a warehouse and they use the flat hooks to tie down loads to the rails of semi trailers

They hooked to the rails under the car. I ran one strap front to front through the hook on the hoist and one doing the same on back. Ratchet them snug and lifted the body with the hoist. I did not want to move the body around like that and have it swinging. Since the rolling chassis was on four wheel dollies, I slid the body under from the side. That just seemed easier and safer then trying to push the hoist and stabilize the car.

Mikesfreetime

Im pulling the body because its been sitting since 1984 and every nut, bolt, shifter, and bushings are shot. I dont see why the knots matter? If you adjust the straps to get the length correct knots should not come into play?

LeMans Pete

If you get a set of straps from the typical vendors, they do not have come-alongs built into the straps, so people tie knots. The body lift straps from the vendors have a pick point on the straps that you would snap your engine hoist to.

If you use something like what Brent used, you'll see he just rested his straps on the cherry picker. Not very safe, IMO.

Mikesfreetime

I just have the standard ratchet straps rated at 2500 pounds each.

brent319

If you use something like what Brent used, you'll see he just rested his straps on the cherry picker. Not very safe, IMO.

I am not sure what was unsafe about what I did. I took the balancer off of the hoist and ran the straps through the hook, which has a safety clip on it. It was not "resting" on anything and could not go anywhere.