Duffeball

Guys,

Time to start getting serious about turning a corner on my roadster. I found some plans for the wooden frame to build for a body off. I'm lining up some pals to help make the move.

My questions are, on the frame, I've seen a couple of different types used. I have some body work to do in the firewall/floor area. I suppose the taller spec'd frame is the way to go.

Also, what extra do I need to do to support the body as it's a roadster? Currently the car sits with no motor or trans. The wiring harness is free from any grounds on the frame. I think it's just a matter of pulling mounts and moving on.

Any other tips would be appreciated as well.


Thanks,

John

doorgunner

Rookie here: ANY area of the body that is supported by the frame/chassis needs to be allowed for when building the wooden frame to avoid serious cracks in the fiberglasss body.

69FASTFUN

This is how I did my 72 convertible.

SB64

That dolly style is very popular, however if there is a need to work on the under body it is to low. My restore required underneath work so mine was made taller. Also came in very handy for working the body work. Both styles work well depending on your needs.
RVZIO

Duffeball

Why do the plans not have a provision for supporting the rear? I thought there was a fecent structural point in the rear 3rd the car might be able to rest on.

Alan 71

Hi John,
You're right, supporting the rear of the body is important, especially on a convertible..
If you'll notice the low dolly supports the body at all of it's 8 mount points.
This give the body the same support as it has when it's mounted on the frame. Also note 69F's picture of the support for the front clip at the core support mount location.
The uprights' heights can be made to raise the body to whatever height you want. About 30" to 36" total height to the rockers is about as high as is necessary in order to work on the underbody using a creeper or mechanic's seat.
The low dolly was designed and is shown at a low height because it was intended to facilitate moving the body around the garage and transporting it to the paint shop. The larger wheels make it a bit easier to move it around on uneven floor or ground.
Regards,
Alan

Duffeball

What size are these casters?

Alan 71

Hi John,
The people I spoke to about dollys indicated that except on quite a smooth floor small solid rubber casters can be difficult to push around.
When I built the dolly I found some 8" inflatable tired casters at Harbor Freight that happen to be on sale.
It's a good while ago…about 15 years, but I think they were about $10 each. It appears they're now about $15 each.
Regards,
Alan

The fellow that painted my body uses several small buildings to work in at various stages of prep and paint so ease of moving the body around was especially important in my case. As you can see in this picture access to the under body, engine compartment and wheel wells is good even at this height. I chose to restore the under body working at this height.

Duffeball

Oh I see. The bits of wood going vertically act as a sort of still door mounting point for the car. Do you have a list of Hardware a guy should be buying or is it pretty much whatever you find? I'm starting to think your low profile build is the way to go.

Alan 71

Hi,
If you look at the drawings you'll see I used 2x10s for the basic frame.
2 long pieces and 4 short pieces.
All the uprights are called out as 2x3 or 1x3 with a certain length so they meet the under body at the height it would be sitting on the frame.
The uprights are located in the center of each of the 8 body mounts on the body.
If you wanted to have the body a little higher or lower the same # of inches could be added or subtracted to the upright heights shown.
The corners are short pieces of 6x6.
The angle braces could be small pieces of plywood.
I used screws to assemble the basic frame and carriage bolts to mount the uprights because I wanted to be able to remove them as needed in order to restore in that area of the underbody and then put them back in place.
I used lag bolts in pre-drilled holes to mount the wheels.
I also used gang-nail plates to strengthen the corners.
With the materials in hand it's an easy mornings work.
A welded dolly would be better but without any welding skills this seemed to be an option. It was used for 3 cars and then scrapped.
Regards,
Alan

Duffeball

I just wanted to repost the plans I used.

doorgunner

FYI.......I raised the body 10 inches to do repairs and noticed the door gaps getting much larger at the top edges.....Definitely provide as much support for the REAR of the car as for the front of it.

hunt4cleanair

Alan's list is quite helpful...I retrieved this list and added to my body build plans

Looking at the posted plan, it looks like the low-profile is 9.25 inches in contrast to RVZIO's longer style?

So RVZIO, what length did you use for comparison to the low-profile build?

Great discussion!

Oh...I have one add. We should boycott PhotoBucket. They have added so many pop ups and other craps, that trying to view photos is a pain in the ****! My browser is till trying to load those PhotoBucket photos.