Body Lift Straps
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jun 1999
Posts: 340
Likes: 0
From: Evansville IN
Body Lift Straps Problem
I was planning on removing the body from my 73 yesterday but discovered a problem with the straps I have. The opening in the hooks is not wide enough to get on the steel body support, behind the bottom trim. If i used it the way it is, all of the lifting pressure would be put on the fiberglass, not the steel. Anybody else run into this? I bought the straps from Zip. I called them, but the manager has never returned my call.
Last edited by Highwayman; Oct 11, 2009 at 06:22 PM.
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 1,424
Likes: 0
From: Lakeland FL
Granted I've had my body lift straps for a number of years, they worked perfectly for removing the body on my '81. They hook under the rocker channels. At first glance they appear to be just grabbing fiberglass but they are really being supported by the metal in the rocker channels. Maybe the ones you have are a different design? I thought they were all pretty standard though.
Platinum Supporting Vendor
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 3,665
Likes: 340
I believe I may have talked to you earlier. Just had a chance to take them to the back. I compared them to my straps I have been using for the past 11 years and minimum of at least 40 bodies. The only difference in them is the new set has a coated metal hook where mine are plated. The straps hit the body but that is not what is lifting the body. In order for them not to touch the body, the upper hook would have to be wider than the body so the straps would be going away from it. There is another thread on here if you search it they are lifting and 65 body and they placed terry cloth towels under the straps to prevent any paint damage. I have lifted with and without doors on the car and it works both ways.
Justin
Justin
Platinum Supporting Vendor
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 3,665
Likes: 340
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jun 1999
Posts: 340
Likes: 0
From: Evansville IN
I believe I may have talked to you earlier. Just had a chance to take them to the back. I compared them to my straps I have been using for the past 11 years and minimum of at least 40 bodies. The only difference in them is the new set has a coated metal hook where mine are plated. The straps hit the body but that is not what is lifting the body. In order for them not to touch the body, the upper hook would have to be wider than the body so the straps would be going away from it.
Justin
Justin
This is how the front strap fits:
The hook needs to go inside another inch and a quarter for the hook to contact the metal.
This is how the rear strap fits:
The hook needs to go inside another inch for the hook to contact the metal.I think either the 3/4 inch opening in my hook is too small, or the length of the hook that goes between the body and frame (two inches), is too long.
Last edited by Highwayman; Oct 12, 2009 at 10:51 PM.
Platinum Supporting Vendor
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 3,665
Likes: 340
What side of the car are you on in the front picture? You should lift under the hinge pillar. Your strap is no different then my 11 year old set of straps and they have removed a ton of bodies. Their has to be something else going on here. Can you take the hook by hand and set it all the way up in there or are you letting the hoist just pull it up and that is where it stays?
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor
Joe Kucinski
10 Most Common Corvette Problems of the Last 20 Years!
Joe Kucinski
5 MOST and 5 LEAST Popular Corvette Model Years in History!
Joe Kucinski
2027 Corvette Buyer's Guide: Everything You Need to Know!
Joe Kucinski
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jun 1999
Posts: 340
Likes: 0
From: Evansville IN
What side of the car are you on in the front picture? You should lift under the hinge pillar. Your strap is no different then my 11 year old set of straps and they have removed a ton of bodies. Their has to be something else going on here. Can you take the hook by hand and set it all the way up in there or are you letting the hoist just pull it up and that is where it stays?
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jun 1999
Posts: 340
Likes: 0
From: Evansville IN
I was able to lift the body enough to clear the frame. I put it back on the frame, and will pull it completely tomorrow, when I have some help.
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 5,814
Likes: 414
From: Pittsburgh suburbs Pa.
The only complaint I have with my straps is that they are way too long. I see that you had to tie a bunch of knots in yours to shorten them. We usually wrap them around a piece of pipe .
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jun 1999
Posts: 340
Likes: 0
From: Evansville IN
That's a great idea, I never thought of. My first lift showed I had to remove one knot from both of the front straps. Even though they had their share of the of weight applied, removing the knots was easy.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jun 1999
Posts: 340
Likes: 0
From: Evansville IN
I thought it might be time to give an update on how I overcame the problem.
I took a short piece of 3/4 pipe and placed at the opening of the hook. next I put the hook and pipe into a good sized bench vise, and turned the handle with a cheater, until the hooks opened up to about an inch.
They fit perfectly.
I took a short piece of 3/4 pipe and placed at the opening of the hook. next I put the hook and pipe into a good sized bench vise, and turned the handle with a cheater, until the hooks opened up to about an inch.
They fit perfectly.
Safety Car
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 3,747
Likes: 713
From: Lafayette Louisiana
Maybe too late and straps are way overdesigned, but...
Maybe too late and straps are way overdesigned anyway, but putting a knot in them actually weakens the strap. Nice gradual load is one thing, but if you get a dynamic load (jerk or bounce), not good. I actually saw an industrial demonstration with a strap with no knot and strap with knot and the strap with a knot broke at a lower load than the straight strap.
I would think shorting them another way would be much better.
Hope this might help.
I would think shorting them another way would be much better.
Hope this might help.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 911
Likes: 47
From: Kansas City MO
I did something similar, except I heated up mine with a torch and then laid an impact socket inside the hook and then compressed with my shop press. Let it cool back down, and removed the socket. You will see in the photos how much I was able to get the hooks to spread apart. Guessing I probably weakened the metal a little, but it seemed to work fine without any issues...
