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Happy new year to everyone!
I have finally gathered the courage to do the body off with a jack at each side.
Now the rear of the car is not lifted as much as the front although I used a long piece of wood along the whole sill.
Is the body so rear heavy that it does that?
Where can I support the body in the back to get it leveled? The nose is supported with jack stand under radiator support.
I noticed that that is far easier way to do it then with jacks.
I have to go back and forth watching the nose watch for the tilting and so on.
But I am getting there.
Under rear compartment you mean under battery tray/bo or even further back above the gas tank?
Further back than the battery box area, but in front of where the fuel tank goes. The floor there is small but it's reinforced with its built in "ribs".
I was working on the birdcage, so I had the body supported clear of the ground and with room to get in the wheel well to get at it easily.
I used an engine crane to initially lift the body to get the rolling chassis out from underneath.
Also the body was completely stripped of all bolt on bits by then.
Lifted the body with an engine hoist and sat it down on 1" square tube frame. Front has adjustable mounting bars for both sides of the radiator support and an adjustable bar to supports the flat luggage area behind the seats. other supports on the frame fit the stock body mount locations.
Gary
The completely bare body (no doors etc) may weigh as little as 450#.
How much more than that depends on what you still have left on it.
The front clip is only 150# so most of the weight is in the birdcage and rear section, so your balance spot is definately not center of car, but somewhere under the door area.
Do not let the nose clip hang unsupported for too long. It puts a lot of pressure on the three rivit bonding area at upper fender by the windshield.
My nose would flex / bounce an inch up & down with a slight tap. And I could watch the upper door gap grow/shrink. Scary.
There is a metal cross support bar for the headlights that is a good place to support the nose, immediately in front of the hood opening.
Last edited by leigh1322; Jan 7, 2025 at 11:59 AM.
I made up 2x4 braces to set the body on because I had to cut out the rusted rocker channels and weld in repair channels. I added a sawhorse under the back section and another one under the front bumper beam.
The lift straps around the cockpit and a second lift strap attached to the front bumper beam lifting the body a little at a time.
Body support during body-off
