Hi guys, i'm just about to lift the body off the frame on my 49 Buick sedanette, i have an a-frame and a electric winch overhead, and i was going to put some slings around the roof at all the corners and lift it off, but someone has told me that it will buckle the roof or twist the body, and that i should lift it from the floor. but if i lift it from the roof could i just brace it between the b-pillars? What do you think? Cheers Darren
Please Don't take the chance of lifting the car from the roof Darren. I have a friend with a 39 Lincoln Zephyr Thats forever ruined as a coupe by some genius lifting the car up from a hoist with a chain though the doors. Don't do it man. I had a 51 Merc roller some years ago I traded cars for from twenty gallons. I must have single handedly taken that thing off the frame at least 5 times. Jack up one side, support with jacks. jack up the other side support with jacks. Just go higher and higher till eventually you can just roll the ch***is out from under it. If you have 4x4 wood blocks or concrete blocks they'll both come in handy to get more lift than you would normally from your jack and stands. Just my 2 cents here. I'm sure others will chime in. I would think the risk out weighs the reward in my book. Good luck buddy! James
Follow the link. ideas for lifting the body off the frame? (http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=634362)
a buddy of mine has some camper jacks and has done that many times. I have a 2 post lift so i'm kinda spoiled but i would never lift it by the roof. Use a jack and just do one side at a time. once it's high enough you can use a 4x4 under the body to get the jackstands out wide enough to roll the frame out of the way. good luck. if the car is rusty don't be surprised if you crush a rocker or two.
Here's how I did mine. Don't compromise on safety and use quality jack stands. Don't go too high as it will be unstable and could topple over. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=7303480&postcount=2
Don't know the condition of you Buick, but I welded 1" square tube between the a and b pillars and one between the b pillars because my rocker panel areas were perforated. Also lifted the body from underneath.
DEFINATELY DON'T LIFT IT BY THE ROOF... IT WOULD BE A DISASTER! These old bodies weigh more than you think. Look at mgtstumpy's link/picture... after you lift the front of the body try to place a support under the firewall body mounts to avoid bending the rockers (I did the same thing). Do something similar at the rear if possible. And like mgtstumpy said, use good jack stands. To lift the rear I used 4 body mount holes in the trunk by placing I-hook bolts in the body mount holes and then a couple of straps and the engine hoist. Best of luck! X
If you use wood block spacers under the floor,..you shouldn't crush any rocker panels.... NEVER do it by the roof !!!! Before the body shop did my new lower cab work, they welded a lot of braces inside,...Looked like a spider web in there, but everything fit perfect, when it was done. 4TTRUK
As far as lifting it off the frame, 4 guys will work, one on each corner. I've had my 49 sedanette off and on the frame a dozen times this way. The doors and deck lid are not on the body. you can sit it on anything that will hold it up inside the rockers. I built a 2" x 8" wood rectangular frame, put large casters (6") in each corner and then attached some verticle 2 x 8's in each corner and a set in the middle and them screwed 2 x 8 accross the verticles from one side to the other for the body to sit on. You can place the verticles and the three cross pieces so they are under frame supports on the body. You can cut the verticles any length you want to sit the body as high or as low is comfortable for you to work on it.
james your a bit pushie..... not a great deal ive just gone back to work, but i think that i might lift it from the body mounts at the front and the mounts in front of the rear axle... with a sling and i will brace the body between the b pillarsm just to make sur nothing moves, i don't want to twist the body as the door gaps are very good from the factory, the body has no rust so it should be a bit safer. but thanks mate your always there for me... when are you booking that holiday down this way.....
No 2 post lift here, Old School just 1 floor jack and some wooden 6x6 blocks and cinder blocks and 4 10ft long 4x4 post, I took a piece of 2x3 box steel about 3 ft long put it under the center of the body ( under rear seat area) and a floor jack, raised up and slide 2 wooden 4x4 across the frame rails 10 ft long, then did the same to the front of the body, then went back to the rear and raised it up using the 4x4 and put cinder blocks 2 on botten then turn the next 2 then turn the next 2 so you have a laced colume 3 blocks high 2 blocks wide on each side ( be sure and clear the tires thats why i used a 10ft 4x4s)then you can pull the rolling ch***ie out from under the body. then just reverse the process to lower it back down 1 block at a time. I never went side to side always front to back. Not the best pic, but the only one I had, it set like this under cover for about 3 months. It takes about an hour and a half to raise and lower it . keep the body as low as possible and i removed the rear tires to pull it out and to put it back under.I put 2 , 2 ft long 2x6 boards under the U bolts like skids so it would slide and pulled it with my tractor. I hope this helps you out, it crude but effective and luckly I had no damage. theres some pics of it on my thred
I lifted my 49 sedanette off the frame with 4 guys, one on each door hinge, (doors removed) and one on each end of a 4x4 under the middle part of the trunk floor (trunk lid removed). We then set it on four 55 gallon drums.
I removed my 51 Buick body like you suggest: On the front body mounts (below the firewall) and the mounts behind the rearaxle. Took a long time but no damage to my hardtop coupe body. Hennie
HaHa thats too funny . I apologize for being sooo pushy, I'm just excited for ya man. I'll try to tone down my enthusiasm. It's just easier and cheaper for me to sit back and watch you build your car than go out and work on my own. Ya know I'd love to take a trip Down under but I recently came across a Youtube video with this cute little girl doing a dance with her eyebrows. So I got to thinking that if all the Shelias could do that trick, hell man I'd never want to come back home. I imagine it wouldn't take long before you got tired of me sleeping on your couch.
Hi Darren If we have much more rain you will be able to float it off the ch***is.and put it on a boat trailer.......Doug
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