Removing body from frame?

[trent17]

Does anyone have any ideas about the easiest way (lol) to remove the body from the frame? Jack locations? prep? Pictures? I will have braces welded on the inside. Rocker are shot inside and out. Floor seems pretty solid except the rear passenger side pan. I do have pictures on the body panel post and on my website www.th57ford.com

thanks
Trent

[gasman826]

Hoist works best.  Lift body.  Roll the frame out.  Roll the rotisserie in.

No hoist?  How good are the overhead beams?

Jacks are really slow and shaky.

Four beefy friends, but they can be really slow and shaky.

With everything removed, the bare shell is not that heavy.   You will have to determine the lift points based on the condition of the floors.  If the toe boards and the front body mounts are in good condition, a good 4x4 fastened across the front body mounts...a good 4x4 with spacers across the rear body mounts/trunk floor support.  The body might have to be raised a foot or so before putting the cross pieces. 

Lift straps work if you have some kind of sky hooks.

[RICH MUISE]

I used the lift points gasman mentioned, but I did mine the hard way...with an engine hoist. I picked up 4 of the BIG truck floor jack stands from harbor freight, placing 2 of them them in line with the front supports on each side of the outside of the body, spanning the gap with a 4 x 6. I can't remember where exactly I positioned the rear ones, but I think at the center of the rear wheel well. Lot of moving from front to back, raising a little at a time, using smaller jackstands and wood blocks for temp support til I got it up high enough. The temp wood blocks I put between the frame and the body loosley....just as a safety in case something went wrong. once up high enough, I also slid a 4 x 6 between the frame and the body at the rear wheel well. That I remember, because at one point something did let go, and it was the 4 x 6 that caught it from dropping more than the 3" or so it did.
As I mentioned earlier, I didn't have a rotisserie, so I don't know if my method will get it up high enough to attach.

[RICH MUISE]

edit...my Sunday project...getting a 190 lb, 30 foot microlam beam into my attic for roof support before I finished siding. I guess a hoist should get the body up high enough!
edit#2...LOL...another tie in for the off topic photo....never miss an opportunity to point out to your "Significant Other" the fact that these tools and equipment purchases aren't merely for automotive use! (if that doesn't help, just tell her you may need it one day to load her fat butt into the car....I'm sure that'll help)

[trent17]

I had thought about this last night. 1st unbolt body. 2nd brace back of frame with jackstands. 3rd remove the rear end. Brace car cab with jackstands and lower rear of frame and drag out frame from front. I will be building a Redwing Steel works Rotisserie. I think I should be able to catch the cab and raise it with this rotisserie. Has anyone tried this? If so would you do it again?

http://redwingsteelworksplans.com/

[RICH MUISE]

That's a neat website you linked to. The guy sells rotisseries, but has free plans for those that want to build their own. Heck of a deal! Cudos to him..paying it forward as he says.
I don't see any reason why that shouldn't work just fine as long as you make it so the pivot point is up high enough to let the '57 body fully rotate. I'd give some thought as to dropping the rear axel out. I don't think getting it up high enough to clear will be a problem. You could pull the wheels off the rear, and drop it onto moving dollies..put the wheels back on after it's out from under. It'll be a hastle moving the frame around without wheels..depending of course on how mush concrete surface you got to work with.
Harbor freight again...When I dropped the front clip out of a markviii, including engine and tranny, full suspension, etc, I dropped it down on top of 2 harbor freight wooden moving dollies 11 bucks each...and just rolled it on out...worked like a charm.