OK guy's, I am to the point of getting the body separated from the frame. How and where do you put in reinforcement so the body doesn't fold in half when I pick it up. Has anyone done this?? Sure you have!!!! Let me know. This "project" was suppose to be over a 3-4 year period but I want to be in the Woodward Dream Cruise next year.

I'm no expert, but I have seen it successfully done. Try this:
Fabricate steel plates that bolt to all four door hinges. Then weld four pieces of one inch or larger square tubing to the plates.
On each door the top plate should have the tubing running back to the rear door jamb where you will weld it to the jamb. The lower hinge plate tubing will angle up to the rear door jamb and weld just under and touching the upper tubing. Now add more tubing across the interior to connect both top door braces - one at the rear jamb and one at the front. Add additionl cross bracing to keep those long interior pieces from bending. Now add two long pieces of tubing from the frame you just built back to the rear of the car. These two pieces should form a "V" with the bottom of the "V" welded to a sound structural portion of the body. This can be at the front of the trunk where the top well is but it helps to add another steel nine or ten inch square plate to spread the stress on htat part of the body. Now you can add a ring to the top of this frame and lift the entire car by it.

Me, I don't have the ceiling space. I just use jacks and sawhorses to hold the body up.
When you get this done, however you do it, I would love to see pictures.


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1967 Malibu
1967 Impala SS396 Conv.

Gary, what do you think these cars are made out of, rice paper? For Gods sake, just pull the damn body off. http://www.chevelles.com/forum/smile.gif I did one a few years ago, pulled the body off set it on the floor (as long as it is supported at a few of the same points as the original mounts)and on a cart, it stayed off for about four months. When I bolted it back on, I didn't have a lick of problems. http://www.chevelles.com/forum/smile.gif If you wanted to do somthing, just for kicks, you could make the brace you have discribed that goes from the hinge mount to the rear of the door jam. But instead of welding (though temporary welding is a great idea) just make a plate with a hole in it and bolt it to the stiker location on the back of the door jam. Then weld your tubing to it. Make sure you leave your self a way out, put some shims under the piece so you can unbolt it and it will not be wedged in place. If you do something STUPID like set it on saw horses that are spaced out to the ends of the body and then set your spare engine on the floor where the seat goes, your screwed, if you take reasonable caution you will not have a problem. http://www.chevelles.com/forum/biggrin.gif As for taking it off, if it is STRIPED, it can be done with about five or six guys.

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1965 Buick Gran Sport Convertible
1965 Buick Skylark H/T

In 1991 when I began the frame-off resto of my wife's 69 Impala convertible, I gutted the interior before pulling the body off the frame. I got 4 eye bolts (1/2 - 13 thread, as I remember) and screwed them into the outermost seat belt anchors (front and rear), borrowed a 4 hook chain sling, and used my cherry-picker engine hoist to raise it up off the frame. Came off perfectly level, with no damage to the body. Stacked up some cinder blocks with large timbers across them and set the body on that. Worked very well. I have pictures of this whole process, but don't have the know-how or equipment to post them online.

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Bill Pritchard
69 SS396 Convertible
"There's never enough time to do the job properly, but always enough time to do it over."

[This message has been edited by Bill Pritchard (edited 08-21-2000).]

Cheif,
I removed the body off my 67 last Dec. and I picked up with a engine hoist and two racheting nylon straps at the back and the front of the car. I raised it up enough to roll the frame back into my 1 car garage. I had the engine already out and the fuel tank pulled, interior out as well. I set it down on cinder blocks and two railroad ties at the front body mount by the firewall and at the rear mount in the rear wheel wells, like a bridge across the rolling frame. It's not hard as you think. Be prepard to shear off a few of the body mount bolt. They get corrosion and tend to be a little stubborn.

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Thanks In Advance!
John Corbin Member #313
67' Chevelle Malibu Sleeper(Someday):D
Deltona, Florida
E-mail anytime,If I can help I will do my very best!

Cheif,
I removed the body off my 67 last Dec. and I picked up with a engine hoist and two ratcheting nylon straps at the back and the front of the car. I raised it up enough to roll the frame back into my 1 car garage. I had the engine already out and the fuel tank pulled, interior out as well. I set it down on cinder blocks and two railroad ties at the front body mount by the firewall and at the rear mount in the rear wheel wells, like a bridge across the rolling frame. It's not hard as you think. Be prepared to shear off a few of the body mount bolt. They get corrosion and tend to be a little stubborn.

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Thanks In Advance!
John Corbin Member #313
67' Chevelle Malibu Sleeper(Someday):D
Deltona, Florida
E-mail anytime,If I can help I will do my very best!

Hey guys, thanks for all the ideas. I've been wondering how to do this very same thing myself with my '67 convt. Had one guy tell me that all you needed was a cherry picker and a couple of buddies. I like the idea of braces though. If for no other reason, it'll give the body some rigidity. Mine should be coming off pretty soon, gotta get past all this overtime first. Thanks again for ya'lls ideas.

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TC Gold 287

After reading MARTINSR's response to my post I just shrugged it off as a case of "to each his own". However, after some consideration I thought a response might be enlightening because not all of us have the same conditons to work in or the same quality body.
Here are some of the reasons for braces.
1. If the car has floor pan or rocker panel rust it might very well be as fragile as tissue paper.
2. This is the ONLY way to insure there is NO body flex and that the body will return to the frame with the same geometry it came off with.
3. As in my case there is absolutely no room for me to put it near the floor, or use a shop crane to help lift it, or room for more than two people around the car at a time. The car had to be lifted one end at time and slowly raised into position using only a floor jack.
4. Four months is not a long time for a frame off restoration. My Malibu will be off the frame for at least three years. It must remain high enough to roll the frame in and out from under the body and its supporting timbers. After 18 months I can see the effects of sag (one quarter inch) on this reasonably sound two door coupe.
4. If your welding and fabrication skills are adequate a frame brace will only take a few hours at most.

The point is that a good body with plenty of room to work on it and friends to help is great if you have them. If you are all alone in a cramped space you may want to consider how many professionals do it.

Now, I really like MARTINSR's idea of another plate bolted to the door striker with a shim. Now that's smart!

I also like Bill's idea of using the seat belt anchors. That's smart too! Even if the floor pans are rusted out you can run a bolt through the pans to a sturdy timber or metal plate/tubing that will span the distance between the bolts. The big drawback I can see is that it requires a shop crane and room to use it. Bill, I would love to see your pictures.

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1967 Malibu
1967 Impala SS396 Conv.

"I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish humble tasks as though they were great and noble" - Helen Keller

I always use bracing in the door areas on convertibles, just square tube tacked in the opening to keep things from moving. I also use come-alongs to pull bodies off once stripped. I put clevices in the ceiling joists, a come along on each end, and just ratchet the body off. Very easy to do, and always in control. Set it down for painting, and lift and reattatch to the body the same way. This can be done in a small garage, as you dont need any more length than the car to do it, and has always worked fine for me. One thing for guys doing frame offs on the 66-67 convertibles, dont forget those extra mounts that are up under the rear seat! I bought a 66 from a guy who didnt know about them. He had jacked up the front of the car and bent the body badly! He gave up after that.

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Dave (NY)
70 chevelle ss396 conv
66 chevelle ss396 hdp/conv
55 chevy prostreet
69/71 camaros
TC member #493

Thanks alot guy's. Lot's of good ideas. I am going to brace the door jam area and x-brace back to the rear, my floor is in poor shape in the rear floor area, only about 6 inches of good metal in the hump. Now I need some responses to my floor brace installation inquiry.

thanks again,
Mike

Interesting ideas i'm doing the same thing to my 66 convert .If you leave the doors on although heavier helps with the support problem.I have always heard leave the doors on although never tried this.

GARYB, I have to admit, I wasn't thinking about the "rust factor" out here in sunny Caifornia I don't have to worry about that much and the rockers on my cars are as they were made 35 years ago in the Fremont plant...about two miles from my home! Sorry for the wise ass remarks http://www.chevelles.com/forum/smile.gif