Body Seperation

[JoshStratton]

Can anyone tell me how heavy a 79 TA shell probably is and what you would put it on? I am thinking of going to a body-off and I need to know how many people I need to help lift it off the frame and onto (i assume) sawhorses.

[CDJr]

Sawhorses huh? I hope youve got some strong sawhorses lol. Id use something a lil stronger, like maybe 4 jack stands and a couple of 4x4s at least. You may try using an engine hoist to help lift it off the frame.

[JoshStratton]

I dunno...that was just a guess. i have seen many times when people did that. I cant say I really trust it. i would like to be able to get under it and work. Do you have any ideas for getting it off the ground more than 2 feet that would allow me to work under it? thanks! Keep in mind I have a 2 car garage and the frame will be in one side of it....space is kind of limited.


This looks good, but makes me VERRRRY nervous.

All Jacked Up

[CDJr]

I used 2 floor jacks, 4 jack stands, a couple of 4x4s, cinderblocks, and about half a bottle of whiskey to get mine lifted high enough to put it on my rotisserie, which was about 3 feet or more. It woulda been much easier if I wouldve had someone to help me lol. Id suggest putting it on a rotisserie, or at least something a LOT more sturdy than sawhorses if youre gonna be working under it.

[JoshStratton]

LOL no doubt. I would love to have a rotisserie but I dont think I have the space.

[yody]

you don't have to lift the body off a frame, since it is a subframe, just put the car on jack stands, and pull out the front subframe

[bretcopsey]

A friend had a 78 Camaro shell-COMPLETELY STRIPPED sitting on four 55 gal. drums. The drums came from work. They were a heavy guage plastic that chrome plating and gold plating chemicals were transported in. Anyway, it worked for him and got the car's floor up to about chest height.

[MrQuick]

The bricks aren't bad unless your car studied Karate in its past...This might give you an idea on how high to lift it. This was higher than necassary to remove from the body. sorry picture is large...

[JoshStratton]

Wow great pic! Thanks for the help guys. I completely forgot that it was just a subframe. That alone was worth a million bucks and a slap upside my head.

[CDJr]

Josh, it doesnt take any room for a rotisserie. Actually thats one of the reasons I made mine, cuz Im restoring my Firebird in my garage and room is not plentiful at all. So when Im not workin on the body, I flip it on its side and I have a lil more room in there.

[Kenova]

When I had my Nova in the air I used four and sometimes six heavy jack stands. I believe they are rated at six tons each. They extended high enough to give me about two feet of room underneath. To get it that high, I jacked it up as far as the jack would go (front and rear). I then used a piece of 6"x8" landscaping rail or tie as a spacer on the jack. Make sure everything is well centered and balanced before you start jacking with the lumber spacer.
This gave me enough room to pull the sub frame, weld in front floor panels, and clean and paint the floor.
To drop the subframe, I used my engine hoist to support it while I pulled the mount bolts. Once the bolts were out, I lowered the sub. onto its wheels and rolled it out.
Ken
https://www.pro-touring.com/forum/at...achmentid=2772

[mikey]

Try fabbing some custom jackstands that you can bolt to the shell (perches body mount ect). If you attach casters to them you can also move it easily without fear of it falling over. Kinda like wheel dollies.

[JoshStratton]

That too is a good idea. Thanks!