Lift Question

[Dontilgon]

Crazy question but any possibility that I could remove the body off the frame using a 4 post lift ?( without being to creative)

[jackb]

You mean the kind with a ramp on the left/right sides, that runs from front to back? That lifts the wheels up instead of the frame/body?
I don’t see how that could be used to separate a Delorean.

[DMCMW Dave]

Not easily, you can't get the ramps far enough apart to clear the suspension. If you removed the entire suspension you might be able to clear the shock towers and rear frame (the two widest parts of the car) but you would really want to measure that, and the inside of the lift ramps, first!


Twin post lift makes it pretty easy, the hard part about that is getting the body off the lift (an on to a trailer etc.) while you work on the frame, unless you don't need the lift for a couple of weeks (up to a year, depending on how fast you work).

[Dontilgon]

Thanks for the reply , more like a dumb question then crazy:)

[David T]

Actually you could use a 4 post lift to lift the body of the frame. You would raise the lift just enough to get the car under, attach the body to the lift with straps, and then raise the lift to get the body high enough to remove the frame. After you roll the frame out, lower the body onto dollies or creepers or something with wheels so you can move the body around. This all depends on how high your lift goes. You need to get the body high enough to clear the frame so you can roll it out from under the body.

[Nicholas R]

I've given this a lot of thought since I too have a 4 post lift in my garage. I believe that what I would do is pretty similar to what Dave T suggested. I did a body/frame separation on my car 6 years ago and when we put the car back on the body, we supported it using 2 engine hoist/shop cranes. We had a crane at teach end of the car supporting the the body at the front 2 or the rear 2 shock tower body mount locations.

Here is what I mean:
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WmEypKEk9So/T6aogLeC2dI/AAAAAAAAAwY/p5g5bIxeCxY/s1600/Picture+028+%5B1600x1200%5D.jpg
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XrbWMZAADd4/T6aog7790rI/AAAAAAAAAwg/jWMLYfYHH9I/s1600/Picture+029+%5B1600x1200%5D.jpg

Were I to do it now, I would use the same methodology, simply having the the car under the lift. I'd rig up a chain fall at the front and rear of the car that was supported by the runways of the lift. Once the chain falls are attached to the 4 body mount points, up up and away! I'd do the math first, but I'm pretty confident that with the lift all the way up, there would be more than enough room to easily roll the frame out.

With all this said, this is by no means ideal. Yes a 2 post lift is far better suited for a job like this. Still sometimes you do what you can with what you've got. In my case, this is how I'd handle it. I'd still prefer this over doing it manually as I did the last time.

[SS Spoiler]

Did a total frame change in 1988 using floor jacks and jack stands...

[Dontilgon]

Interesting, I will get to work on the measurements

[Josh]

Did a total frame change in 1988 using floor jacks and jack stands...

Several of us have, I have twice. Its a pain in the ass and not as safe. Having the control of a lift is much more ideal.

[opethmike]

Several of us have, I have twice. Its a pain in the ass and not as safe. Having the control of a lift is much more ideal.

Ass pain is no good. Makes it very difficult to poop.

[Gfrank]

Last time I did one with a tractor and fork lift lol, really hated doing it manually with floor jacks. Worse case if you can’t get something your comfortable with on the 4 posts, I brought in a bunch of coffee to the shop around the corner once to get a hour on their 2 post, might be worth a ask if you also have a car trailer

[David T]

I would suggest using 2 cargo straps, one in the front and one in the rear around the body and the ramps of the lift. That way you can get it tight up against the bottom of the lift to gain as much room as you can. It will also keep it stable so it won't roll. When you don't have what you need you figure out a way to use what you do have. Using a lift is much safer and you have more control than jackstands but not all of us have any kind of a lift. Please do NOT use cinder blocks, at least get jackstands. Using the chains as shown puts a LOT of sideways force on the lifting points of the body and they were not intended for that stress and could bend. Ideally you want the lifting force to be as vertical as you can make it with no horizontal component. Some additional back-up straps makes it safer too.