Help Lifting the body

[mr_maxime]

I'm ready to lift the body off of my car but I'd like to see if anyone can help first. I plan on using bottle Jacks and cinder blocks since I don't have access to a lift right now. I'm trying to take out the fuel lines and shifter assembly out, then I can drop the body back on.

I'm in Newnan so if anyone's got any way of helping me out or suggestions I'm open. Otherwise I'm going down a tedious route with lots of cinder blocks

[SS Spoiler]

Don't use cinder blocks, solid wood blocks
much safer, won't crumble....

[Mike0173]

Hey there, I'm planning for the same project on my car. Looked around a lot for different ideas and I came up with a plan that I think is pretty good.

I have limited garage space, so I've made a design to prop the body on a 4x4 frame, with large casters, so that I can wheel the body back and forth as easily as the frame.

PM me if you want more details, I made a few drawings and have measurements for everything.

[Rich_NYS]

Hey there, I'm planning for the same project on my car. Looked around a lot for different ideas and I came up with a plan that I think is pretty good.

I have limited garage space, so I've made a design to prop the body on a 4x4 frame, with large casters, so that I can wheel the body back and forth as easily as the frame.

PM me if you want more details, I made a few drawings and have measurements for everything.Do you have pics you can post here?

I'm following closely, planning a body/frame separation early next year.

[dn010]

First few times I did this, I used 4X4 blocks of wood to hold up the body in the air - wasn't really the safest. The latest time I used a bunch of cinder blocks. As mentioned, if they are damaged in any way or cracked, they can crumble so inspect them first. I take the wheels off the car and lay the frame on moving dollies so the body doesn't have to go extremely high in the air. Goes pretty smoothly when you have a few people, I still hope I never have to do this again without a lift. There are a ton of threads to help with the process for those who have never done this. Here's a few-

Checklist:
http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?14602-How-To-Body-and-Frame-Separation-Checklist

Tips:
http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?3761-Lifting-body-off-the-frame-tips

[Bob635]

I have worked on a number of Ds involving removing the body. It is surprisingly light. I usually just support it on a jack stands. Try to use the jack points, but a 2 foot long 2x4 along the sill rails allows you to put the jack stand out of your way when working in the area.

Interestingly, there is also very little flex.

If you want to able to roll chassis out, then you need to support the car with 8' 4x4 s as out riggers. Just jack up each corner in rotation, a few inches. and get it up about 18"

Bob

[mr_maxime]

Do you have pics you can post here?

I'm following closely, planning a body/frame separation early next year.

I'll try to post some pics, but I had the engine and transmission out already so a regular checklist from the forum is your best bet.

I really only need it high enough to take the fuel lines and ac hoses off now. I'm not rolling the frame out. I hadn't seen that tips thread yet. I'll probably do nicks method of lifting the whole car then dropping the frame

[Rich_NYS]

I'll try to post some pics, but I had the engine and transmission out already so a regular checklist from the forum is your best bet.

I really only need it high enough to take the fuel lines and ac hoses off now. I'm not rolling the frame out. I hadn't seen that tips thread yet. I'll probably do nicks method of lifting the whole car then dropping the frameThanks...much appreciated.

I did a partial separation on 4728; removed all but the rearmost body bolts, then opened the front for better access.

I'm getting another DeLorean next week and planning a full separation for better access to the areas I want to restore/upgrade.

[Mike0173]

So, Disclaimer, I haven't done this yet, just figuring out the details. I looked into purchasing a steel tubing frame or a hydraulic lift...but too much $$$.
I priced out buying steel tubing and making a rack for the body, but even in its simplest form was around $800 not including time to build it (and I do my own cutting/welding). So, same design goals but with wood 4x4's is much simpler, just a couple hurdles that I think I found a unique way to overcome them.

Goal #1 - separate the body from frame and be able to mobilize either section

Assumption #1 - The weight of the Fiberglass + body is able to be supported by 2 wood 4x4's running left to right (i have seen several pictures online of people supporting their deloreans with cinder blocks and 4x4's).

In my case, I will likely have the body suspended on my apparatus for quite some time, my concern is moisture/temperature changes affecting the structural integrity of the 4x4's...but that's my risk.

Important Dimensions:
Jack Plate to Jack Plate - Front to Rear is 59 1/4" center to center
Jack Plate to Jack Plate - Left to Right is 54 1/2" center to center
Widest Point of frame clearance = Rear tires outside to outside - 73" (I want at least 6" clearance on each side)
Tallest Point of frame clearance = Rear tire Height - 26" (I have 225's, not 235's) (I'm adding 4" clearance on top)

The unique part of my plan:
I didn't want to buy 4 expensive lifts...and most car jacks won't lift high enough anyway.
So, I found a set of 4 camper scissor jacks for about $100, these will lift up to 24", which is close:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00VW7CV7U/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Next is how to get the apparatus between the jack and the car, while its still 1 piece.
4 - 3" long pieces of 4" square steel tubing x 0.1875" wall. The trick here is that the wood 4x4 will slide through the center after the body is jacked above the frame.
Also grabbed a set of hockey pucks to place between the steel tubing and the jack plates.

So my idea is to place 4 scissor jacks under the 4" steel tubing (with hockey pucks glued to the top). Jack each slowly, making sure all connections are the car are free. Then once its cleared the frame, slide the wood 4x4 through the steel tubing and then assemble the frame underneath.

I also purchased these large rubber casters to mount on the bottom of my wood frame, so I can roll the body back and forth.
Casters:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000DD1D2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I can't figure out the picture upload thing.
61841

[mr_maxime]

Seemed like a good start for a plan but I noticed this on the levelers "For RV stablizing and leveling purpose only, Never use for lifting, changing tires or supporting weight of any vehicles, "

Im not in as much of a rush now since I was able to wedge the shifter out with pry bars.

[Mike0173]

So, last weekend I finally had the time to go through with my plan. Honestly it was pretty easy (take into account that my engine bay was already stripped and I had disconnected everything prior). I did the whole procedure myself, and would only change a couple things:

Luckily I test fitted my steel tubing over the 4x4's beforehand. I had to grind/sand down the corners of the wood, just slightly, so the steel could slide easily over. This took some time because all I had was an angle grinder. But, lesson learned, make sure you do the test fitting ahead of time. You would not want to be in a position where the car is in the air and you are forcing the 4x4's through the steel tubing.

Other thing I forgot to double check, was the total height of my jacks. The jacks worked great and the set came with a nice hand crank as well as a drill attachment for quick adjustments. Only thing was that I needed the height to bottom of 4x4s to be 31" and the jack when maxed out only went to 24". So needed to improvise and make shitty blocks out of the only wood I had lying around.


It worked out pretty much as I had planned. Just took my time and ended up walking around the car quite a lot, jacking up each corner a little at a time.
It may have been easier for my car, since the interior is totally stripped, doors are off, rear quarter panels are off...so its pretty light.

Here are some pics:
62528
Make sure to test fit that these slide easily!
those are hockey pucks JB welded to the top of the steel tubes

62529
I did have to originally jack up the car a few inches, in order to add in the 4x4 steel tubing.
Also I angled the jacks so they weren't all facing the same direction...thought this would be a little more stable.
however, knowing now that I need another 7" of height, Ill make a nice wide base for each jack

62530

62531
Once there is daylight between the jacks and the frame, inserting the 4x4 crossbrace added a lot more stability to the jacks.

62532
There was a little flex due to the casters, and my car will be up for a while, so I added some 2x4 braces below

62533

[Rich_NYS]

Nice!

[Rich_NYS]

Nice!I'm really liking this approach, I might do mine a similar way.

[Josh]

Im glad the "lifting" dolly worked for you.
I do think you are over-complicating this, Im also sceptical of the horizontal to vertical joints with the plates. The gussets you added after would help releive these issues, but it still is all wood held together with little screws.
The long horizonal span of 4x4 is also prone to flexing.


Here is how I have two body separations and re-installations.
-steel horizontal beams
-Engine hoist on front
-Two floor jacks in the back
-Wood cribbing (used some cinder blocks as I can out of cribbing)

Im not saying this method is any safer, but it is quick and less complicated. Took a few hours start to finish.

https://i.imgur.com/B2ntyN1.jpg

[Rich_NYS]

I like the idea of having the body on wheels to move it out if the garage if needed.

[mr_maxime]

I never updated this thread, but as I posted on the daily thread. This is how i lifted it. Just jacked the frame up as high as I could. Put 4x6 blocks under the body lift points with a 4x4 running the length of the car, then I slowly let the frame down by 1 notch on the stands alternating from front to back.

https://i.imgur.com/3e1UHvn.jpg?1
https://i.imgur.com/PVKU5te.jpg?1
https://i.imgur.com/mhhvFaO.jpg?1[/QUOTE]

[Bob635]

The body is very light. I currently have the body and frame separated on my New Delorean project. The body is very light. I use jack stands and a floor jack to raise it up.
This has worked just fine for numerous projects.