ok, so i knew my frame had a little rust. i thought i would just do a quick patch job on it and be able to enjoy it for the summer, then tackle it the right way this winter. well, it's much worse than i thought. i figured this out as i looked under my car after hearing a strange noise to find a pile of broken, rusty pieces that had at one time been solid steel lying in my driveway. after a little poking around under the car i realized that the offy intake, fenton exhaust and pertronix ignition i was about to install had to take a back seat. so, i found a frame. i can have it in two weeks. it's a rolling frame with all the suspension and everything. i plan on redoing the frame with new bushings in the front end, painting it and all that, then start transfering parts from car to car. if anyone out there has done a body swap on a 54 chev and has any tips, please let me know. thanks!
Not on a 54 but on a Jeep once. I would strongly recommend you become friends with someone who ones a lift. You can do it with a 4 post/ramp style but it would be easier with the type based on a 2 post where the mounts swivel in and out. Park the bad framed car under the hoist, reinforce with 4 x 4s where you can and lift the body off the frame and roll the frame out. I've seen people jack them up so far off the frame and sent them down on 4 x 4s or C channel layed across car but I didn't do it that way, I just lifted the body off by putting the boards long ways under the rockers. Back the new frame under it and set it down as close as possible. It might be good to do with tire dollies if you have them. That way you can move the frame around under the car body to line it up better. You only have to lift it high enough to clear unless you want to do some detailing underneath!
Should only be 8 body mount bolts; 2 in the rear of the trunk, 2 in the trunk just back from the shock mounts, 2 up by the toe boards on the front floor pan, and 2 on the firewall braces. Take the front sheet metal off, then take out those 8 bolts, pull the engine and trans, unhook all of the odds and ends, and you should be good as gold. A 2 post hoist would be the cat's ass. Should be able to have it off in no time. Where was the original frame bad at? Just curious.
i,m thinkin' that there are something like 22 bolts thru the frame and body once you get the front clip off.
When you've got the new frame all ready to go and all the bolts holding the body to the rusty frame out (plus steering linkage, wiring, gas lines etc disconnected) take your seven bestest (and biggest) friends out for Saturday morning breakfast. Pay for them all and as you are about to leave the parking lot say, "hey guys, I was just thinking........"
it rusted through right behind the passenger side front tire. it also is showing signs of seperating just in front of the rear tires as well.
Not having a lift, I used four heavy wall 50 gallon drums, two 4X4's and a cherry picker. With the front clip off, and all the interior out of it the weight wasn't too bad. I'd jack one end up in the air, set up the drums with the 4X4 across the top, set the body down on it then do the other end. It was very stable but I wouldn't spend any time under the car. just roll the chassis out then set the body back down on a dolly
we used a cherry picker on the rear and two guys up front of gleesers 54 but its completely stripped, my car on the other hand took 7 guys(and two cases of busch) with the cherry picker out back, it still had the doors, window regs, column ect.... got heavy fast. good luck.
Right on, I took a piece of 1" tubing long enought to span the trunk and go into the bracing holes on the inside and I welded a chain across the tubing about 6" in from each end. Slid it into place, hooked the chain to the "picker" had one guy stabilizing/driving the picker and me and one other guy picked up the front and carried it off the frame. 3 guys up front would have been nice but wasn't necessary. Like Kropduster said though, my 54's gutted. If it's together, you better get some extra help.
hey when i swiched mine six of the bolts twisted off, i drilled a little hole where the bolts should be and squirted them with some w-d40 on the othe car and they came right out, but my car was a kansas car with many years of salt from roads, good luck, mick
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