Technical Solo cab removal

I’ll be removing the cab off of my 59 Apache, probably alone. Seen alot of fixtures that seem over engineered. Does anyone see any safety reasons that I shouldn’t use my simplistic version? Thanks for any input.

 

I've done it exactly like that several times. The tricky parts are are balancing the cab front to rear and rolling it backwards once the cab is jacked off the frame. I stick pieces of 8 ft tubing inside the bottom section of the engine hoist frame so if the balance is off side to side. and it wants to tip away from your hoist at least something will catch it. Hasn't happened yet though. Thought I had some pictures but can't seem to find them. Hope this makes sense.

 

It makes perfect sense. Center of balance will just a couple of inches behind the front hoist wheel. Fulcrum point will be one side and your suggestion seems to be a good backup. Thanks

 

That will work. Done the same 8 or 9 times. Old truck cabs don't weigh much.

 

One more thing. Don't lift it by the doors. Found a pic but it doesn't show the the additional tubes I mentioned for some reason.

 

We went overhead with an angled down extension on the engine hoist and chains to our pickup points.

I should admit when we built the rotisserie, we did not consider the amount of weight we were going to add to the floor. We were off center by about a foot. It made doing more work interesting

 

That's exactly how I removed my '50 F-1 cab.

 

When I pull the engine out of my Lincoln, the car nose is so long I have to add 2 foot to my cherry picker boom, pick up the engine, pull it forward, then sit it down on the cross member, take off the extension from the boom, and pick it up normally. When the extension is on it, the back end gets light in a hurry, so extending the lower front legs is a good idea, even better if you put casters on them so you can move it around.

I had to jack my carport corner up so I could replace the post. My bottle jack took a dump, so I used a chain on the pole and cherry picker boom. Jacked the corner up like nobody’s business.

One other thing, if you use nylon straps instead of chains, you will have less chance of bending the sheet metal edge. Just put some padding between the strap and the steel edges.

 

The fulcrum will be above the heaviest portion of the lift process. But your photo has a, your trying push something with a rope kind of approach.

 

I did it on a 4-dr sedan.

 

As long as you find the balance point of the cab front to rear and your floor under the wheels of the cherry picker you should be good. I'd want to think that most guys have a strong enough helper or two to help balance the cab as you move it. It can be done by yourself but it might be a bit of a challenge to one man the whole opperation.

 

Fork Lifts are handy.

 

One I fabbed up years ago, it telescopes to suit body width and bolts to the top of the adjustable engine hoist arm

 

I did something similar with 2" square tubing. If you are going to do this many times, I'd recommend you buy the H.F. gantry crane and 2 comealongs. I'm able to put the painted cabs and beds back on with little fear of mistakes. I have no help and the cherry picker was asking for anything to go wrong.

 

I've done mine by putting lifting hooks in the seat mount holes and using a chain to lift by the floor. Doesn't slip off and you can get higher lift over the frame.

 

Marty, You are just showing off. I recently sold a basket case 36 Pickup, It helps if your friend has a large tractor with a good hydraulic lift. That was an easy task.
,

 

I'd put some kind of end caps on it so the cab can't slide off if something goes wrong

 

Your hoist plan looks OK. I would probably keep that center pivot to a minimum height. the cab can flop pretty fast, you don't want a lot of available movement there.
Be sure the cement in the area you are lifting the cab is smooth, level, and crack free, then sweep the area before you attempt to move the loaded cherry picker. If the work area doesn't fit those things, have help, it will be pretty dangerous moving the picker with the cab hanging on it.

It may sound silly, but be sure the wheel bearings and caster wheel pivots move freely on the picker before you load the cherry picker. Its pretty hard to move with the weight of the cab on it, and that hoist will be pretty high to get the cab floor to clear the frame (or transmission shifter).

You also need something to set the cab on, to get the cherry picker out from under it, when its time to set it down. Be sure your beam set up will allow the cab to go low enough to sit down on whatever that is.

 

This thread gives me a lift.....

 

First let me say that I realize that people have used a cherry picker successfully to raise bodies.....

The problem is that its a very "iffy" situation and if it starts to go, its gonna go. Movement after lifting can be more difficult and dangerous than just lifting. With the beam extended out, it is very easy to tip over because the cherry picker has very little mass and a simple crack in the floor can stop a wheel from rolling. With the bottom rails sticking across under the car frame, the body has to be moved before the frame can be rolled out from the shop. I prefer making overhead cranes.........BUT, in lieu of that, a body can be raised by jacking it at each corner with some cobbled up extensions under each corner. Get it up just high enuff to slip some 2x6s between the body and frame. The 2x6s should be longer, so after insertion, the jacks can be moved out and placed under the boards.....which will allow the frame to be rolled out from under the body, without moving the body.
Then have a homemade cart with some 4x4s that fit under the body. Sit the body on the cart which can be lower and pretty stable.....especially if you have some larger wheels for it. The one in my picture is currently residing under a 56 Chevy truck body at my sons shop. You can push it around with one finger. He has a tractor with a set of forklift forks, and he can pick the rolling cart up with the body on it, and he took it out to another place for sandblasting. Another benefit of the cart is that it puts a lot of the work you will be doing at a waist high or higher level and its pretty stable.

As for Jack extensions, I just remove the plate on a floor jack and put a pipe in the hole in the jack. Then weld a plate to the top of the pipe. Don't make it too long.

Whether you use a cherry picker or jack extensions, I would make a cart for the body to sit on and be moved about.