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Hot Rods 32 Coupe body lift

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by lcfman, Dec 17, 2019.

  1. lcfman
    Joined: Sep 1, 2009
    Posts: 379

    lcfman
    Member
    from tn

    What are some good ways to lift a 32 Ford 5 window coupe to place it on the frame (aside from 8 muscle men)?
     
  2. Flathead Dave
    Joined: Mar 21, 2014
    Posts: 3,959

    Flathead Dave
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from So. Cal.

    I have used 2x4's and slid my coupe body off and on the frame when doing it by my self.
     
  3. ekimneirbo
    Joined: Apr 29, 2017
    Posts: 4,217

    ekimneirbo

    What type of shop do you have? Does it have wooden rafters/trusses ?
     
  4. swifty
    Joined: Dec 25, 2005
    Posts: 2,217

    swifty
    Member

    I have a 3x4 beam mounted on the top beam of my cherry picker/engine crane. With the doors off the body and the beam in the top rear corner of the door opening I can lift the body off my body dolly, move it around in my shed and lower it (carefully) onto the chassis. I do have to put timber blocks under the front wheels so that the feet of the crane will go in under the chassis. I also have to put a couple of tool boxes full of tools in the cowl to get the balance right. The beam is also set up so that the body can pivot slightly to compensate for the height difference between body dolly and chassis. It's crude but has worked OK for 2 builds with 32-5 windows.
     
    tb33anda3rd likes this.

  5. rusty valley
    Joined: Oct 25, 2014
    Posts: 3,883

    rusty valley
    Member

    i have a normal roof, 2' truss centers. i welded some heavy wall tube to the side of a chunk of 2" angle iron. thread the tube on each end. screw it on to a truss where you want a lifting eye. on the top, take about 4' of 3/4" electrical conduit, flatten both ends. drill 1/2"hole on one end, two 5/16" holes on the other. make two of these, bolt the one hole to the tube, the other end goes up to the two trusses on each side of the one with the bracket, so, a V shape and you are then lifting from 3 trusses, not one. then screw a big lifting eye in the hole in the ceiling and your done. i have three of these in the garage, quite strong, hasnt even cracked the sheet rock joints, no wiggle or bounce. now then i lifted my 34 coupe thru the roof opening to 4 eye bolts into existing holes in the floor. leave the doors on because the back is heavier. chain hoist inside the body so the roof can go all the way up to the ceiling. you will be all the way back in the roof opening, and it is still a bit tail heavy, my 34 3w anyway, i would guess 32 is similar
     
  6. WB69
    Joined: Dec 7, 2008
    Posts: 1,958

    WB69
    Member
    from Kansas

    Have used a cherry picker numerous times without any problem. Also, set it up on 2x6's and rolled chassis in and out from under it.
     
  7. rusty valley
    Joined: Oct 25, 2014
    Posts: 3,883

    rusty valley
    Member

    cherry pickers are a handy device for sure. i do not own or use one because they are in the way when working around them. i use the above described for lifting inside, and my bobcat for lifting outside. works for me!
     
  8. nochop
    Joined: Nov 13, 2005
    Posts: 3,818

    nochop
    Member
    from norcal

    I take the hydraulic ram off and store the rest outside
     
    31Vicky with a hemi likes this.
  9. rusty valley
    Joined: Oct 25, 2014
    Posts: 3,883

    rusty valley
    Member

    most do, but what i ment was in the way while in use.
     
  10. BJR
    Joined: Mar 11, 2005
    Posts: 9,817

    BJR
    Member

    The traditional way was to get a case of beer and 5 strong friends and lift then beer.:D
     
    SOHC427, da34guy and MMM1693 like this.
  11. wackdaddy
    Joined: Nov 11, 2015
    Posts: 214

    wackdaddy
    Member

    gantry and chain hoist

    FullSizeRender.jpg
     
    irishsteve and mgtstumpy like this.
  12. deucendude
    Joined: Oct 31, 2008
    Posts: 669

    deucendude
    Member
    from norcal

    I use my drive on car lift. Raise lift, get car under and raise lift. You can support many ways
     
  13. I cheat and use my fork lift with 8' fork extensions.
    one man job.
     
  14. clem
    Joined: Dec 20, 2006
    Posts: 4,190

    clem
    Member

    4 will be plenty....
     
    da34guy likes this.
  15. ekimneirbo
    Joined: Apr 29, 2017
    Posts: 4,217

    ekimneirbo

    A simple way to get a ceiling lifting point is to simply add scab boards to existing rafters or trusses to make them stronger. Use a 2x6 on each side of 5 (or more) trusses. Put some glue on the truss and place the 2x6s on each side so they span the width of the shop wall to wall. If the walls are too far apart for one board, use two.
    Say the walls are 24' apart. Use a 16' and an 8' on each side of the truss. On one side put the 8' near the left wall and on the other side put the 8' near the right wall. That way the end butt is different on each side. Put the glue on and then put some long deck screws through them. Suggest using the ones with Torx heads for ease of installation. Slot head and phillips head screws strip out too easily for me.
    You might want to put a small vertical notch on one of the 2x6s on truss 3 of the 5 truss group. This is for a T shaped plate you weld up. The top of the T sits on the top of 2 4x4s runing crossways to the truss bracing. The vertical sticks down below the truss and has a hole in it for a hoist. Take a look at your existing truss/rafter and make sure its in decent condition before you do this. By spreading the load over 5 (or more) trusses, you should be able to lift a lot of things safely. When there is a foot of snow on your roof, you may want to wait till it melts. You can also make a couple of upright posts to wedge under a truss for additional support when needed.
    Ceiling Lift 1 001.jpg

    Ceiling Lift 2 001.jpg
     
    Last edited: Dec 18, 2019
  16. rusty valley
    Joined: Oct 25, 2014
    Posts: 3,883

    rusty valley
    Member

    thats a nice heavy duty design. i use my ceiling eyes for many things, hang parts to paint, lift stuff out of the pickup, install motors,etc. i cant imagine a shop without some. quite often when building a new car you may want the body off and on several times when checking clearances and locations. my old shop had high ceilings, and i had an air powered hoist, so the body hung above the chassis for months. need to check something? just push a button and the body is down. just think of all the beer i saved not needing help
     
  17. Fortunateson
    Joined: Apr 30, 2012
    Posts: 5,331

    Fortunateson
    Member

  18. Yep and only 1 case of beer instead of 2 if ya had 8 helpin ya.
     
    clem likes this.
  19. Schedule 40 and 80 Pipe
     
  20. Fortunateson
    Joined: Apr 30, 2012
    Posts: 5,331

    Fortunateson
    Member

    Thanks for the engineering! I’m saving this...!
     
    ekimneirbo likes this.

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