Installing the body the refinished frame

[dlfrisch]

Dissembled and finished body (1928 Sport Coupe)is ready to be installed back on to the finished frame. I am looking for helpful procedures and/or suggestions to line up the wood blocks and install the bolts.
Dave

[Mike Peters]

If you are moving the body from a body stand of some sort over to the rolling chassis, you can use a couple of 2X4's or 2X6's as a bridge. You just slide the body over the 2X4's until you get it in place on the chassis. Steering column and gear shift lever need to be removed. Then lining up body blocks is easy if you use 4 X 4 blocks to hold the body up from the frame, install all the body blocks and let the body down carefully.

[Mike Peters]

Also, a tapered punch works well for lining up the body sill, body block , and frame.
The real fun comes after the body is back on the frame. Then you need to shim body blocks to align the hood and doors.

[Licensed to kill]

When I did my wifes sedan, I put a 2x6 through the windows with a strap on each end and lifted it with my little picker. Made it a snap to take the body off and put it back on. However, I will be doing a delivery and don't know how I'm going to do it with no quarter windows. With your coupe, you can do something similar with a winch and a pully suspended from the ceiling. put the chassis on dollies so it can be pushed around, lift the body, roll the chassis under it then let the body down until it is just barely touching. You can adjust the chassis until things line up, let the body down and if you need to make adjustments (shims or whatever) just lift the body an inch, do what needs to be done and let it back down. As far as a ceiling support goes, these bodies aren't all that heavy but what i did in my previous garage was I put a 4x4 about 6' long across several rafters in the attic to spread the load then a short piece of chain around that 4x4 (two holes in the ceiling required for the chain of course) and had the chain hang a few inches below the ceiling in a loop to hook a pulley to. I actually did this for hanging game but once it's there you can use it for pulling motors also or anything that requires lifting that is heavy.

[Big hammer]

When I reinstalled my Tudors body on its frame, I put the bolts into the body and slid the body block up on the bolts. The block holes where tight for the bolts, if your blocks want to fall off wrap duck tape around the bolts holding the blocks up. When you lower the body get close and align the bolts into the frame, remove the tape lower the body completely tighten the nuts. I did this by myself, when you removed the body just us the same process to reinstall in reverse.

[Licensed to kill]

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Originally Posted by Big hammer

When I reinstalled my Tudors body on its frame, I put the bolts into the body and slid the body block up on the bolts. The block holes where tight for the bolts, if your blocks want to fall off wrap duck tape around the bolts holding the blocks up. When you lower the body get close and align the bolts into the frame, remove the tape lower the body completely tighten the nuts. I did this by myself, when you removed the body just us the same process to reinstall in reverse.

That's a great idea. Rather than duct tape though, how about rolling a snug fitting O-ring on the bolt to hold the block in place. Don't even need to remove it.

[Big hammer]

Most people have duck tape not to many have o-rings

[Licensed to kill]

Originally Posted by Big hammer

Most people have duck tape not to many have o-rings

Not too many people have model A's and even fewer take the body off.