first time body lift

[John H.]

Hello all,

First post so be gentle... please. I have searched but I have not found any posts on this subject although I am sure it has been covered.

I am taking the body off my 1966 corvette for the first time, and I am not sure if I am better off leaving the doors on, or taking them off and running a cable between the hinge bolt and locking mechanism.

I have Nolan Adams Body lift workbook, and Nolan Adams body lift video but they don't make any special comments about convertibles.

[Ridge K.]

Re: first time body lift

Hello all,

First post so be gentle... please. I have searched but I have not found any posts on this subject although I am sure it has been covered.

I am taking the body off my 1966 corvette for the first time, and I am not sure if I am better off leaving the doors on, or taking them off and running a cable between the hinge bolt and locking mechanism.

I have Nolan Adams Body lift workbook, and Nolan Adams body lift video but they don't make any special comments about convertibles.

\
Hello John, and welcome to technical board discussion!

Perhaps you searched words that just didn't get you the hits.
I searched "body lift convertible" and got tons of hits such as this previous thread:

https://www.forums.ncrs.org/showthread.php?t=73572&highlight=body+lift+convertible

Hope this might be helpful to you,
Ridge

[Michael G.]

Re: first time body lift

Hello all,

First post so be gentle... please. I have searched but I have not found any posts on this subject although I am sure it has been covered.

I am taking the body off my 1966 corvette for the first time, and I am not sure if I am better off leaving the doors on, or taking them off and running a cable between the hinge bolt and locking mechanism.

I have Nolan Adams Body lift workbook, and Nolan Adams body lift video but they don't make any special comments about convertibles.

John,

It's not manditory to leave the doors on long you support the rear of the body. My last lift of a convertible used a cable tied into the door hinge to where the striker is screwed into the door jam for support of the rear. No problems on the lift. If you want to sent me an email or PM I'll supply you with my phone # or email address so I can feel you in.

[Mark P.]

Re: first time body lift

I would leave the doors on. They provide good support for the rear. I transported my 60 and 65 Coupe bodies with the doors on while on dollies to the body shop and they travelled very well. No issues whatsoever. A lot of the bodywork has been done with the doors on. I don't think he is planning to remove them. He is very particular about fitting everything and having nice door gaps, etc.

[Kenneth S.]

Re: first time body lift


Ken

[Paul J.]

Re: first time body lift

John, I made these with a couple of pieces of angle iron from the home center. It took about 10 minutes. They are temporary and support the rear of the body during the lift. I remove them after the body is on the dolly and the rear is supported. You want the doors, hood, and rear deck off to limit the weight for the lift and prevent any damage to the hinges, etc.

Paul

P.S. Ken was posting while I was messing with my attachments. So that shows a different design. I use the strap kit from LIC to lift the body.

[John H.]

Re: first time body lift

Thanks for the quick responses.

And thanks for the help on searching, I think I was focusing on doors too much in my search.

I have no problem with leaving the doors on I guess I am wondering if they are strong enough to act as supports if the body flexes. I would prefer to leave the doors on if for no other reason than to keep them out of the way while I work on the frame.

Thanks for the help

John.