View Full Version : First Time Body Removal - Unique Situation
Mat1asBEV&ICE
10-15-2023, 03:50 PM
Hello. The short story is I am building my roadster about half an hour from my house.
My question is, what do you recommend I do/need to do before I remove the body for the first time?
I ask because the body and frame won't fit in the place where I am building the car so I will have to trailer the body back to my house for storage (half hour away). I really don't want to trailer the body back to where the frame is because I forgot to mark something, take a photo, or what have you.
If it makes any difference, I am using the carbon fiber dash.
Thank you for your help.
egchewy79
10-15-2023, 06:22 PM
Can you use pulleys to hoist it above the frame or build an elevated buck on casters?
Mat1asBEV&ICE
10-15-2023, 06:42 PM
Can you use pulleys to hoist it above the frame or build an elevated buck on casters?
No chance for pulleys as I am working in a storage unit and the ceiling is 30 feet up. I might be able to use an elevated buck but I have to check clearance as the unit has a metal mesh at about 8 feet high to prevent climbing over the wall and into the adjacent unit.
Mat1asBEV&ICE
10-15-2023, 08:11 PM
On further thought, the unit is 10x26 so how would it work if I wanted to have an elevated buck (assuming I have enough height)?
egchewy79
10-15-2023, 08:19 PM
Build the buck on stilts with casters and wheel it outside when working on the chassis. Store it over the frame. Build shelves on it to keep boxes
Here's an example of an elevated body buck on casters:
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Mat1asBEV&ICE
10-16-2023, 11:24 AM
Here's an example of an elevated body buck on casters:
That is perfect! Thank you for the photos. Do you have any measurements or schematic for that body buck? Like width and height?
That is perfect! Thank you for the photos. Do you have any measurements or schematic for that body buck? Like width and height?
I no longer have my specific measurements for the buck, but the build manual has dimensions - in the appendix section, templates. I bought the 2x4 corner connectors from Home Depot - they made the buck strong enough to roll around without the need of additional bracing on the stilts to get in the way.
JohnnyB
10-16-2023, 04:22 PM
That is perfect! Thank you for the photos. Do you have any measurements or schematic for that body buck? Like width and height?
There's a lot of good information in this thread including some diagrams with measurements towards the bottom.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?24433-Frame-Dolly-and-Body-Buck-Plans-for-the-FFR-MkIV-Roadster
danmas
10-16-2023, 05:05 PM
Body buck and all that is cool, but to your question, I don't think there is anything you have to do. I pulled my body off and put it in storage a bit ago. Haven't needed it since and I don't think I will for a bit.
Regards,
Dan
CraigS
10-17-2023, 07:48 AM
Not sure it would work for you but you can also lift the body w/ rope and pulleys. Lift it at the top of each fender flare. But, if you do that unaided, the center of the body will sag enough to crack. The simple fix is a piece of 1x4 wood long enough to fit between the body lip at the dash and the lip at the back of the cockpit as the body sits on the frame or floor. Cut another 1x4 6-8 inches longer and screw it on top of the first 1x4. This way you can just sit your double 1x4 on the body and, when you lift at the flares, it will keep the body from folding up.