Suggestions for body lifting and storage?

[Power Surge]

My newly acquired unfinished GTM#30 is basically a go kart stage car with the body sitting on it.

I want to remove the body, to concentrate working on the go kart. The body does not seem the be the strongest thing in the world, and I don't want to damage/crack it on removal. I also don't want to warp or damage it as it sits for a while. Being able to lift it and hang it from the garage rafters would be most ideal, if there's a way to do that without damage.

Suggestions for removing/lifting the body? Such as where to lift from? And also suggestions on how to store it while not on the chassis?



Thanks, Sal

[michael everson]

I would start with at least 2 people but 4 would be better. Its pretty strong and not very heavy. I think the nose might be heavier. I lay them flat on the ground. never an issue.
Mike

[VRaptor SpeedWorks, LLC]

3 people is ideal. If you have 2 people on each side with one hand on the rear wheel arch and the other hand under the door opening of the body and a third person to help at the very rear of the body, it's pretty easy. Do not spread the body apart any farther than you have to in order to get the bottom lip clear of the chassis. Pull the rear up a bit first so that you can get the door-hinge area of the body free from the door hinge weldments (so you can get the front bottom of the body spread out far enough to clear the bottom of the chassis). Yes, you can just sit it flat on the floor, but I would also try to run a strap thru the door openings and hang it from something to take some pressure off and keep the whole body from flopping side to side. I would also do the same with the rear or at least prop something under the rear (cardboard box) to support it and keep it from sagging down.

The hood you could just stand up against the wall on its nose. Whatever you do, make sure the hood is stored so that the latch area of the hood does not have any pressure on it that would spread the sides out. I've worked on a lot of these cars where the owner allowed the rear of the hood to spread out and overlap the body and it takes a permanent set.....and then the rear of the hood is 1/2" or 3/4" wider than the body and doesn't fit.

[Power Surge]

3 people is ideal. If you have 2 people on each side with one hand on the rear wheel arch and the other hand under the door opening of the body and a third person to help at the very rear of the body, it's pretty easy. Do not spread the body apart any farther than you have to in order to get the bottom lip clear of the chassis. Pull the rear up a bit first so that you can get the door-hinge area of the body free from the door hinge weldments (so you can get the front bottom of the body spread out far enough to clear the bottom of the chassis). Yes, you can just sit it flat on the floor, but I would also try to run a strap thru the door openings and hang it from something to take some pressure off and keep the whole body from flopping side to side. I would also do the same with the rear or at least prop something under the rear (cardboard box) to support it and keep it from sagging down.

The hood you could just stand up against the wall on its nose. Whatever you do, make sure the hood is stored so that the latch area of the hood does not have any pressure on it that would spread the sides out. I've worked on a lot of these cars where the owner allowed the rear of the hood to spread out and overlap the body and it takes a permanent set.....and then the rear of the hood is 1/2" or 3/4" wider than the body and doesn't fit.

So if I wanted to hang it from the garage rafters, you're saying run a strap under the roof and out the door openings? I would have figured that would warp the roof area. I had thought about using 2x4s across the rockers with eyelets in them. But that's not a good support point?

[beeman]

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?42405-Body-storage-during-build

GTM body is fairly rigid compared to roadster...

[VRaptor SpeedWorks, LLC]

No....I was just saying that if you just set the body on the floor, it wants to sway side to side as there is little support to keep it from doing that....so the straps thru the roof were just to take some pressure off and help stabilize it....not hang the entire body from the roof. Same with the rear. If you just set the body on the floor, the whole rear of the body is just hanging there under it's own weight, so best to prop the rear up with a box or something to support it and keep it from sagging.