"Easiest" way to pull body off frame??

What's up everybody? Recently acquired a 95 RMW, MAB with wood. Would really like to lay down a coat of paint on the frame, but i've never done such a thing. Is there an "easy" way to pull the body off, or is it very involved? Is it very time consuming? Something that could take just a few days start to finish? Car is from NC, no rust so I don't need to touch the underside/floorboards, only want to do the frame.. Thanks for any advice! -Paul

Ask Chris

Really? You're gonna do a frame off on a perfectly good station wagon just for preventative FRAME maintenance?

LMFAO! Ninja please. Why don't you quit kidding yourself that you're gonna own it long enough for frame rust to EVAR matter.

Oh yea - and congrats on the new whip. Post pix when you can!

OMG.....

Here, read this from Bill. (good info from my situation) I was so close to do this...but with the front frame area exposed (and everything off the bottom) I felt I could get to what I needed pretty good. My body mounts were not all busted up (from what I could see) It was just not worth my time right now. Good luck and POST PICS!!!!! OMG.

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Chris:

The job is not technically difficult but should be done with help. At least one if not two helpers. The first thing is a trip to "Home Depot" or equivalent and purchase three 4x4s, 8ft. long. They will be placed between the mounts at the firewall, C pillars and the rear most mounts. Cut the 4x4s to fit inside of the rocker panels for the firewall and C pillar and wide enough to give you room to place your jackstands outside of the frame at the back.

Use your cherry picker to lift the front, using the lower door hinge mount as attachment places (lifting straps are best for this as opposed to chain for obvious reasons). Make sure the windows are open and the doors are closed and locked. Do not attempt to open doors until you have it securely sitting on the jackstands at all three positions. Lift the body up high enough to get clearance for the 4x4s under the firewall and C pillars. Position your jackstands at the correct hieght under the C pillar 4x4. Slowly lower the cherry picker down and the body should see the C pillar as a fulcrum, nose heavy, and raise the rear high enough to install the 4x4 and jackstands as well. Lower down onto firewall 4x4 and jackstands. Adjust accordingly.

You now deserve a beer (give one to your friends as well, they deserve it). While enjoying your beer, this will be the time that you discover that you have:

a: Not jacked it up high enough
b: Not accounted for the width of the tires on the chassis
c: all of the above

This is where you want two trolley jacks. Remove front wheels and "slam" the chassis down as far as it will go and wiggle, jimmy and inch the chassis out from underneath the body. If you bring the chassis out the front you may not have to remove the wheels. Position chassis where you want it (usually its where the body is...now is not the time to plan out your work area).

Time for another beer, your done. Time expired about 3 hours (plus time to drink beer). All told, if you install the drive train into the chassis before re-assembly, it should save you at least three days extra work, plus it will give you free access to everything you want to clean up.

Reverse instructions for re-assembly except for the rear 4x4. You'll have to jack up the floor pan after the chassis is in place to get the 4x4 out.

Good luck.

Bill

set of torches and an 8" grinder,. ...quickest way,..

I only want to do this because the floorboards have no rust, but the frame itself(obviously just being surface rust) is, well, rusty looking which you can see from a few feet back. This bugs me, I want it to have a gloss black look to it.. And trust me, with the amount of money I have into this car, I will own it forever lol..

Can't you just pull the wheels off and paint the visible areas with Black Rusto and a brush?

96Brougham wrote:

And trust me, with the amount of money I have into this car, I will own it forever lol..

Hokay then,..Duly noted april 2nd 2010,.
*snicker*

Nick

And no, I really don't want to just paint the visible area, I think thats kind of half assed, and it would actually aggravate me quite a bit (OCD) lol

meh,. all this art work underneath,. i dunno,. everytime i go to some get together,. i don't see many folks looking underneath the cars,.

Nick

When you get to be Nick's age, it's to hard to get down on his knees and look under the car. In about 40 or 50 years, when your Nick's age Paul, you will understand.

Tom C.

silverfox103 wrote:

When you get to be Nick's age, it's to hard to get down on his knees and look under the car. In about 40 or 50 years, when your Nick's age Paul, you will understand.

Tom C.

my age?? now thats funny coming from our resident octogenarian,....

nick
still crawling underneath, ontop,. and in, plenty of his own junk,..

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And no, I really don't want to just paint the visible area, I think thats kind of half assed, and it would actually aggravate me quite a bit (OCD) lol

Take the front clip off and put it on jackstands. Take rear end out and rear heatshields off. Grind all areas of the frame you can get too and then use the same stuff I did (Eastwood products)

http://www.eastwood.com/rust-encapsulator.html?srccode=ga110060&gclid=CJPvrL6Q7KACFcnV5wodWRGwIA

http://search.eastwood.com/search?w=chassis+black&srccode=ga130030&gclid=CKvl1MmQ7KACFRYeDQodMW0V7Q


You can get to a LOT of the frame this way. BE READY TO SPEND MORE $$$ THAN YOU THINK YOU WILL.

Why take a frame off a nicely running wagon just to paint it because you are OCD? Just break it down to the point where you can get most of it (and attack those troublesome front body mount areas) do the rear end and call it done UNTIL until you are ready for a major overhaul. Just my opinion. I know a few OCD folks who start a major project like this..and end up pushing a frame around for months/years and it never gets done. Remember, you will have to take all the brakelines/fuel lines off. You might bust something, so you gotta replace things right. (and I know you will want to) That adds time and $$ and stress. DO you really want that with this wagon right now?

I will take the frame off my wagon someday down the road (if I still have it) But I will do it the safe way...with a lift. And when I am ready for another overhaul (likely engine and transmission upgrades)

Here is a shot of Gerry's wagon project. You can see that he painted the areas visible on his wagon...and he was ok with that for a while.


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