# Taking a 70 body off the frame-minimum number of people?



## russosborne (Dec 6, 2010)

Please tell me it can't be done, I don't believe I am even considering doing this. :willy:
I have a cherry picker and myself. Can it be managed by one person? I might have one other person from another forum who is local to me that might help if I ask, but I don't know him other than from that forum.
Thanks,
Russ


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## freethinker (Nov 14, 2009)

russosborne said:


> Please tell me it can't be done, I don't believe I am even considering doing this. :willy:
> I have a cherry picker and myself. Can it be managed by one person? I might have one other person from another forum who is local to me that might help if I ask, but I don't know him other than from that forum.
> Thanks,
> Russ


i do it alone but i use my bobcat. i dont see any reason you cant do it with a good sized cherry picker. i have seen pictures where people put chains in the seat belt bolt holes and then stick the cherry picker through the side windows and lift it.


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## Thumpin455 (Feb 17, 2010)

I did it myself, a cherry picker and me. You need to get it high enough that the frame will come out. I put it back on the frame alone as well, but I used two engine hoists that time.


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## 69Goatee (Aug 14, 2009)

I did it by jacking up the body and frame as high as I could. Then I supported the body jack stands, and lowered the frame from the body. This gave me enough room to repair the rusted body mounts and paint the frame and undercoat the body. I did it all by myself with a floor jack and some tall jack stands. It can be done, as long as you don't mind grinding, cutting, welding and painting on your back or on a creeper.


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## Eric Animal (Oct 28, 2007)

Just be careful with a CHERRY PICKER, they get "torsion loaded" when lifting things, and have been known to eject people out of the bucket with "great force" if the load pops loose!!!!!! IMHO the best way is a 2 post lift,#2 the 2 jack/ jack stand method #3 a skid steey with forks that have beeb extended long enough NOT to let the body sag. From experiance!!! To answer your Question, I'd say 6 men and 1 spotter/guy to roll the chassis out! BE Safe!:cheers Eric


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## Eric Animal (Oct 28, 2007)

Thumpin455 said:


> I did it myself, a cherry picker and me. You need to get it high enough that the frame will come out. I put it back on the frame alone as well, but I used two engine hoists that time.


THUMPIN, Looks familiar! Same color, different year! Eric:cheers


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## russosborne (Dec 6, 2010)

69Goatee said:


> I did it by jacking up the body and frame as high as I could. Then I supported the body jack stands, and lowered the frame from the body. This gave me enough room to repair the rusted body mounts and paint the frame and undercoat the body. I did it all by myself with a floor jack and some tall jack stands. It can be done, as long as you don't mind grinding, cutting, welding and painting on your back or on a creeper.


Did you leave the body mount bolts on when you jacked it up, or did you take them out first and then jack the frame up(carrying the body with it)?

I also noticed you still had the steering column and windshield in place. I am going to replace the column anyway, but weren't you worried about cracking/breaking the glass while manuvering the body?

My wife will kill me if I do this. :rofl:

Thanks,
Russ


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## Thumpin455 (Feb 17, 2010)

The glass in mine was junk, cracked all the way across, weather checked, and a few bullseyes from rocks or a .22. Besides the only thing holding the glass in the car was gravity and about 15 tubes of black RTV. The channel where its supposed to sit was rusted completely away. No worries about breaking that one. Check the thread in the sticky section if you want to see more of what has been done to that one.

Yeah Eric, Montero Red and rust looks very similar indeed.


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## 69Goatee (Aug 14, 2009)

I left the body bolted to the frame while lifting it. When using one floor jack, I had to lift it one end at a time, didn't want the body sliding off of the frame. Nothing else was attached to the frame, bare. Then while the frame was supported I removed what was left of the body mounts, only the front mounts in the torque boxes came out like they should. The rest either broke in half or spun the cage nut. so I had to cut open the floor, trunk floor and the panel behind the bumper to remove and replace the cage nuts. After that fun, I put jack stands under the body and lowered the frame to the floor.
I had the windshield replaced when I first started driving the car 15 years ago with the shot body mounts, and the body a little tweeked. When the body was on the jack stands and level again, the windshield cracked. You can remove it yourself with a metal guitar string and a buddy. Or pay a pro.


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## russosborne (Dec 6, 2010)

you can also use weed eater string, doesn't hurt the hands. Been there , done both. The string worked much better, only I had to replace it often cause it broke. 
Mine's already cracked on the passenger side, just not sure if a new one is in the budget any time soon.
If I do this. Part of me wants to, and the other part wants to slap it together and DRIVE it. Not having driven it yet other than a couple of feet in the driveway, that side may win.
Thanks,
Russ


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