This came to my RU-vid feed at a good time! I was talking about this with my wife and your channel was suggested an hour later. Big brother finally came in handy.
I was inspired and convinced by others on RU-vid (and the MotorTrend channel) that I could handle a project like this. My intent with my videos is to do the same for others and hopefully pass on some tips. This project has been a lot fun for me. I'm looking forward to getting the car finished and then doing another one. Best of luck to you!
Great info I have a 71 500,000 miles on it Ca. car no need for body off, I do need to go though all the busings and rubber parts. I saw your frame video great work.
You needed a Beer assistance to push the hoist lever! You’re over caution lifting the Corvette was nerve racking. Good video and good luck with your project.
I like the idea of beer assistance, but somehow it seems a little mis-timed when lifting heavy, delicate items - LOL! Thanks for watching. More to come.
I struggled with one of the rear ones because it was so rusty. I ended up cutting it to get it out. No big deal though - I replaced all 8 of them with new ones. Good luck!
Nothing, the Corvette uses a full frame unlike most cars it's size and there is no extra bracing between coupe and convertible. The 69 and newer frame is stronger than the 68 as they did add some rear bracing but that was for all cars. There are two small braces under the dash on convertibles that help prevent cowl shake which was really bad on early 68s but thats it, nothing underneath on the frame, the factory frame plenty strong enough.
Hi Mike, interested in the construction of your body dolly. Did you use a 2x3 instead of a 1x3 at the rear body mount position? From the video it appears that you used a 1x3 and notched it.
Do you think the dolly could be made with 2×6 boards? Or even 2x4 boards? Im curious as to how much the body weighs?? Also maybe you have a blueprint or specs you could share for building a dolly? I have a 1969 C3 And plan on a frame off resto. Thanks for the video!
Definitely not 2x4. 2x6s would be marginal. I don't know for sure, but I suspect the body (including the birdcage and glass) weighs close to 1,000 lbs. My dolly is heavy-duty enough that I was able to raise the body on my lift to work on the underside. I'll be happy to share the plans with you, but I believe you need to request that thru RU-vid somehow. I receive a notification each time someone requests them.
Just started stripping my 72 but am dreading the body mount bolts….expect some will shear off for sure but I have a NOS chassis I bought from a chap in NY who had it for over 28 years in his garage… … can you give me a link to the dolly u made for the body please? Will watch your progress with interest.. Thanks for sharing 👍
Hi Steve, I was nervous about body mounts in the beginning too, because my old ones were so rusty. I knew some would be difficult to remove and a couple (#4 & #8) were. I ended up cutting the bolts. In the end, it wasn't such a big deal though. I'll be happy to send you the dolly plans - but I believe you have to make a request through RU-vid to download it from me. Good luck with your project. Mike
WOW, im about to do a 1963... the hooks on straps worked good?... I was wondering how to,, is that the best way you think 4 straps hooked on pinch?... Amazing dolly also...The dolly is state of the art!
Yes, the straps worked just fine. In fact, yesterday I dropped the body back onto the restored frame and once again the straps worked great (watch for that video to be posted very soon). Didn't make any sort of marks on the body panels either. Good luck with your project!
Hi Mark, this link should get you to a scan of the plans I used with my notes. drive.google.com/file/d/1doWa1EHdRNyonOeBN5WWL-1oxfHC8VNX/view?ths=true I also added a 2x3 directly on top the dolly to support the nose - worked perfectly. Good luck.
I have spent $28,851 on this project which includes $9,000 for paint and $2,800 for the engine rebuild. I paid $13,000 for the car initially, so my total is $41,851. I'm not planning to sell this car, but that's more spent than it's probably worth at this point. Good luck with your project!
these videos and tv car shows are almost funny when they act like pulling a body off a car is a complicated job requiring high level skills. maybe they should get in touch with some of the older auto theft detectives and ask about the "rebuilders" of the 60s up into the early 90s that pulled bodys off on a regular basis, sometimes in their yard or single car garage. this was done to do a good job on changing the vin numbers on the frame. some were doing several a week when business was good. trucks were simple, suburban's a little harder because of the weight, corvettes were extremely easy because the front was made on to the rest of the car. i guess it makes for good shows to make it look complicated
Jimmie, I believe you're missing the point of these videos, which is to show (possibly inspire) others that these classic cars can be taken apart and restored by average (non-mechanics) people with basic skills. There are tremendous resources available on the internet to show how this is done and help solve problems along the way. The outcome is a series of videos which not only documents how to do this, but also shows the progression of taking a classic from rust to new life as a beautiful machine once again. I'm sorry this isn't as entertaining for you as stealing cars and swapping VINs to make a few bucks. Maybe that's an idea for a new reality TV show.
You didn’t show any of the prep work needed to lift body. According to your video, I can just put hooks under the body and lift it off. This earns you a 😂 thumbs down.
