Van Body Lifting

[rallyvan]

I need to lift the body off the chassis to tidy up so some poorly installed floor panels and was planning to use the brackets that hold the rear bumpers as an attaching point for the lifting sling. Has anyone used the brackets as lift points before? And will lifting using those brackets damage the panel/s they attach too?

Anthony

[Jeza]

I've done it manually. Six or more strong blokes physically lifting the body up, hardest thing then is wheeling the chassis out and having to shuffle you're feet outward while holding up the body then placing it on 44 gallon drums. Should find some photos of this under 'Randee's profile. Cheers, Jeza

[SLR_dave]

Hi Anthony, there have been a few threads on this previously, including at least a couple of pics different members have posted showing their home built lifting apparatus, from memory somebody even built a carousel.... cant remember who. If you trawl around using the Advanced Search Bar for long enough you should be able to find these. Some members seem to have used both the rear bumper bar bolt holes in combination with the front door hinge bolt holes. I dunno never done it, but I'd advise caution against using a sling though, unless you really have no alternative, or you're experienced in operating them (perhaps you are, I dunno).

The thing is, once a sling takes tension, the points it presses on the body change because it will try to form an apex to the hook you lift from. Its very easy to bend the side panels or press in the curve of the roof above the gutter. The sling finds it's own shape as it tenses and you can't see it until it is happening and then its dented before you can say "stop". There's no reaction time with a sling.

(I used to work for a recycler with a ten tonne lifting crane, when we needed to lift a "good" car the sling was used, it might look soft, but once under tension it's as crushing as a press. I've seen slings dent a lot of panels (including the roof on one side of my sandy as described above... this was an experienced operator who chocked it carefully with polystyrene to avoid this, "It should be ok" he said... I checked it with him again and agreed.... hmnn, I was very annoyed with myself two minutes later). Sure we could've built a trapezoid frame to sit inside the sling but its got to be rugged, the tension is surprising, and if it collapses, or the sling slips off it worse damage and you need a pretty large sling (remember the top of the sling would form a hard straight line over the roof if you create two lifting corners, if it pulls up lower than the roof line it would deform the roof all the way across in the blink of an eye just on its own), I wont ever be mucking around with slings on good cars again. Almost always I saw a panel dented somewhere, and they are very good at making full panel dents and stretches. However, perhaps you are more experienced in their use than I.

Anyway, in terms of finding those threads I had a very quick look, these may help for starters, but there's a fair bit more on the site see for starters;

removing chassis? http://www.mysandman.com.au/forums/s...ight=body+lift

Body removal, and chasis restoration. http://www.mysandman.com.au/forums/s...ight=body+lift

Also at a quick search I notice this current thread follows on quite neatly from another you started on this subject. Could I make a suggestion you ask a moderator for a thread combine before this thread gets much longer, it might save some work for moderators way down the track? See;
Lifting Body of Chassis http://www.mysandman.com.au/forums/s...ight=body+lift

Anyway, I'm sure you'll work it out, the most important thing, I think, is working out a plan that lets you keep your head, hands and the rest of you out from under the load at all times as you design the lift and suspension stand and how the job will go. The vehicle is always repairable if dropped.

[Dick61]

I have used sling to lift a ute body off the chassis to paint the underneath by using the tailgate hinge mounts and an engine crane without problems.

[rallyvan]

Dave thanks for the post. I have only ever used slings to lift very robust objects so may need to look at an alternative method. I'll have a good look at the tailgate mounts on the weekend and see if I can attach something to them.

[wbute]

You could lift it with a sling easily. Do it the same way you would use a fork lift. Make a t shaped frame out of the. Sling from the rear out the tailgate and from the doors at the side.
Hire a fork lift with slipper tine and save yourself the heartache.

[Dick61]

I don't understand what all the discussion is about, use a sling attached to the rear hinge mounts and an engine crane. Not a problem, if you are stupid enough to try and use a sling around the car and over the roof you will damage panels. Never put a sling through the doors and lift the car as you will damage the roof. If you are too scared to put a sling on the hinge mounts, put a block of wood across the underneath of the floor at the rear and lift the body with a trolley jack and keep lifting until you can slide a plank of wood between the body and chassis at the rear wheels. Keep going until you can place either end of the plank on a 44 gallon drum and roll the chassis out from underneath. If you don't feel you are able to do his then take the car to a shop where they can lift the body with a hoist and do the repairs for you.

[SLR_dave]

Yep well it seems I stand corrected, so that's all fair enough!

(Anyway, its a little milestone but this will be my 500th post so maybe that's a good number of posts to reflect that despite the best intentions, and consideration of others positions, ones own experience and advice offered can have the potential to either assist or detract, or both, and also that no matter how much one thinks one knows on one thing, there will most likely be somebody with better or different experience, a different approach, or a better idea. However how would we know if people didn't post their ideas and experiences?

My experience is of slings used in steel recovery and recycling, rather than auto restoration. I think my prior post in this thread notes that others may have more knowledge than I in the use of slings.

Anyway if this thread helps just one person somewhere down the track from putting a sling around a vehicle body and bending it, then its a great thread.

[Dick61]

My apologies Dave, I wasn't having a go at you and I realised that you had looked at the problem from the point of slinging the body from the bumper mounts which could damage the body. This was the original question and using the bumper mounts is not a good point on the body to lift from. In my obviously too subtle way I was saying to Rallyvan that as he had basically asked the same question in three different posts/threads, if he is not confident to do the job himself then he might as well get a professional to do it.

[wbute]

I have lifted the body off a ute with two strong planks and four hydraulic jacks. It's really not that hard if you havnt got a better option. The big catch is not realising how high you need to lift the body to clear the wheels.
The engine hoist would make this so easy. Lift and slide two bits of heavy RHS under the body and chock the RHS up safely.