Lifting a 1932 Coupe body of the chassis...

[Marshall V. Daut]

In a couple different threads on this early V8 website, I started discussions about the horrible hydraulic brake conversion my friend's 1932 five-window Coupe suffered, as well as other "modifications' this poor car has been subjected to. Because someone butchered the K-member and all else that is wrong in that area of the chassis, we have ordered a new K-member with brake and clutch pedals, plus a master cylinder. There's no saving the old K-member. Yeah, it's that bad. In order to install the new K-member, the old one, of course, has to be removed. Studying posted photos of a bare chassis and scans of new K-member assemblies, it's plain to see that the rivets along top of the frame will be all but impossible to drill out with the body in place. And apparently there are at least 14 of them! Even if they were more conveniently placed, it would appear that the job will be easier, safer and more satisfactory if the body is removed, or at least lifted high enough from the chassis so that the rivet heads can be drilled out. I would prefer to only lift the body up and place it on strong bases rather than completely remove it. Feasible? If not, then we'll take whole body off.

Towards either end, body bolts and firewall attachments will need to be removed, as well as the rear fenders. If we lift the body up, we might not need to take out the wiring through the firewall or steering column. After watching assembly line film clips of 1932 bodies being lowered onto the chassis, I see that the firewall is in place first and the body is set over it. We only need to separate the body from the firewall up front, correct? The hood must come off, no matter which route we take. I have removed dozens of Model A and T bodies from their frames, but never a behemoth like a V8 Ford body! My question is: Can four people lift the body up high enough to place blocks between it and the frame if we remove as much weight as possible, such as the doors and seats? And if we have to actually remove the body completely, the steering column, shifter and dash wiring additionally need to be first removed, correct? Anything else? I assume the gas tank does not need to come out going either route. Any idea how much the Coupe body minus doors and seats might weigh? Any special tricks to accomplish this feat? 'Got lots of those for Model A's and T's, but this will be a new experience for me. No access to an overhead lift and I don't think an engine cherry picker can lift the body high enough for our purposes. Manpower???
Marshall