just the cab of a 51 3100 weighs? No doors, no windows, interior etc. I am thinking about lifting it off the frame and I want to know whether the rafters in my garage will hold it or not? Haasman
Stripped, it should not be a problem. a chain fall and some heavy rope or chain wrapped in rags would make it easy. stretch 2 2x6s through the cab and attach chain to the ends.
According to the info I've got, the weight of the cab should be around 600 lbs +/-. Here's a link that shows the weight of various parts of these trucks. http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/chevyresto/5054.htm My guess by reading the info in the link is that it would include the doors, glass, etc. Ken
That's a handy site .... I was thinking of using fabric straps through the door openings .... using a couple of come-alongs to lift it up and off the body. I might have to transport the body separately to my painter. Any suggestions on how to secure the body? Build a wood skid and attach it? Haasman
Lifting Whew ! good to see we have competent folks here to make warnings . I suppose finding an used ' A - Frame ' typ hoist on craigslist is out of the question ? . that'd be simple & cheap , easy to set up in side and easy to sell off or discard after the job is done .I just used rope and caution the last time I did a cab swap .
The 600 pounds listed earlier sounds like a fully loaded and equipped cab. I do not have an exact weight of a stripped cab (no seat, doors, glass, instruments, radio, heater, etc.), but I am able to lift my 53 (barely) by myself (standin. I would guesstimate it at just around 200 pounds. Bob
I can tilt the cab back on its rear mounts quite easily and that surprised me. While working on the front cab mounts I wondered if I could move the cab up enough to remove them, and it was pretty easy. I am guessing you area all correct in that is can't be more than about 400lbs max. The garage is a simple 50's style 18' x 20' with roof trusses that are 2"x6" spaced 24". I plan to lay boards across them to distribute the weight. Since the this is all about getting the cab (and bed) to a painter, I am figuring on building a simple dolly to put the cab on to roll it on and off a trailer. Any thoughts on this. I am really appreciating your experience, comments and suggestions. Thanks, Haasman
My 80 yr old Father in Law and I lifted my cab with a couple of 2x4s under it to reposition it on the frame. I "rolled' it around the shop all the time while working on it, with nothing under it to roll on, just tipped it and moved it like you would a barrel... I don't think the naked cab weighs more than 250#.
This worked Try again 4 big high school boys lifted this cab onto horses with two long 2X4s. Enjoy Jim
I used a floor jack and four jack stands to take off and put the cab back on. To move it around the shop, I made and cart with 2X4s or 2X6s and dolly wheels. The cart fit the same size as the truck frame. I could move it around from one end of the shop to the other. When I was finished with the body work and read to install, put it where I wanted it, jacked it up, put jack stands in place, rolled the frame back under it, lowered it down with the floor jack. One man job and not that hard to do.
Exactly what I was figuring ..... do you have any pictures? How high off the ground was your dolly? Thanks, Haasman
Haasman, If you have a trussed roof, just lay a beam (even a 4x4 will work, if it is a 2X -8 or -10 or -12, fasten it so it is vertical) thru the trusses to distribute the weight. Obviously, the longer the better to pick up more trusses. A naked cab doesn't weigh that much. I used a rope block-and-tackle when I pulled my bare cab off. If you'd like to make a cart to roll it around, check the AD Engineering website, (www.ad-engineering.com) they have a sketch of an "AD cab dolly" in there. Mike
That's what I was thinking since the cab doesn't sound that heavy. I like the idea of the dolly since it looks like thats the best way to get the body to a painter. I tried the link but got the 404 not found error. Maybe try again tomorrow. It would be great to get a picture and or diagram of what it looks like so I don't have to reinvent the wheel... Haasman
Found the instructions to build a dolly http://www.ad-engineering.com/MiscStuff.html Thanks for the link Haasman
I fabricated a lift and dolly for mine It was prolly overkill, but it served the purpose of both lifting and moving the cab for my 53, blus the cab and bed from the s-10 donor. Made it from conduit. used two 4x4s to suspend the cab - used an old boat winch and cables and pullies to allow both sides to be raised and lowered at the same time.
NOT ' Overkill ' ! As this allowed you to work safely and not damage the cab , I'd say it was a good job , well done , no overkill to it .
You're supposed to take the doors off and the glass out? Know wonder it took me three men and a small boy to get mine off. I didn't know that there was that much of a weight difference. I'll definitely take mine apart when I go to put mine back on.
