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Wed Jun 25, 2014 8:40 am

Going to remove the body from my '73 SB.

I have a small garage and the Bug Me videos say to make 8' wide saw horses. Well that seems big. How tall should they be also?

Any info on height and width?

Thanks!

Wed Jun 25, 2014 8:52 am

These are 8' x 3' high, after I rolled the pan out I dropped it onto jackstands and did the reverse to put the pan back on. Mine was only in the air for about 15 minutes, but I had a lot of room to work. If you need to leave the body in the air I would go 4'.

Wed Jun 25, 2014 9:06 am

I used 10 foot long 4"X4", so the actual width is around 8 foot with about 1 foot spare either side.

Height wise, 4 foot sounds about right. You need the body high enough so that the transmission top clears the front apron by a few inches, and also making sure that the front shock towers clear the front apron as well.

If in doubt measure the height from the top of the transmission to the floor and add a couple of inches for clearance.

Wed Jun 25, 2014 9:12 am

I removed the whole front suspension on mine, engine and trans, no wheels or tires either. I used 3 moving dollies that I got from HF for $6 each, 1 on the front and 1 under each shock mount on the trailing arm.

OH.....and make sure you take the shifter off!

Wed Jun 25, 2014 12:00 pm

Is it hard to remove the front suspension?

4ft high seems really tall. that will give me issues when i go to paint the car.

If I drop the engine from the car first before putting it up on saw horses, then all I have to do is clear the front suspension right?

Wed Jun 25, 2014 1:00 pm

Sportsbuggy wrote: Is it hard to remove the front suspension?

4ft high seems really tall. that will give me issues when i go to paint the car.

If I drop the engine from the car first before putting it up on saw horses, then all I have to do is clear the front suspension right?

Actually the rear shock towers will be the highest point with everything else removed.

The suspension just unbolts, the steering, once undone from the struts can stay on the body, but make sure you disconnect the steering damper.

If you go with the dolly system you only need to have the body high enough to clear the rear shock towers

Wed Jun 25, 2014 3:07 pm

Make it whatever height works for you. I make the horses wide enough and tall enough to clear the tires with a few inches of clearance. That way I can keep a Standard pan on its wheels and leave it under the body when not working on it. This also puts the body at a comfortable working height for repairs to the heater channels. Obviously, if you have plenty of space keeping the pan mobile might not be a concern for you.

If you have a Super it is more difficult to move the pan around once you remove the body. With the front suspension removed But the rear wheels left on I can lift a pan and roll it around like a wheelbarrow, so my system still works until the rear wheels have to come off.

Wed Jun 25, 2014 7:52 pm

Q-Dog wrote: Make it whatever height works for you. I make the horses wide enough and tall enough to clear the tires with a few inches of clearance. That way I can keep a Standard pan on its wheels and leave it under the body when not working on it. This also puts the body at a comfortable working height for repairs to the heater channels. Obviously, if you have plenty of space keeping the pan mobile might not be a concern for you.

If you have a Super it is more difficult to move the pan around once you remove the body. With the front suspension removed But the rear wheels left on I can lift a pan and roll it around like a wheelbarrow, so my system still works until the rear wheels have to come off.

QDog, could you measure the height and width of yours?

Thu Jun 26, 2014 3:21 am

Having plenty of room to work I raised body enuf so rear was sitting on a 2 X 10 supported on ends by 2 55 gal drums, front by a saw horse, plenty of room to move around on a comfy seat to do rust repairs, clean , repaint etc. Did 4 yrs by myself, get a simple working & SAFE system. That 1 on stacked concrete blocks I s a sure way to get bumped & tipped, down onu , my 2cts.mm

Thu Jun 26, 2014 3:47 am

Where are you. I have a pair available.

Thu Jun 26, 2014 6:36 am

Sportsbuggy wrote: QDog, could you measure the height and width of yours?

Take a tape measure to your car and measure the height of your tallest tire and the width at the widest point. Add 4 to 6 inches to each measurement for wiggle room and make the horses fit over that. That is how I make mine. Whatever you do, make sure the thing is STABLE and won't fall on you!

Sorry I can't help more, but, I'm 1700 miles away from mine right now so can't give you exact measurements. Best guess ... mine are between 2.5 - 3' tall and 6 - 8' wide.

This may sound harsh but, if you can't figure this out on your own, perhaps restoring a car is too big a job for you. Good luck.

Thu Jun 26, 2014 7:08 am

yeah that was a little harsh. I did measure mine, was just wanted to get a tried and true measurement by someone who made one before. Thanks for your opinion though.

Fri Jun 27, 2014 3:18 am

My '72 super is up on horses that are 30" tall, and it's sitting on the heater channels. Just enough room to roll the pan from underneath with HF dollies under the rear tires and a single dolly under the pan head.

Sun Jul 06, 2014 6:55 am

I can't remember the height of my stands made for the body, but if height availability is an issue, you can reduce the height of the stands and use just steel rims (no tires) on your Chassis to roll it in and out and back and forth.

Sun Jul 06, 2014 11:48 am

Check out this from VW