Removing & lifting the body off the frame with an engine hoist?

[mannydantyla]

I need to lift my squareback body up off the frame.

I'm thinking about using a cherry picker/engine-hoist/crane/whatever but I'm not sure the best way to pick up the body by the roof. Or if that's even a good idea.

I need to be able to lift it up and down, up and down, over and over while I get both the chassis and body cut to a mutually agreeable shape (I'm doing an unconventional chassis swap). So simply getting the body up on tall jacks or wooden blocks or something isn't enough. I need to be able to lift it with a hoist or something. The ceiling in my garage is extremely low and weak and so using it as a hoist won't work. I could make one and do the work outside though but it's very cold and snowy.

So far I haven't been able to find any photos or helpful information about the best way to do this for these vehicles. Does anybody have any advice?

I want to do something like this, but for a type 3 squareback:

Thanks!

p.s. how much do you think a squarebody body weighs, with the doors removed, front and rear lids removes, etc.. ?

[Mike Fisher]

The roof is plenty strong to lift the body with a strap through the middle side windows if your lift legs go under the body passed the centerline.
Your wood 2X6 method looks promising too.
Don't cut out the heater channels under the doors or you might have problems/twisting lifting?
_________________
https://imgur.com/user/FisherSquareback/posts
69 FI/AT square Daily Driver
66 sunroof,67,70,71,71,71AT,72,72AT,73 Parts
two 57 oval ragtops sold
'68 Karmann Ghia sold

Society is like stew. If you don't keep it stirred up you end up with a lot of scum on the top! - Russ_Wolfe/Edward Abbey

[mannydantyla]

[Bobnotch]

[mannydantyla]

This does help, thank you. I was assuming it weighed less than that and that it weighed closer to what an empty beetle shell ways (people say it's around 400 pounds), I would have been wrong. If I can lift it from above then I will, but I don't think my garage has the ceiling height and I'd rather not do it outside, the weather is nasty.

[Bobnotch]

[catahoula lou]

When I was de-rusting my pan, I simply had 3 other guys help me (four corners) lift it off and put back on when done.

Best,
Thom
_________________
1 great wife
2 Catahoula Leopard Dogs (Mahogany Star and Spartan) - RIP Lucy, Braveheart, & Dusty!
1 1959 mango green Ragtop Bug (the "Mango")
1 1958 pantina red Lowlight Ghia (the "Chili Pepper")

Still looking for:
(1) My Dad's 1955 356 (he raced it amateur-class at Riverside and other courses during 1950s),
(2) My parent's black 1955 hardtop bug (CA license plate FWC 201 or FWG 201), and
(3) My parent's agave green 1957 ragtop bug (CA license plate LFK 734).

[mannydantyla]

As I promised, here's the pics of me lifting the body up with an engine hoist. I originally planned on lifting it from inside, with the boom extension going through the pop-out window opening. But it was too tall so I used some overhead straps and chains instead.

And it was probably a little lighter than 800 pounds.....

Here it is sitting next to its new chassis, a Miata:

Thats not the final position of the body, it will need to slide forward and downward several inches, btw.

Here's the video of me lifting up the body and dropping it onto the Miata: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pecjOGjYPQ That's a fun one!!

[nogoodwithusernames]

This is going to be interesting I think. Could turn into something really fun. I'll be keeping an eye on this one.
_________________
71 Squareback, 1.7l T4 w/ crank trigger fuel and spark
(Conversion thread https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=732508&highlight= or https://shoptalkforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=151375&sid=f0542d44a322d290c29d6609fac7f215 )
74 914, 2.0L w/ D-Jet

-Derek

[Mike Fisher]

Build a 4X4 wooden stand on wheels to hold the body. Removable cross 4X4's to rest it on.
Make it tall enough to roll over the chassis, so you could store them both in your single car space? Might need a taller garage door?
_________________
https://imgur.com/user/FisherSquareback/posts
69 FI/AT square Daily Driver
66 sunroof,67,70,71,71,71AT,72,72AT,73 Parts
two 57 oval ragtops sold
'68 Karmann Ghia sold

Society is like stew. If you don't keep it stirred up you end up with a lot of scum on the top! - Russ_Wolfe/Edward Abbey

[ataraxia]

[vwfye]

_________________
64 No'back Speedster "Pearl"
1980s Sand Dragster "The Plunger"
LME "Little Giant Killer 3"

[EastForkBrewing]

I'm trying to remove the body of my 71 square to replace the floor pans, I have all the bolts out of the existing floor pans, shocks are disconnected, disconnected from the front axle and I still can't get that sucker to come off. I know the rear is free but something must be holding up in the front. Any suggestions other then rust holding it in? I'm practically lifting the car off the ground so feel I must be missing a bolt but can't find it for the life of me.
Thanks
_________________
Learning how to rebuild a 71 squareback with my son.

[vwfye]

Steering rag joint? 2 bolts from beam to body?
_________________
64 No'back Speedster "Pearl"
1980s Sand Dragster "The Plunger"
LME "Little Giant Killer 3"

[EastForkBrewing]