The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Body Dolly

You know, for rolling your cab around. Body cart?? What materials did you use. Can't decide between getting some 2" tubular steel and polyurethane casters or just nailing together some pallets. By the way, I'm looking to do this for my '52 Suburban body.

MNSmith: I took 2 4X4's and 2 2X6's and screwed them together square. Had some old cast iron casters bolted them to the wood frame work. Laid the cab on it's back (carpet between metal and wood) roll it all around the shop and 4 sides (minus doors) are easy to work on.

popcorn The Truth is Out There (for my 59 spin it around instead of walking around it) Need measurement to build I'll get it for you. Ben

One hint I learned from this site, is if you plane on rigging up an engine lift to lift the cab/body make sure your cab dolly is tall enough off the floor for the legs of the engine lift to slide under your dolly.

I went to the local boat yard and bought a used
boat trailer for 150.00 then I put down a wood floor It works great. It was built for the load.
I use it to take parts to the sand blaster and It is light enough to roll around by hand.

MNSmith,

The Suburban cab/body, of course, requires a larger and more complex dolly than would a pickup cab (I have made dollys for both). It is possible to build a frame/dolly made out of 2x4s and 2x6s, as suggested by Ben.

Support the "cab" rear floor in at least 4 places (6 places might be better). I think the Suburban cab is attached/supported by the frame in at least 8 places. If the weight of the cab/body is not supported fairly equally from front to rear, you will most likely break the joints/filler at the upper rear of the side doors, where the front-cab is attached to the rear-body (this joint was covered/filled/finished at the factory with lead).

You may be able to make rigging to lift the cab/body with an engine lift but I suggest that you enlist the assistance of 6 people to lift and move the cab/body from the frame to your dolly. You could shim and adjust the the support points with cedar shakes.

I cannot find all the pictures that we took (I have learned the hard way that you can never take enough pictures) but here is a little look at an early "dolly" that used 6x6s and wheel dollies. The cab was lag bolted to the 6x6 cross-pieces, and it was very easy to roll the cab/body around. Another wood-frame dolly was built but the photos have been lost.

All of this is further complicated if you plan to remove the rear floor and if you want to spray paint the under-body (I brush-coated with rust-converter/encapsulator).

Tim

tclederman,

I'm not worried about lifting. I used a 6 ton overhead crane with 40+' of ceiling. Put a wide web sling through the rear windows and one through the doors. I had a little trim disortion on the passenger door because the sterring box hung up on the engine, but other than that things went real smooth. I am a little worried because when I left last night, I had a heavy steel tube saw horse under the front mount area and one under the rear. Hopefully, the body hasn't snapped in half. I'm sure if it had, someone from the day shift would have called me.

I'm thinking that I'll go to the hardware store and pickup some 4 x 6's for cross members and some 4 x 4's for stringers / rails, front to rear. Sound like it will be strong enough?? I also had the same idea of lagging the pieces together and lagging the body to the dolly. I'll probably put some large wheel casters at 1/4 and 3/4 so I can roll this on and off of my trailer. ( I really need to put an electric winch on that thing!)

Looking down the body, it almost looks like the mounts are on the same plane?? That's with the old mount pads / blocks in place. Any other issues I haven't thought of? I think 2 x 4's might be a bit flimsy for this job, especially since it will be getting rolled around a bunch.

How about 4 appliance or paino dollies. I used 2 for my jeep body - but its very light. 4 dollies at $15 a piece (HF) and a few 2x4s for the perimeter would work well. I could roll my 'heep' out and do sanding/etc on it, and then roll it back in. However, 2 people can move a heep body easy (CJ2/3)

Thanks for the suggestions, all!! I went with the 4 x 4's and 4 x 6's. Have a look! http://www.bunchobikes.com/1952suburban.htm

Worked out well! Now, to roll it up on my trailer and haul it home!

You certainly didn't need six people to help you lift that cab/body. Good work.

Nice job. And thanks for sharing the photos.
mark.
'51 KY 3100

darn, i wish i had a shop like that!!