The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Cab Removal With Doors On

Truck is a 1965 C10. I'm planning to lift the cab from above via engine hoist and straps through the cab and would like to leave the doors on. I realize that it will be significantly heavier. I'm not worried about that, but about possibly warping or damaging the doors or jamming them. Will the doors be ok if left on ? Now they open and close perfectly. Also I'm thinking with doors left on it may make the cab less front heavy.

Any advice appreciated. Thanks

I used my cherry picker to remove my 65 cab but I did not pick from above, I used 2 2" X 8" bolted together and passed thru the windows with some
scrap carpet for pading and picked it with the top of the cherry picker boom. I also used some 4" X4" angle about 8" long and drilled to pin to the boom and screwed to the
2 X 8 to keep it stable. Doing it this way the boom did not have to lift as high and also did not have to extend it out so far, was a lot more stable
and I was also concerned about damaging toe doors so I put some paint stir sticks between the top of the door and cab for a cushion.

That's a good idea to put something in the door cracks to reinforce.

So can you explain a little more about the angle iron?

Thanks

I would have the doors open and the strap on the cab upper jamb. No stress on the doors that way. Set it down and close the doors.
Another method is to jack up the cab from beneath, roll out the chassis and set cab down on a dolly or floor.

Whey are you removing the cab?

I'm removing the cab to have the frame/undercarriage blasted and painted. Also will have the cab/body painted. Thanks

I have done it with and without the doors. In my case it did not bother the doors in anyway. But doors open as suggested would be fine as well.

I believe he's talking about building a T with a short leg out of the angle so that the pivot point of the cherry picker boom connects lower than the 2x's going across the cab. If the pinned point is at the 2x's you wouldn't be able to get the boom below horizontal and possibly not be able to set the cab down on the ground (or close to it).

10-4 appreciate the help guys

I left the doors on (as the cab is going to be sitting outside for awhile) and used straps through the door openings.

WarEagle1 - If you are worried about removing doors due to fitment going back on, then there are tricks we can share. If you are doing wiring or any other extensive work on the interior you will want the doors off and out of the way.

Hambone you are right on. The doors couldn't fit any better than they do now and I worry that I could never get them quite the same. But I have not thought about having them out of the way for wiring and dressing up the interior some. Doors off probably the best way to go all things considered. I'll have to take you up on the tricks.

Thanks

I second Bartimos' comment about rolling the chassis out from under.

When I had to replace the frame on my 1963 LWB, I rolled it into the garage, jacked the truck up, built an A-Frame through the windows with the doors still on, then unbolted the Cab from the frame. After it was free and clear, I pulled the tires/rims, installed a set of bare rims, no tires, and set it back on the ground. Then rolled it out on the rims, leaving the cab suspended on the A-Frame. This made it easy to swap the motor/trans as a unit into the "new" frame and swap the rear end as well. Then it was just roll the frame back under the cab, jack it up, bolt it down and install the tires/rims again.

I did use a couple of straps to the rafters to stabilize the cab while it was on the A-Frame, but that was more of a precaution than a necessity.

Back in the 1940's when fenders had some real metal in them, a shop owner in Nashville didn't like crawling around on a creeper, so he built a drive-on rack that used a cable winch to tilt a car sideways about 45 degrees for transmission, clutch, driveline and similar work. He used discarded mattresses to pad the fenders and keep from scratching them.
Jerry

We have lifted hundreds of bodies off frames so here are a few observations:

Use a spreader bar with either chain or strap so drip rails don't get flattened

If possible lift from above so nothing is in the way underneath like cherry picker legs

Pull steering column so body can lift straight up

If leaving doors on attach chain to door hinge bolts and then use a weight(s) on cab floor to lift level

Here are pics of a 1950 "mule" we use for S10 conversions which shows chain on door hinge bolts and tractor weight on radiator core support to balance. The mule now has a bed attached to the back of the cab so it can be lowered down to S10 frame so all mounts (cab, bed, core support) can be made with minimum measuring.

[img]https://i.postimg.cc/4KbqT9TT/S10-027.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i.postimg.cc/fkbF6y26/S10-026.jpg[/img]

Different cab with doors off but here is some ideas for you. I've had good luck with this system on my truck.

I use the cherry picker and 2x6 beam method but also have my restored chassis on wheel skates( those little dollies for each wheel)
Lift the cab then roll the chassis under the picker..lower the cab.