TR2/3/3A body tub welded

[sp53]

Well I got the body tub welded together with new floors and sills. My next plan it is pick the tub up off the frame to move it to some sawhorses with 5 foot opening to push the rolling frame out and plus to lift the tub up a few feet for painting. My concerns are the quality of my welds and what effect they would have on the front half bending or the back half bending down because both halves are cantilevered so much off the sills. I have in the past picked up body tubs without any bracing and not had any problems, but they had factory welds applied by experienced welders on new surfaces. So anyways, I have seen body tubs with bracing at the doors and bracing with conduit at the front and back hood and trunk hinge holes. I like the hinge hole idea I saw on the forum, but Any ideas appreciated.

 

[TFB]

Well I got the body tub welded together with new floors and sills. My next plan it is pick the tub up off the frame to move it to some sawhorses with 5 foot opening to push the rolling frame out and plus to lift the tub up a few feet for painting. My concerns are the quality of my welds and what effect they would have on the front half bending or the back half bending down because both halves are cantilevered so much off the sills. I have in the past picked up body tubs without any bracing and not had any problems, but they had factory welds applied by experienced welders on new surfaces. So anyways, I have seen body tubs with bracing at the doors and bracing with conduit at the front and back hood and trunk hinge holes. I like the hinge hole idea I saw on the forum, but Any ideas appreciated.

I made my tub braces out of 2 1/2 or 3" perforated angle iron from homedepot.
I cut short 3" or so pieces and bolted and screwed to hinge and latch spots and then connected with longer pieces.Lots of time saved with no drilling the perforated angle.
I put the tub on a 4 wheel garden cart from tractor supply so I could roll it in and out of the garage.
Amazing what you can see in the sun versus artificial indoor light.
I have an overhead hoist hanging so some rigging to the braces made lifting and positioning the body easy.
Tom

 

[charleyf]

Once something like a body gets tweeked it is difficult to get it back to where it was. So I believe an ounce of prevention is worth the later grief. I use supports across the top of the door openings.
I use 1" square steel tubing across the door opening but inside the body not in the door opening itself. Hit it with a small tack weld front and back. Then when you are done you can grind off the tack weld spot. I also suggest that you test the fit of the doors before fitting a support or removing the body. Even if they do not fit exactly you will know where it was when the body came off of the frame. In fact when I welded the supports inside the body I had the doors in place. Then I later removed the doors for working access.
Charley