TR2/3/3A The next stage of reassembly

Getting ahead of myself here but I wanted to ask what others had done to support the frame/Motor and transmission assembly at a good working height to work on the body.

At the moment the frame is on saw horses but I am sure they would not hold the combined weight of the motor etc. and I think it would be too high.

I need to redo some of the body work the PO did as the driver side door will not fit. I think when he replaced the floor and inner sill he did not check the gap before welding it in place.

Am thinking of building a lower stronger saw horse arrangement.

David

I've done two things. One, support the car on some crossed 2x4's, see image below. This makes the car overall high enough to work on while sitting on a rolling stool. Secondly, I have built some sawhorses to hold the body (without frame) high enough that the sill is roughly at chest height. Any body work that is not critical from an alignment perspective I will do on the saw horses. For example small patch panels, or removal of a rusted floor. Work is much easier when I can stand straight. Body work where alignment of the body/frame is critical - e.g. welding in the floors, I will do with the tub and frame bolted together. Typically I weld enough to create a rigid structure, then lift to the more convenient height to complete the rest of the welding / grinding / aesthetically pleasing finished joint.

Don't overthink it, just use jack stands.

Thank you for the feedback.

The car looks great Luke. I presume that those are the heavy duty stands.

Harbor Freight iirc, very inexpensive, something like $35.00-$40.00 per pair, rated for 6 tons each.

Wow Bruce, The car looks good, but thumbs up on the clean garage.

Thinking the same about the garage floors.

I need to do some cleaning before I post photos.

I had looked at the Harbor Freight stands. In fact I have one of the smaller ones.

DavidApp said:

Getting ahead of myself here but I wanted to ask what others had done to support the frame/Motor and transmission assembly at a good working height to work on the body.

At the moment the frame is on saw horses but I am sure they would not hold the combined weight of the motor etc. and I think it would be too high.

I need to redo some of the body work the PO did as the driver side door will not fit. I think when he replaced the floor and inner sill he did not check the gap before welding it in place.

Am thinking of building a lower stronger saw horse arrangement.

David

Click to expand...

David I had similar thoughts as others, Jack stands are the most cost effective, I got 3 ton stands for about $30 a pair, the good thing is they store pretty well and can be reused. I also use wheel dollies that allow me to move the car around the garage but do not provide the lift you need for some jobs. If you can afford a four post lift and your work space will allow it, interior height is the critical factor that's what I would do. There are a number on the market and the price range is $2,500 and up. I'm saving up for one if I can ever stop buying new parts! www.ShopEquipmentLift.com

https://www.directlift.com/ceilingCalc.aspx Ceiling calculator

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQwrGaMb9cE Company that makes the lift Dover Corp / VSG
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJ5te_RHWH8 Parts Department Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNcqmy2sAqA Installation Video

Go two post, best deals are at Greg Smith:

https://www.gregsmithequipment.com

Looking around the shop I found that I had material to hand to make my stands. Some of boards were saved from our deck. Recycled wood.
Very solid and only took a couple of hours to make.

Have to work on my garage housekeeping.