1940 Buick 51

January 2021 - Tear down part 2

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The interior was completely stripped and all the doors and trunk lid were removed to prepare for lifting the body off the frame.

An immobile homemade wood gantry was built in the garage to lift the body off the frame using 1000 pound straps. The steering box and column has to be removed first by disconnecting the pitman arm and steering wheel, then sliding the column and box out of the body towards the front. The brake and clutch pedals do not have to be removed as they will slip through the body after removing a small floor plate on the body.

Interestingly, I had found a picture of a 1940 Buick 51 being assembled to figure out the best placement for the lifting straps.

The body was lifted high enough that the frame is able to roll in and out easily. My garage only has 8 foot ceilings so this was barely achievable.

The gantry is attached to the ceiling of the garage to ensure it does not move laterally. 4 small holes were drilled in the concrete floor to drop in nails so the bottom was secured as well.

I recorded these videos of the frame and body without any narration. They're mainly close up documentation of the assembly for future reference and may be useful to some readers.