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I gotta repair the floor and back of my cab, as well as grind down and paint the frame underneath it. However, i lack something like an engine hoist, or the space to put it and the bed somewhere while i do it.
I was thinking of pulling the bed off, leaving the front on the frame of the truck and building a stand to support the bed on the other end, and then putting moving cloth on the frame and tipping the cab back, and doing the work to it and the frame like that.
However i'm worried that the back of the cab might not support it's own weight, or may dent/damage the sheet metal. And i'm also concerned about the overall weight of both the cab and the bed, and how much man power it might take to move or safely tip them.
Anyone ever try this? Or is there a better way that doesn't require lifting the cab off with a hoist
mine stayed on it's back for months and never saw any adverse effects. You can rent an engine hoist for a few bucks and get the cab removed, then knock up a dolly for it with 2x4s and H.F. wheels... pad it with moving pads between the cab and dolly... I lifted mine off alone with a engine hoist and some chains then once on the floor I rolled it back by myself (with adequate padding) The bed was never assembled until it was time to install it for mock up and leaned against the shop wall for years... it's easier to handle with the doors off but I"ve done it both ways
john
I don't have the luxury of a big shop or other space for it, so i can't pull it off as there's simply nowhere to put it.
Really i'm just particularly concerned about putting the cab's entire weight on very small contact points with the frame. I'm guessing it weighs approximately 300-400 pounds which should be ok, but if there is a problem with that i'd prefer not to learn the hard way
When I tipped my cab back to paint the floor and firewall, I put a piece of plywood on the frame and a piece of carpet on that to help distribute the load, rather that the weight just being on the frame rails like you are concerned about.
I used a jack to lift the cab off and put threaded rod in the mounts to support the front and blocks for the back..... worked out well enough for what needed to be done.
When I tipped my cab back to paint the floor and firewall, I put a piece of plywood on the frame and a piece of carpet on that to help distribute the load, rather that the weight just being on the frame rails like you are concerned about.
That's exactly what i had in mind. So no dents, no deformation of the cab`s structural ribbing?
If you are going to be grinding and welding (think fire) with the cab tipped forward or back something a bit more fire retardant would be appropriate. I just painted the cab bottom with it rolled forward and soft padded.
As an aside, I sailed by the Sunshine Coast last summer with a friend from Vancouver B. C., beautiful area.
