Thread: American Graffiti Coupe, My Version

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Exactly, the PLYWOOD 3/4" sheet cut to size whether 4'x6' or 4'x5" bolted to a 2" x 4" frame will provide stress bracing in whatever direction is needed and provide a "floor" for the body which could have some large holes cut for underneath spraying. Four 12" diameter holes in the corners would leave cross strength in the middle as well as room for some spraying underneath as long as the caster mounts get it up off the floor. Although there are extra long deck screws, probably 1/4" x 6" thru bolts are more reliable. I went through this design-think to support a 1500 pound magnet on a caster wheel roller and used a 1" thick aluminum plate on top with steel perimeter and had to add vertical braces at each corner to get the deck 14" up off the floor. As said above you need to get the rating on the casters and diameter of the wheels large enough for easy rolling. This reminds me of the time I thought I could beat a hardware store price of $90 for bean bag holes using the Internet plans and then found I used almost $200 in wood and bolts to make my own from the plans! Having said that, this whole project is only justified for home painting, a paint shop may already have a cart!

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

Here's what I came up with, and as Don Shillady says above, not cheap.
Body cart.pdf

I don't find a picture of my body dolly in my stash of old photos, but I did mine on the cheap - A 2x6 perimeter frame that followed the basic wedge shape of the chassis so that the body rests on the dolly as it would on the chassis, not out in the middle of the floor. The back cross member got a piece of 2x4 across the top to come up and support at the wheel arch area to keep it from rocking fore & aft. A 4x4, nominal 18" long in each corner for legs, with a pair of 3/8"x6" carriage bolts, one from the side, one from the back/front to prevent the legs from folding under. You can buy a furniture dolly at Harbor Freight for $12 that gives you four casters - 18 In x 12-1/4 In 1000 lb. Capacity Hardwood Dolly Lots of ways to skin the cat, and you don't have to spend a bunch of dollars that could go to car parts.

Edit 2 - I went out and found the frame leaning against a tree. The rear crossmember has been in the dirt so it's about gone, but you can see the idea. The pieces on tacked onto the sides are to compensate for the curve of the chassis and support where the body hits the chassis.

DSC01345.JPG

DSC01344.JPG

The legs were closer to 14" long, as this dolly was made to give mobility to the body while working on the chassis, not a painting dolly. I tried some old casters that fit into a hole in the end of the leg first, but needed the larger wheel so I just lag bolted on a piece of angle iron. Not pretty, but it worked just fine.

DSC01346.JPG

Simple, stout, performed as needed, and now kindling material. This was to hold a 3W Hiboy Coupe body that weighs MAYBE 500 pounds, and move it on a smooth concrete floor . If I were looking at a dolly for a fat fendered body I'd build accordingly. It filled the need for me, and I'm only showing it as another example on approach, on the cheap.

It's a PDF, click it and it will download

the 4 casters under peice of plywood and just two 2 x 12's cut to length and stood on side and positioned exactly where the frame sits. bolt all of this together using lag bolts up through plywood into bottom of 2 x 12 and down through the body mounting bolts in floor of car into the 2 x 12. this lets you paint the bottom of body on same dolly as only areas where frame will be sitting won't get paint. paint3.jpgpaint2.jpg

Originally Posted by daytonagary

the 4 casters under peice of plywood and just two 2 x 12's cut to length and stood on side and positioned exactly where the frame sits. bolt all of this together using lag bolts up through plywood into bottom of 2 x 12 and down through the body mounting bolts in floor of car into the 2 x 12. this lets you paint the bottom of body on same dolly as only areas where frame will be sitting won't get paint.

Gary, that one scares me with the 2x12's on edge, held by lag bolts up through the base. It wouldn't take much side force on the body to split those 2x12's at the bolts, and lay the whole thing over on the plywood - like moving the body to the side. Glad it's worked for you but I think you're dancing with the devil without at least some cross bracing between the lateral 2x12's.

Originally Posted by rspears

Gary, that one scares me with the 2x12's on edge, held by lag bolts up through the base. It wouldn't take much side force on the body to split those 2x12's at the bolts, and lay the whole thing over on the plywood - like moving the body to the side. Glad it's worked for you but I think you're dancing with the devil without at least some cross bracing between the lateral 2x12's.

Been doing it this way for 20 years and never any weakness much less problem. since the 2 x 12's are not parallel with each other, they run at an angle same as frame does, that triangulates them for the cross bracing you are wanting so they don't just fold over sideways. Bolted down tight to plywood and to floor of car they never try to tilt at all, they are going no where. If they were parallel to each other I would then consider some bracing but with them bolted down so tight I wouldn't foresee any problem. Especially since very little force is needed to push the body sideways. I have a 63 chevy nova body on good casters now and can push it straight sideways with one finger. Never enough force needed in moving it to put any stress at all on 2 x 12's. If I were not bolting the body down I would agree with you. On bodies where I am just quickly moving it and I do not bolt the body down to the 2 x 12's I then make a have a full 4 sided box out of the 2 x 12's bolted to the plywood like my first post in this thread describes so it has full strength pushing it in any direction.

daytonagary, That sure is nice paint. I guess all deuce coupes don't have to be yellow! I still prefer my metallic maroon but purple-blue looks great too! Is that a Bebops coupe? The interior bracing looks similar to the bracing in my Bebops '29 roadster.

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

Originally Posted by Don Shillady

daytonagary, That sure is nice paint. I guess all deuce coupes don't have to be yellow! I still prefer my metallic maroon but purple-blue looks great too! Is that a Bebops coupe? The interior bracing looks similar to the bracing in my Bebops '29 roadster.

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

thanks, show car quality straightening of body panels and show car paint has been my specialty for a couple decades now. As I get older I find it harder to spend the days of time it takes straightening to perfection before paint but I enjoy the challenge just can't do it 8 hours a day anymore. with the base coat/ clear coat process to me the painting is easier now with Southern Polyurethanes high solid clear so easy to spray and then sand and buff to mirror finish compared to the old lacquer and acrylic enamel days. The clear makes it so easy to get 100% of the orange peel out and get a mirror smoothness and gloss without worrying about buffing through the clear. The color is early 2000's chevy used on cars and trucks. We were up in Somerset Kentucky at one of their big cruise weekends and the wife found it on a street rod up there and the owner told us what it was. The body is from N&N out in Arkansas but Bebops is sure the only other body I would ever consider using. And with Duane at N&N losing his help and kinda semi-retiring I will probably have to pay a little more and go to Bebop on the next one. Is closer to drive for me.

Awhile back I saw a thread that showed different ways to remove the body if you didn't have enough people to help. Does any one know the link to that thread? I've been looking since yesterday and can't find it.

Can't tell you one thread that had different ways to remove the body solo, but my method came from Duane Noblett at N&N and is very simple provided the glass is still out of the back & front. Here's a link to the pictures I posted of the coupe, getting ready for a solo lift - Followed Me Home, '33 Build

As I recall, Jack (Henry Rifle) took a different approach that worked equally well, and I'm sure there are others, too.

Another way with a typical boom lift; just make sure the hook point is above center mass and balanced.

Lots of good information here, and I thought I'd show my "Dolly"-what I did was to find an old '35-40 frame that had rot (maybe could have been restored), chopped it up, then I went to the local Welding Shop and bought some Casters and tubing-voila'! Instant Cart-I put pins in the Tubing so that I could put in different lengths of Tubing (to make it taller or shorter), and, to make certain that it fit my good Frame, I made templates-

As for taking the Body off of the Dolly, I was concerned (because I had to do it by myself), but I bought some eye bolts and put them through the Body Mount bolt holes (reinforced from behind of course), made a cradle out of Tubing, and carefully figured out where the Body balanced-

Then, I used my cherry picker (inside the Car-choked up the Chains), and prayed (not really! )-it was pretty much a non-event, other than realizing that I had that mass up pretty high-I then pushed my Frame underneath-done-

edit: I did it like the above Post (which was faster than mine!)-

That is awesome Bob. Never thought of doing it that way.

The salute to American Graffiti car show is this weekend. Had a pre show get together tonight. Always fun, Bo Hopkins and Candy Clark were there!