What are some ways to lift the body? I take it after disconnecting everything (suspension, wiring, lines, body mounts etc), braces need to be fabed to hold the body level. Then use engine hoists etc to lift it up and roll out the chassis? I'd like to leave the interior and body completely intact if possible....I do realize it will be heavier this way.

Hockeydad.....be careful what you wish for.....I will indeed be calling on my local Bronco buddies when it comes time to lift the body:)

I've popped about 10 bodies off frames so let me know when you're going to do it and I'll stop by to help.

Thanks guys....I'll keep you posted.

Pay my diesel bill down and I'd be glad to help out... haven't been down your way in a while : )

I'd be happy to help as well, just let me know!

Thanks for all the offers guys!

For those of you that have done this before....approximately how high does the body need to be lifted to be able to roll the chassis out (with no drivetrain in it)? Also, what is the best way to store the body....jack stands etc? Thanks.

I pulled a chassis out from under a 79 Jeep Cherokee and we used some steel A frames (think sawhorses) to support the body. I think the Bronco is small enough to get by with a set of wooden A frames/sawhorses if they are built right. Maybe run a couple 2x6 lengthwise between the saw horses too.

I bet you'll be ok, that Cherokee was huge compared to a Bronco. Good luck!

edit: We didn't pull anything out of that Cherokee.

i put jackstands (with two sets of 6x4's) under the door pillar body mount positions and the last set of the body mount positions at the very back.. no problem.. had everything in it. (including hard top). but no roll bar..

sorry I havn't been able to respond earlier

We lifted mine off the chassis using an engine hoist on both ends.

In the rear we lifted using a sling around the roll bar. Up front we used a nice big strap around the body where the firewall meets the doorpost area.

We left the top, doors, interior, all installed and it wasn't a problem.

To remove the chassis out from under the body we used two floor jacks to lower it to the floor without any wheels on which was a bit red necky.

We put the body up on metal sawhorses and I worked on the body without any problems.

When we re-assembled it we had put steel wheels (no tires) on auto dolleys and slid it right under after raising the front of the body to provide clearance for the motor, etc.

Your welcome to borrow my saw horses if you want to.

Rox.....I think it's in your thread...but what did you guys use on the frame? Did you go POR-15? Would you use the same again? I can get mine blasted and powdercoated for cheap so I'm probably going that route. Yea...I know what everyone says about powdercoating frames....but I found out it's actually pretty easy to touch up if necessary.

I'm a fan of RustBullet so I'm considering 3 coats of their silver, followed by their BlackCoat also.

Rox did you get that at painter supply? hopefully in a few weeks I'm ready to pull the body off mine also.

I bought mine through our paint supplier at the bodyshop, you can see who sells it here:
http://www.magnetpaints.com/underbody.asp

Rox....did you do anything to compensate for the lean you were seeing? Did you checkout the frame to verify it's straightness before painting etc?

Allen Paint on South Broadway sells it. And they are open on Sunday mornings (which is a huge plus for those of us hobbiest who have to work on our stuff on the weekends)

Raptor Liner prep.... ME-820 here...

http://www.tptools.com/Product.aspx?display_id=2600

Decided to cut out the little spot of rust I had since liner is going in. Will be taking off the fender tomorrow to get the patch in there. It really wasn't bad at all.

No one told me its easier to remove the entire front clip than to remove each fender separately. Just figured that out after 3 bloody knuckles:)

That is one clean garage man. Well done! Jeez, I love this thread. I can't help but to keep coming back to it!

Thanks! Glad you are enjoying it....hopefully others are learning from all my mistakes:)

Thanks for the garage props. I spend about 10 minutes cleaning up each time I work on the Bronco. Now that I have the garage heater installed, I would like to finish the unfinished areas....just haven't had a chance.

Been doing some research on the head installation. I've still not bought the AFR 1458s that I want but I found out that I will most likely be notching the pistons for the valves. Grrr....yet more mods. Luckily this can be done with a special tool designed for this purpose with the pistons installed:) http://www.lindytools.com

Gathering a list of parts for the rest of the engine build....

Heads: AFR 1458 205cc 69cc http://www.race-mart.com/AFR-AFR-1458.html
Intake Port Gasket, 1.250" x 2.050" w/ 3/8" radius, Fel-Pro #1262
Exhaust Port Gasket, Fel-Pro #1487
Head Gasket, Fel-Pro #Q10111
SB Ford 1/2" Bolt Head Bolt Kit, ARP #154-3603
Head Bolt Washers, Manley
Spark Plugs: Autolite 3922 or better
Pushrods:
Roller Rockers: Scorpion 1.6 Ratio

This thread has been reborn and continued here:

Ok, I'm back:)

427 is running awesome. I've put a few miles on it and no issues other than the squeaky serpentine belt at startup. I've tried everything I can think of with no luck.