Taking fiberglass body off frame help

[Marshall]

Hi everyone. I have looked through some old posts about taking body off frame, but I think I need more details especially for a fiberglass body. I have a 1974 bronco, and I want to totally go through frame and paint it etc. I have never done this before so when people start talking about bracing I am not sure what to brace where. I'd like to leave as much of it together as possible and take frame out. It's a fiberglass tub and hood, with metal doors and hard top, as well as 3 speed on floor. Can someone point me to the bolts I will take off and then what? I know I have to lift it, but how? I am a total newbie to this but want to do it myself. Thanks in advance.

 

[bknbronco]

take top, hood, tailgate, front fenders, and doors off. Then remove tub. Don't worry about bracing a glass tub its way stronger than steel. in fact two guys can lift it off the frame and carry and flip it around to paint the bottom.

6 bolts in tub, 2 in front clip. you may be able to unbolt the front inner clip from the tub?? There are a few fender bolts on each fender and grill.

If the motor is gona stay in then you have to lift the tub above the motor as well as the t-case shifter. I ran 2 pieces of rope under my tub and up to the garage roof trusses and was able to lift and drop the tub by myself. I lifted it up....rolled the frame out from under it....then dropped it down on 2 saw horses. The tub with no inner front clip is maybe 200lbs (the doors weight more than the tub!) Me and my dad carried mine all over the yard when I built my bronco.

 

[C Saporito]

Do you know who mfg the tub? Bronco Design tubs are pretty close in weight as the steel tubs, it's one piece including the radiator support. We needed four guys to lift the stripped tub over the motor, there are internal steel tube supports, so no need for more support.

 

[Marshall]

Is there any way to leave hood doors and tailgate on and lift it off? That's a good idea about lifting it over the motor, etc and sit on saw horses. I just go through getting doors aligned where they are flush, and I hate to take them right back off, it's a major pain.

 

[Marshall]

I do not know who made the tub as I bought it about a year ago and it was already changed over to fiberglass. I wonder if the is a video of someone actually showing the steps to either putting a tub on or taking off a frame? At least I can find the bolts now.

 

[Marshall]

Another question what do you have to do with the brake lines / pedal? And that sort of thing does all that have to be disconnected?

 

[C Saporito]

Does your front clip bolt to your tub? if so, your best bet is probably to disassemble it before picking it up.

If it's all one piece, like the pics in my garage, it's a Bronco Design tub. You could probably pick the whole thing up with a garage lift and pull the rolling chassis out. I'm not recommending it, just stating it could be done if supported properly.

I stored the tub on a frame made from 4x4's with same mounting points as a bronco frame, it worked great for the paint shop.You will need to disconnect your clutch linkage, brake lines, e-brake cables, wires to motor, fuel line and whatever your previous owner might have connected to the frame.

 

[Marshall]

I looked under it and I think it's the same tub as the one you had pics of in your garage. In the front there are two tubes that go down and fasten to the frame, I'm assuming that's what is called the front clip?

I just hate to fix what isn't broke you know? But I'd like to have it looking new underneath as well as the rest. Decisions decisions.

 

[C Saporito]

Those tubes sound like body mounts, you probably have a body lift. If so, you could probably clean and paint the frame without removing the body.

Front clip is a fancy way of referring to the sheet metal (or fiberglass) from the firewall forward.

I seriously hope you have someone with bodywork knowledge helping you, otherwise I fear for your truck. LOL

 

[Marshall]

The only one helping me is you guys. LOL, aren't we all DIY ers. I have crawled all over the underneath and I only see 8-10 bolts holding the tub onto the frame and then a few linkages to trans,session, brake lines, some wires would have to be disconnected, I can't believe no one has videod this process, I have spent many hours on YouTube trying to find videos of this but they are always of something other than Broncos.

 

[Deano]

I just took a tub off one of mine and so I could put a FG body on but never thought to Vidio it.

 

[Marshall]

Very interesting you are in Milton and I am in point pleasant. Maybe you can walk me through what to do, if you don't care. Winter seems like the perfect time to get some frame work done since I can't drive it much on the salty roads, because I don't want the frame to rust any more. How long do you think it should take to lift the tub off the frame completely?