John 3:16

I designed it so that I can attach the body, the frame, or both the body with the frame. I haven't been able to find the weight of the body by itself, so I guess it would be 600-800lbs. The wife’s bathroom scales indicates that the bare frame weighs 200lbs .
                            To put the frame on it,  I should only have to alter the position of the 2 pieces of angle iron to be at the correct width for the frame.  (blue arrow) Same for the rear of course. I used the existing body mount holes to attach the angle iron to the body. (blue arrow) I bolted an additional piece of angle iron to "lock" the unit in place. Same for the rear. This makes the whole unit very stable because of having 4 points for the weight to rest on. My original idea was to lock it at the pivot point, but this is much safer. (yellow arrow)

At the rear, I built a rectangle out of angle iron, using the 4"x4" angle piece mounted to the car. I used existing holes for the 4 bolts, but had to cut an opening on the top side to be able to put on the nuts. Since I'm replacing the entire trunk area, cutting didn't bother me. In this pic, the height of the ball is 46" from the floor. I made the diagonal support pieces extra long so that when I put the frame with the body on, I can alter the position of the ball to compensate for a changed center of gravity. I simply bolted square tubing to the C channel to create the "I" shaped frame. While this is what I believe to be the weakest link, it is strong enough to support the body. The vertical supports lean inwards a little (1-2"), and I can rock the body front to back.                   Maybe if I welded instead of bolted it would be stronger, or some braces would help also. I chose to bolt everything I could so that I can disassemble the unit for storage.

The vertical supports are spaced 16" apart at the outside edges. The coupler is attached to a 16" 1/4 x 3" flat, which is welded to square tubing that is large enough to slide over the vertical supports. Bolts placed through the vertical supports to hold this piece at the desired height. Here, the height of the ball is 44.5" from the floor.
                            To raise the body, I simply used a chain hoist attached to the top brace. Since I only have one hoist, I had to work the car up a little at a time. 2 hoists would make the task much easier.

I put a piece of angle iron across the top of the vertical supports for 2 reasons: Stability, and it gives me a place to attach a hoist. This piece is not bolted or welded on. The angle iron is welded onto the larger square tubing and it slips over the vertical supports. I placed the pivot point (trailer hitch ball) centered horizontally on both the front and back, and 8.5" below the lip of the cowl on the front and 0.5" above the lip of the trunk at the trunk lock. To attach the ball to the flat iron, I drilled a 3/4" hole and put the ball's shaft through it.

No relevent info in this frame.

No relevent info in this frame.

Qty

Description

Cost (each)

Total

1

1/4 x 3" W x 8.5in L

$7.65

$7.65

4

1/4 x 2 x 2 sq tube 75in L

$15.00

$60.00

8

3/16 x 2.5 x 2.5 sq tube 3in L

$0.75

$6.00

1

3in Channel x 16in L

$1.90

$1.90

8

1/4 x 4 x 4 angle x 2in L

$0.58

$4.64

1

3in Channel x 10in L

$1.00

$1.00

2

1/4 x 3 flat x 16in L

$1.00

$2.00

2

1/4 x 3 x 3 angle x 16in L

$1.75

$3.50

1

3/16 x 2 x2 sq tube x 10ft L

$18.50

$18.50

1

3/16 x 1.5 x 1.5 sq tube x 10ft L

$13.50

$13.50

2

3in Channel x 6in L

$7.50

$15.00

1

1/4 x 4 x 4 angle 42.5in L

$8.75

$8.75

1

1/4 x 3 x3 angle 55.5in L

$6.00

$6.00

2

1/4 x 3 x3 angle 12in L

$1.50

$3.00

2

1/4 x 3 x3 angle 10in L

$1.50

$3.00

102

3/8 x 1in Grade 8 bolts

$0.13

$13.26

111

3/8 Grade 8 nuts

$0.06

$6.66

9

3/8 x 3in Grade 8 bolts

$0.54

$4.86

2

1 7/8 ball (trailer hitch)

$6.99

$13.98

2

1 7/8 coupler (trailer hitch)

$10.49

$20.98

2

1/2 x 3in bolt with nut, washer

$1.00

$2.00

TOTALS:

$216.18