48 DeSoto body is now off the frame!

[MarcDeSoto]

Working alone, I got the body off of the frame and held with 4x4s and jack stands on wheel dollies.  The rear end will have to have the wheels removed or the rear tires would hit the quarter panel and rockers.  So I will remove the rear wheels with the diff. on a floor jack or on a wheel dolly.  I still have to unbolt the steering post and remove the steering wheel.  I used a ten foot 4x4 in the rear and an eight foot 4x4 in front.  I should advise anyone taking the body off of this era Mopar to not forget to remove the two middle carriage bolts that go through the frame's rear cross member at the very back of the car.  These bolts caught me unaware as they were covered up with undercoating and they are not pictured in the Parts List.  You remove the bolts by removing the two 9/16" nuts below.  Since my engine is already rebuilt, and the trans. does not needing a rebuild, I had to put the front 4x4 through just behind the hand brake.  As you can see, the two 4x4s are at different heights by necessity.  Now before I roll the chassis out from under, I will build a car body dolly out of 4x4 lumber so I can move the body to the other side of my 3 car garage.  

[Sniper]

Nice work

[TooManyIrons]

Well done sir!  If I lived closer I would have been more than happy to help.?

[Dave72dt]

DO NOT attempt to move that body anywhere sitting on jackstands on dollies!  I can see that the driver side rear jack stand is not centered on the dolly and has a noticeable lean.  Jackstands need to be fastened securely to the dollies (welded or bolted) before using in such a manner.

[Young Ed]

Also are those recalled harbor freight stands or did you get them replaced?

[MarcDeSoto]

No, they are not the recalled jack stands.  I'm not going to move the body with these jack stands.  that's why I'm going to build a wood cart.  Now, the wood cart will not go back to where the rear 4x4 is, so I can put the cart under the body with it still in place.  So I will jack up the body after the chassis is removed and remove the 4x4.  Then, I will roll in the body cart.  I've been thinking where and how should the body meet the top of the cart.  Maybe it should just rest on sturdy cross members going across the body from rocker to rocker?  I'm thinking the size should be about six feet long from the cowl to the end of the rocker panel and about 5 feet wide with about three cross members going across?  Then, I will secure the body to the cart by screwing in some lag screws through the body bolt holes.  How does that sound?  

[Marcel Backs]

nice work Marc! It looks like a pretty rust free car requiring paint stripping and a bit of surface rust to deal with on the frame. I think that these 3 window coupes are one of the nicest styles on the road. Your frame and under carriage will clean up very well.

[MarcDeSoto]

The stuff that looks like rust is mostly a quarter inch of Mojave Desert.  This was a Palm Springs car back the first 32 years of its life.  The frame and undercarriage as well as fenders, hood, deck lid, floors, inside and out, etc. were undercoated by the factory.  I thought about painting it maroon back in the 80s, but changed my mind.  Now I'm thinking about Bombardier Blue, Seaplane Blue, or Bermuda Beige.  

[sidevalvepete]

Yeah, well done. You are on a bit of a roll and making good progress. And you have a pretty sound car to start with. Look forward to seeing your progress. I like this model.

[James_Douglas]

Mark,

 

Looks like you are doing a good job of it. I will mention a couple of things for you to think about. Things I did on the frame off on the 1949 convertible.

 

1. When you blast or wire wheel the frame down to bare metal for painting, remember to take high resolution photos of the number stamped on the frame. it is good for your records and photo book.

2. Detailed photos and more than one thinks is always good. I always look later for that one photo that I did not take. Also, some day you or a family member will see the car, the more photos of the thing with the frame off the better the price.

3. On most of the Desoto's they used that thin nothing with holes rear crossmember. We cut it out and replaced it with a thick wall tube. I even had thick wall round tubes cut and we welded them into the square new rear member.  We welded it into the side rails and reinforced the side rails. I am going to do that on the 1947 when I get around to it.  The reason is that if I ever build a hitch for them, it will bolt in and out. The frame will be all ready for it. If you decide to go to the time and trouble let me know and I will email you some photos from the '49.

4. Don't forget to go to Steele Rubber and get new body mounts. Also, make note that they often used very thick washers with them. Thicker than what you can normally get at the hardware store. Make sure you use the same thickness. There can be issues if you do not.

 

Have fun, James

[Bob Riding]

Now you have access to the body mounts. It will make a good bit of difference to have new rubber!

[Marcel Backs]

being a car from a dry climate you should be able to clean up and re use all the washers and mount bolts.  You're frame and underbody only need wire brush stripping and prepping because of the excellent state of preservation the car is in. My coupe was also a desert car and that desert sand mixed in with years of leaking oil seals and road debris made for many many  hours of prep before paint. I avoided any sandblasting because of all the time I already spent getting rid of sand. I think that bombardier blue is an excellent choice ! M

[RobertKB]

Marc, I wouldn’t do another thing until you have the body off those stands and car dollies. In my opinion, and that’s all it is, it is a disaster waiting to happen. Driver’s side rear looks especially dire. 

[Dan Hiebert]

Nicely done.  I note you plan to build a dolly for the body before you move it, I'd kinda like to see that once you're done.  Taking the body off both our Terraplane and D24 is in the cards, and I'm thinking along the same lines as you have to get that done.  That's certainly a job well done since you did it yourself.  I'll probably be in the same boat...no help...when I get around to it.

[Jason K Dodge]

Following.. Need to body off mine soon, interested in what you do to safely move/store it while you do the frame work.  Good luck and stay safe. 

[MarcDeSoto]

I bought some more 4x4s today to make the body cart.  I screwing them together with 6" lag screws.  And I bought four swivel casters heavy duty at HF.  I will saw notches in the bottom 4x4 so the top 4x4 will not have a tendency to wrack.  It will be 6 x 4 feet with some cross boards going from rocker to rocker and I will screw the body to the cart through the body mount holes.  It will look something like this.

[John Reddie]

Great work on your DeSoto. Please keep us updated on your progress. Thanks for posting this.

John R

[MarcDeSoto]

I put the body cart together today.  I tried to use angle brackets to put the 4x4s together, but they are too weak.  The only way is 6" lag bolts.  I had to go to HF to buy some 6" 3/8's size drill bits to make pilot holes.  Then I put the 6" lag bolts in the holes and ratcheted them all the way.  It seems solid.  After I remove the chassis,k  I will put some cross members across the top and screw the body to the cart soon.  Then I will roll the body out of the way, so I can restore the frame, etc.  

[Frank Elder]

Good job @MarcDeSoto, I look forward to seeing your progress and how you cope with those niggling details?, especially will enjoy pictures of the frame to see its condition.

[50 coupe]

 I should advise anyone taking the body off of this era Mopar to not forget to remove the two middle carriage bolts that go through the frame's rear cross member at the very back of the car. 

 

I have seen these bolts referenced before, where exactly are they located? Are you talking about the two at the very back corners of the trunk?

Edited March 4, 2021 by 50 coupe

[MarcDeSoto]

No, those bolts are easy to see.  If you look at the trunk floor, you will two strips of metal that are sort of a continuation the gas tank straps.  Those straps are welded to the trunk floor to give the real tank straps something strong to connect to.  At the very back of the trunk, there are two carriage bolts that go through the ends of those straps and through the rear frame cross member.  The Parts manuals don't show these bolts anywhere, not even on the blow up of the body to frame bolts.  Often these carriage bolts are not visible if you have a good undercoating on top of the trunk floor.  All you have to do is crawl under the trunk and look up and you will see the 9/16" nuts.  

 

[Bob Riding]

Dropped the body back on the frame...perfect alignment- i was expecting to at least have to fiddle with it a bit. Now on to engine mockup.

[MarcDeSoto]

Great work Bob!  I wish I had that tractor and that space!  Marc.

 

[Marcel Backs]

It's coming along nice Bob! You have the necessary equipment for lifting that cool old Suburban! How's the cart for the body Marc? Did you reach a conclusion for body colour? Good work to both of you! M

[Art Bailey]

Looks exciting! How did you get the body off the chassis, floor jack? This is in my future. James Douglas' point about replacing that rear cross member is a good one...when removing the gas tank on my '48, I was surprised at how flimsy it is, and noticed that it took a hit at some point.