One of the hardest things to pull off in this little project has little to do with metal and nothing to do with the car itself, but considering my available space and the time frame (however unrealistic) I figured that building this little dolly would be worth the time, effort and expense. Whether or not that proves to be true remains to be seen, but now at least one month after making the decision, the dolly is built and ready to go.
I have no idea if it will actually work, since I built it by looking at a couple of pictures that I found on the internet, but if those pictures are true--and what, on the internet is not?--it ought to do the trick. The trick is to to separate the body from the frame but store the two halves in the same space.
At first, I had planned to simply pull the body off and set it down on a plywood platform in the side yard, but besides seeming unnecessarily crude and predictably South Austin, it just didn't seem like a good idea, leaving it over there to rot, essentially. Now, to be fair, having it on the dolly doesn't make it more likely that I will restore that body or even that it will be done in a timely manner, but it does ensure that the neighbors will not be offended by much more than the sight to which they are already comfortably--based on their reactions (none so far)--accustomed, or resigned, as the case may be. It also means that I can look at the body as I work on the frame, which may or may not be an asset.
Now, it would be just delightful if I could call a few friends and make the move, but nothing is ever that easy, is it? No, of course not. I have all the body bolts out, as both Readers know, and the body is ready to move, but I have at long last resolved that other burning question: remove the doors and weld in supports? The answer to this question is, of course,yes,but the obviousness of the answer didn't occur to me till I had built the dolly.
I was considering moving the body to the dolly without removing the doors, reasoning that leaving them in would not only be simpler and quicker (toward the goal of removing the body) than taking the time and trouble to remove them and weld in steel supports between the rear and front halves of the body. Simpler and quicker, of course, but not better. Looking at the dolly I realized that if I don't do that support welding first, when I do remove the doors, the body will fold up like a fortune cookie. Not something I want. This is a German car, not an Asian one, after all.
So, after all, even with the dolly built, I am another month away from liftoff. Now the question becomes whether or not it's time to buy the welder. A new toy?
I have no idea if it will actually work, since I built it by looking at a couple of pictures that I found on the internet, but if those pictures are true--and what, on the internet is not?--it ought to do the trick. The trick is to to separate the body from the frame but store the two halves in the same space.
At first, I had planned to simply pull the body off and set it down on a plywood platform in the side yard, but besides seeming unnecessarily crude and predictably South Austin, it just didn't seem like a good idea, leaving it over there to rot, essentially. Now, to be fair, having it on the dolly doesn't make it more likely that I will restore that body or even that it will be done in a timely manner, but it does ensure that the neighbors will not be offended by much more than the sight to which they are already comfortably--based on their reactions (none so far)--accustomed, or resigned, as the case may be. It also means that I can look at the body as I work on the frame, which may or may not be an asset.Now, it would be just delightful if I could call a few friends and make the move, but nothing is ever that easy, is it? No, of course not. I have all the body bolts out, as both Readers know, and the body is ready to move, but I have at long last resolved that other burning question: remove the doors and weld in supports? The answer to this question is, of course,yes,but the obviousness of the answer didn't occur to me till I had built the dolly.
I was considering moving the body to the dolly without removing the doors, reasoning that leaving them in would not only be simpler and quicker (toward the goal of removing the body) than taking the time and trouble to remove them and weld in steel supports between the rear and front halves of the body. Simpler and quicker, of course, but not better. Looking at the dolly I realized that if I don't do that support welding first, when I do remove the doors, the body will fold up like a fortune cookie. Not something I want. This is a German car, not an Asian one, after all.So, after all, even with the dolly built, I am another month away from liftoff. Now the question becomes whether or not it's time to buy the welder. A new toy?
