Fastest anyone has ever completed a frame swap?

[amcordo]

What's a reasonable amount of time to complete a frame swap in? One person, full-time. Can it be done in two weeks on a 1973 109"?

[crankin]

amcordo again will the craziness.
Are you taking apart every panel or just unbolting the tub, seat box, etc...lifting the whole shabang and setting it on top of a new frame?

There is a video of a four guys doing it in a weekend....by lifting the body off and placing it on the new frame.

[amcordo]

I'm doing it the most difficult way to do it, with the most swearing and the most "oh damn, I should have just..."s that I can. So whichever way that is. And I'm not even doing it for a while (like a year or two). I just want to build it up so much in my head that I go insane.

[crankin]

Oh gotcha. well, in that case. I think I am pretty fast...(it's the ADHD thing)....and I am at 1.5 years into it.

Now, I have had to wait on my paint guy and my mechanic here and there. I think I could have finished it all up in about 4 months if it hadn't been for them. If I had no repairs to make...1.5 months.

I dare say that if you had another rolling chassis set up, you could do it over a weekend (a very long, tiring weekend).

[thixon]

Depends. Do you have air tools?

I've done it in a weekend, with the help of two other people (very little sleep, lots of beer). Only caveat is that the truck had been gone through already and had plenty of new fasteners that weren't cemented together with 50 years worth of rust!

Good luck!

[greenmeanie]

As Travis states a lot depends on the state of the truck. Its not the general wrenching that will get you but instead the unknown parts that need replaced. For instance, how are your tub supports and of course your T-posts on that SW. The T-posts are prone to rot at the junction with the rear dog leg and bottom of the B-post. They can be pretty much scrap yet look OK externally. If they need replaced then just getting them to you at reasonable cost will take a week or so.

It seems to be the nature of the job that the one part you are missing is the one that prevents you from doing this other wee thing that prevents the whole body going on. Miss those one or two parts and your two weeks is blown waiting for it to arrive. Of course then you think to yourself that while you are waiting and have time on your hands you may as well take this bit of the truck apart and overhaul it. Don't do it! Next thing you know you have a pile of parts and you are not doing a frame over but instead have a full rebuild on your hands.

[crankin]

Don't do it! Next thing you know you have a pile of parts and you are not doing a frame over but instead have a full rebuild on your hands.

Ahem....

[scott]

you need at least 2 running series to do a frame over properly. take the running series with the worse frame and start disassembling. take the other and drive away, don't look back

[superstator]

[SafeAirOne]

Pretty cool video! I guess we know the answer now. With enough helpers, you can swap out the chassis on an 88 in a little under 4 minutes.

[Terrys]

There was a garage on Mull, Dervaig Motors, run by a very competant ex-Highlander. He would bring in a stack of new frames each fall, and do 8-10 throughout the winter. I saw my friend's '74 88 in Mingary and remarked on the new frame, and he told me he took it in on a thursday, and had it back the following monday. We went for a visit, and the guy claimed he could do a 109 Hardtop as fast as an 88 hardtop, but soft tops took longer. He hoisted the whole body shell straight up, rolled the chassis out, repiped it after the drivetrain, and plopped the body back down. ( he had a very well stocked parts bin)
I've done 2 myself, and as others have said, you start out with the idea it's just a frame swap, but it only takes a few hours into the job when it becomes a whole lot more.

[amcordo]

Meh if I run into rusted things I've got a hack saw and duct tape. Good enough, right?

[brucejohn]

Mine took 4 months of steady work (after work and weekends) for an 'okay' refurbishment. I do get to drive her daily now. =)

[siii8873]

Ah the preverbial might as well. I pulled my rover into the garage to change a thermostat, notices a fuel leak, did some poking around, found some rot on the frame. 4 years later I pulled it out of the garage with a new frame and everything removed and tidyed up replaced as needed.
Had no intention of doing this when i bought the truck.

[amcordo]

... or I could just fix up the existing frame and push the rover into a pool of molten zinc. Just galvanize it whole. Yeah, I like that idea the most.