Help a New Old guy: Removing 63 unibody off frame

[hdshadpar]

A new green horn joined the club and learning quickly, I think.... Will post some pics as soon as I figure this out but in a nut shell, truck sat since 1981,
only real rust issues are the cab frame rails and floor pan in the same area and a little at the front part of box. So, the bolts have been challenging,
like baked on, front end is off, motor/tranny is out, stripped the brake lines and wiring out, so now only the steering column and bolts holding body on frame.
With that, first what's with the wood spacers? Can't believe they used Red Oak wood so that's my first issue, second issue once I get all the bolts holding the body on,
are there any hidden issues like rivets etc that would restrict lifting the body off and are there any tricks I should know before doing so?
I was hoping not to have to do it this way but it was suggested that I should so here I am.
Finally, I tried to attach just one photo so if it shows up I will be happy, if not I am using a MacPro is there something different using them? Tks JP

[bruceandersson]

I've never pulled a uni body, but have removed a lot of separate cabs and beds. The bolts are always a challenge. I've often had to grind the head off of the bed bolts to get them free. There are a couple hidden under the back of the bed that do not protrude through the top on the later trucks. You should have 4 bolts in the cab, two at the front where your rust is and two at the gas tank. Your steering column only comes out with the steering box attached. You'll have to put the pitman arm and remove the seals/plates at the floor where the column goes through and then the box and column can be pulled up through the cab. Once the bolts are removed the body should be free to be lifted. Do not run a strap through the door openings and lift in the center, unless you want to straighten your drip rails later.

[Toyz]

Pic definitely showed up! Somewhat large!
Unis did not originally have rear mounts under the gas tank. I normally just remove the steering wheel and column tube, remove the floor plate and steering box bolts, then slide/lift the uni assembly rearward until clear of steering shaft. Of course, having overhead hoists plus a couple of those big orange hydraulic "wheelbarrows" tend to help me with the stubborn ones. The unis have a lateral "torque box" at the rear of the cab, you will be lucky to find it un-damaged.
Best of luck; there is plenty of knowledge available on this site. Several members have their unis in various stages of dis-assembly; pretty sure there is at least one renovation on which the rotisserie has become a semi-permanent attachment!
Paul

[unibody madness]

Your unibody should only have two mounting bolts inside the cab as Paul stated, but check the bolts that hold your gas tank to see if someone like me installed a back set of mounts. The visible bolts in the bed are obvious but there are a set at the rear of the frame that do not go thru
There are a lot of potions used to loosen bolts, The one I used and have great faith in is Kroil oil, if you can not find it, mix ATF with acetone 50/50, but it is a pain to keep mixed. Other than electrical wires to the tail lights and engine compartment that should do it, but check for after market attachments to be sure.
You can P.M. me if there is anything you have questions about.
Look at my Turk build to see how I raised my body.
John

[ICEMAN6166]

only thing i did not see mentioned is the parking brake cable, disconnect it below the front of the bed behind the trans at the place where it connects to the 2 cables going to the rear tires

Do not run a strap through the door openings and lift in the center, unless you want to straighten your drip rails later.

been there done that

[hdshadpar]

Tks everyone, first my apologies on the huge pic, I will figure that out. I have been soaking bolts for months now and it has paid off somewhat. I went out this morning and got all but one nut off the box supports. Where the gas tank is the bolt did not go through the frame, looks like the body is designed to have another cab rail support at this location but none there, but just beyond is a bolt and material between frame and box. Now, have yet to figure out what the material is between the frame and box where the bolts go through or the wood blocks, I'm hoping they stay together when I get to lifting the body off. I will mark where they go but is there something else one should use when replacing? They look awfully squished... Tks for the steering column points. The parking brake was toast so it is removed, now the mechanism holding the cable splitter underneath(not sure of proper name) but the parking cable splits and goes to each wheel, under the box is being held up with haywire. Not sure how they got the wire there as this area is closed in. I also have discovered there is one rivet on each side which also has this material between box and frame. I took pics but will have to figure out the photo thing to show you. Again, truly appreciate your help!

[unibody madness]

I cut mine out of Brazilian cherry because I had it around... there is a thin piece of rubber between the wood and the frame,the wood has a screw holding it in place. the rear cab frame rail body support did not come on the unibodies, but did on the flare side and 4x4s when I moved my gas tankI added them to mine

[The Big M]

Welcome aboard!

Haven't gotten as far as removing the body from the frame so I'll be watching this one. Good luck!

As for photo sizing, most here use a photo hosting site such as Photobucket, Flickr, or even Facebook to store images and simply post links. The primary reason is that you can only upload so many photos directly to this site before you run out of space. However if you do want to post directly, you can just resize the photo before doing so:

http://www.wikihow.com/Resize-Pictures-(for-Macs)

About 1600 pixels wide at 72 pixels/inch should be plenty big, or about half of the original size. Hope that helps!

[Koolkatt]

Great picture looks like you're going to have your hands full of Ford. That sure is a interesting way to connect a trailer I've never seen it done that way, how does it haul? Just kidding! You'll be a pro in no time! Good luck with your project.