I lifted mine off like Keith did, using a block and tackle arrangement attached
to my garage rafters. It's a heavy bugger, and I had the entire interior out,
but I did have the doors on and the windows still in. If you're gonna lift it
by hand, have some strong and TALL people available. It's quite a high lift to
get it over the frame. AT least you don't have the wheels still mounted! It
can be done with an engine hoist that has enough height capacity, butt I have
never tried this. I just ran a 2x4 through the open windows and lifted from
that point which was surprisingly well balanced. Make sure you have the 2x4
vertical to avoid snapping it!
Once you have it off, you have to consider a way to store it and move it around,
as you surely will want to do that. Projects like this seem to open a
continuous can of worms. After removal of the cab, you will find areas that
will require attention regarding rust and corrosion. I placed mine on a wooden
frame with casters so I could roll it around. You need heavy duty casters to
support the weight. Home Depot has a good selection of the hard plastic wheel
variety if you only need to roll it on concrete or blacktop surfaces. I
purchased inflatable rubber tire casters from Harbor Freight, since I needed to
roll it across my lawn.
Sorry I can't help on the steering column as I had totally stripped my engine
compartment beforehand. My truck is down to the frame at this point. You can
see it's current condition at:
http://w-gator.homepage.com/My_Page.html
Wally / Templeton, MA
53 3100
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