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Sat Jan 31, 2015 9:36 pm

Anyone know how much 66 Bug body might weigh ..without the interior, the glass, the hood, the fenders, the doors? I'm building a body dolly and am looking at using 4 three-inch swivel casters rated at 110 pounds each (440 total) ....on a 2 X 4 reinforced wood frame. Am I going to be anywhere near that weight with a stripped out VW body?

Sun Feb 01, 2015 5:02 am

If you do a search you'll find plenty of body dolly threads, might even see some different design ideas that you could use.

Not much weight to a shell, I'm certain your casters can support it.
What type of surface will you be rolling it around on? The smaller casters might make things rough on a uneven surface.

The last one I made used 10 inch pneumatic tires... Rolled pretty easy through grass and stone... I had a much heavier Ghia body though.

Sun Feb 01, 2015 5:13 am

X2 - the big thing with your casters is to make sure that they are big enough to roll well on whatever surface you are working on. And yeah, there are LOTS of body dollies listed on here.

There are some that I swear would support an aircraft carrier. You really only need something that is about as beefy as a standard sawhorse, just dimensionally appropriate for the body. One other thing. Really think about the height. Tall enough to straddle a pan is wonderful, but makes working on the roof very difficult. Having your car at a comfortable height makes life much easier. If I was going to build another set (which I may) I would make the height adjustable.

Sun Feb 01, 2015 5:14 am

I recall 500 pounds when I researched this, so you might be a bit under engineered with those castors. I doubt you want to use them at 90% rating anyhow! especially if they are HF

:D

Sun Feb 01, 2015 7:19 am

There may be some good information here. http://www.thesamba.com/vw/search.php?cx=partner-p...6471680j10

Sun Feb 01, 2015 9:47 am

Digger89L wrote: Anyone know how much 66 Bug body might weigh ..without the interior, the glass, the hood, the fenders, the doors? I'm building a body dolly and am looking at using 4 three-inch swivel casters rated at 110 pounds each (440 total) ....on a 2 X 4 reinforced wood frame. Am I going to be anywhere near that weight with a stripped out VW body?

I have two '65 body shells stripped as you describe, 250-300lbs max. I can lift it with one person at the other end, easier with 3 people! and I have a cart constructed from 2 x 4's and 4#3" Harbor freight castors. Waste of money building anything heavier.

If you need to roll it out onto an uneven driveway or crushed stone drive as i have, throw down some sheets of OSB or perhaps consider the pneumatic tires from HF. I looked at them yesterday.

Sun Feb 01, 2015 11:06 am

Thanks, guys. LOTS of very useful info in the responses, and in that link to all those posts about various home-built body carts. Got some good info on engine stands as well!!

My 66 has some serious rust issues ('terminal rot' I've been told by several people!) and I am going to have to replace a LOT of the lower body metal, including the pans and channels ....even the rear shock mount panels, etc. Most people seem to build carts that support the body at either the jack points and front door pillars OR under the rear shock mounts and front gas tank area. However, my body needs extensive work in ALL those areas, and I'll need easy access to them. Also, I'm 6 feet tall, and have a bad lower back ...so like to work standing up whenever I can.

My tentative plan (now, after seeing the various designs) is to build a a full-length cart (same length as wheelbase) to support the body "under the fender areas" at the front and back (so the heater channel area is about 36" off the floor and easy to work on) and then design it so the same supports can be moved towards the center to later support the body at the jackpoints and door pillars so I can work on the front and rear areas. That would make the body about 12" higher off the ground, but that should be manageable. I'm thinking some sort of 'sleeve' set-up to mount the uprights into would make the conversion from short cart to long cart simple to manage. I have lots of room and a good smooth concrete floor to work on, so the 3" HF (ie: Chinese made) casters should work fine. I'll be sure to post pics when I'm ready to go. Again, thanks for all the help and suggestions!!