Fuel line/Raising body question.

[STLRegal]

So i got my new fuel line from classictube for my v6 to sbc swap. The fuel line is proving to be a real PITA. Getting stuck on the body, frame, or spring support, where it goes over the axle. Now ive read that it is possible to fit this in with the body on but im having no such luck. Im afraid to force it much more, and granted im doing it by myself, but not sure if an extra set of hands would really help.

Ive also read that some people suggested just raising the body a bit so the line can clear it easier. Which brings me to my main question. How much of a job is it to raise the body off the frame? Do i need to only remove the bolts on the rear passenger corner? entire rear end? or whole car? And is there anything else that needs to be removed before i attempt this?

 

[455'ed80Regal]

Loosen all body mount bolts and remove the ones on the side the fuel line runs down. Also disconnect anything attached to the frame and car body. Pretty much anything that doesn't have enough slack in it or won't stretch when the body is lifted up. When I did my body bushings, I placed a 4x4 under the door on the side I was working on and raised it with my floor jack. Worked pretty good. Use a jack stand under the body to catch it just in case the 4x4 decides to roll out from under the body lip. There is not much room between that lip and the frame. If you got access to a 2 post lift that would be the best.

 

[ssn696]

Depending upon how high you plan to lift, disconnect the radiator hoses, fuel tank lines and sender wire, brake lines to master cylinder, steering column, and ground strap(s) behind the cylinder head(s). The AC lines will like be OK.

I made a T out of two 2x4s and cut a 1/2" x 3/4" groove in the flat one so that the lip on the rocker drops into it and keep the wood from rolling out. I made it the length of the body between the wheelwells to spread the load evenly. You can also hog out a hole for a short piece of iron pipe and take the saddle off your floor jack and drop this contraption into the hole.

 

[STLRegal]

Thanks for the info guys. I should have mentioned it but as im in the middle of my swap the engine, transmission, radiator, are all out of the car. Just thinking about it, the only thing i see possibly being an issue its the brake lines to the master cylinder. I may be able to forgo that as well as its on the complete opposite side of the car. ( you guys can tell me if this is a wise idea or not) If i go this route Im only jacking up the car as far as necessary for the line to clear the body. So maybe 1/2 to 1 inch is all i really think it would need. Could i do this with out having to drop the steering column?

So i guess ill run the game plan by you guys.
Loosen all the body/frame bolts. (should be 16 total correct?)
Remove the body/frame bolts on the rear half of the car.
Jack body up evenly from the center using a wide and long piece of wood.

 

[WisconsinCutlass]

Make sure to do some reasearch on removing / loosing the body bolts. It sounds straight forward but there's a couple issues that can come up. I just removed the body off of my parts car and 2 of the nuts that the bolts screw into ended up spinning. Also breaking bolts is a possibility. Not trying to be a buzz kill just trying to let you know of the possibilities of things that can happen. I used this thread a bunch when working on my car.

https://gbodyforum.com/threads/replacing-body-bushings-on-1979-monte-carlo.55674/

 

[Texas82GP]

Don't forget about your bumper fillers! The body will be moving and the bumpers won't so keep an eye on that. I'm sure there's some flex but I don't know how much.

 

[Injectedcutty]

As others have said, loosen as many things as possible to avoid stretching/breaking parts. I would spray a healthy amount of wd-40, knocker loose, etc on the body mount threads that you can reach.
You must remember, dealing with 30 year old parts gets to be a downhill battle quick. All 4 of my body bolts in the trunk area snapped off causing me the need to cut 4 holes in the trunk to remove the other halves of them. I already had new poly mounts on standby since i was replacing them all anyway.
Just take your time and watch all the areas in question to not cause yourself more hassle and $$$$ in the long run.

 

[STLRegal]

Ok after the horrors that Wisconsin cutlass linked. I think I'm gonna pass on raising the body. Gonna make another attempt at getting the line in place with an extra set of hands. If I can't get it I'll take the easy way out and jerry rig a line running in front of the engine cradle, until I can bend my own.

Thanks for the info guys!

 

[-83MONTESS-]

You could be opening a can of worms trying this. Its very easy to break the body bolts if they are original. A few of mine broke and they looked like they were in good condition. If you break them you have to cut them out from the top which depending on which ones are broke could be a pain in the *ss. Might be more worth it to modify the line to where you can run it along the side of the frame rail instead of on top. I ran my feed and return lines along the frame rail with no issues.

 

[Injectedcutty]

This is what body bolts 'can' look like after 30 years! Also depends on how much outside life your car has seen, or what part of the country it came from. We aren't trying to scare you from doing the job, we are all just trying to look out for a fellow g owner.