i need HELP! how to transport a non-rolling shell?

[LEANE30]

hey guys.

i'm here coming to all of you, my vast herd of gearheads, in dire need of finding a solution!!

here's the situation:
an old friend has a trick e36 (non-M with an S50 in it). he wrecked it. it's been sitting in a storage unit for a year. he has recently fallen on a financially tight time and cannot afford to keep the storage unit. for a while he was slowly parting out the chassis to make it pay for the storage. he doesn't have time to do it anymore. he is only interested in selling it complete, buyer has to take it all. ....unfortunately he has a very high emotional attachment to it and there has been no interest in it at the price he wants. due to the emotional ties (it truely was his pride & joy) he cannot bring himself to part anymore out either, let alone see it. He offered to give it to me if i can take it. out of everyone he knows, he feels that only i will understand it and respect it for what it is. (if you ask me it's a fucking black-widow but that's a whole other story which is way too long to waste my time typing it out)

the problem is that essentially the onlything he parted out from it earlier was it's suspension. it is sitting in the air on jack stands inside a single-car sized storage unit.

what's missing/was parted:
front control arms
springs
shocks & struts
front brakes
front bumper & valence
swaybars
shift knob & ebrake handle
17" wheels

at first i was initially thinking i could rent a fork and just set it on a flatbed trailer, then a similar un-load. ...but the storage unit is tight and it's tucked way back in there. i do not want to hire a flatbed tow truck and have them drag it up on as i do not want the engine/remaining underpinnings to get damaged (or the rear brakes/trailing arms) - and i have to add, the rear subframe/brakes, etc. is e36 M3 parts, so it needs 17" wheels to clear, and he already parted off both of his sets of wheels.

you guys have any suggestions? the main important issue is not damaging anything else. I would go and strip it all down toss it in boxes /crates and just move those then trash the shell, but my personal schedule does not allow for that, i will only have a day or so to go fetch it.

input!

[Jordan]

Goto a furniture store and buy4 furniture dollys. Set one under each corner of the underbody of the car and roll it out. Once out rotate it and have it winched onto a flatbead, pull out dollys and bring home... reverse process to get off flatbed and where you want it.

[LEANE30]

thanks Jordan.

...that's a much better idea than the e30tech herd has generated so far. the "egyptian" method is #1 from there as of right now


Pete

[bimmer8604]

get some old tires and set the car on 'em and drag it up.

then when you get it home, have the truck driver lower the bed down, tie the car off to something on the ground, and have the driver drive forward and let the car slide off back onto the tires.

[Jordan]

get some old tires and set the car on 'em and drag it up.

then when you get it home, have the truck driver lower the bed down, tie the car off to something on the ground, and have the driver drive forward and let the car slide off back onto the tires.

This will still tear up the undercoat and scrape stuff... something he wants to avoid.

[makaio]

The dollies like Jordan said are your best bet. And if it's a gravel lot, use plywood runners for the dollies.

[bimmer8604]

This will still tear up the undercoat and scrape stuff... something he wants to avoid.

not really.

[Rigmaster]

+1 on Jordan's plan.

FWIW, you can find furniture dollies at Harbor Freight pretty cheap if you have one nearby- they often put them on sale too for ~40-50% off.


Or, you can make some out of 2x4's and some sturdy swivel casters (if you can find them cheap).


Bret.

[e30s52]

The dollies like Jordan said are your best bet. And if it's a gravel lot, use plywood runners for the dollies.

that sounds like best icea ad cheapest. the problem after that is transporting it. holding it down on the trailer would not be easy and very dangerous

[Jordan]

that sounds like best icea ad cheapest. the problem after that is transporting it. holding it down on the trailer would not be easy and very dangerous

Thats why my post says to remove them one the car is on the flatbed.

[makaio]

And once on the flat bed, jack it up off the dollies and set it on some used tires, then have the tow truck guy strap it down.

[Teaguer]

Who cares if you scrape the bottom of it ?

The only thing worth keeping is the S50 , you don't want the E36 shell do you ?

Either way , you can install 15" wheels on the rear to roll it around with a floor jack under the front .
I've had/have 15" on the rear of my E36 shell so I know it will clear enough to roll at least .

[AndrewBird]

Here:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=93888

They had some others also, but these were the cheapest that can carry 1000 lbs.

[LEANE30]

Who cares if you scrape the bottom of it ?

The only thing worth keeping is the S50 , you don't want the E36 shell do you ?

Either way , you can install 15" wheels on the rear to roll it around with a floor jack under the front .
I've had/have 15" on the rear of my E36 shell so I know it will clear enough to roll at least .

as i stated earlier^^
the car has an e36 M3 rear subframe, final drive, and brakes on it, and you need 17"s to clear the brake calipers (IIRC)

as of right now, the plan is to part off as much of the shell/body as possible as well as the full interior (all black leather on black and everything is in *excellent* condition) and all of the other odds and ends. then crating up the motor/driveline for a future project

well i'm gonna go dolly shopping tomorrow afternoon. i think the dolly & plywood method is the winner. i'm hoping to make some setup progress this weekend, and atleast go pick up the flatbed trailer. (fingers crossed that the back gate is a solid one-piece ramp!) my girl's uncle will most likely let me borough his, but i haven't talked to him yet...he's been out of the country on vacation for the past two weeks - gets back on saturday

i'm shooting to do the transport on the 7-9th. load up on the 7th, go on the 8th (we're making a pit-stop at a resort half way - i'm moving it ~250miles - over mountain passes and everything) then finish up and place her down on the 9th. i'll try to remember to snap some pics and put them up. alot is just riding on the weather too..... come on global warming!!!!!

j/k

[Rigmaster]

as i stated earlier^^
the car has an e36 M3 rear subframe, final drive, and brakes on it, and you need 17"s to clear the brake calipers (IIRC)

as of right now, the plan is to part off as much of the shell/body as possible as well as the full interior (all black leather on black and everything is in *excellent* condition) and all of the other odds and ends. then crating up the motor/driveline for a future project

well i'm gonna go dolly shopping tomorrow afternoon. i think the dolly & plywood method is the winner. i'm hoping to make some setup progress this weekend, and atleast go pick up the flatbed trailer. (fingers crossed that the back gate is a solid one-piece ramp!) my girl's uncle will most likely let me borough his, but i haven't talked to him yet...he's been out of the country on vacation for the past two weeks - gets back on saturday

i'm shooting to do the transport on the 7-9th. load up on the 7th, go on the 8th (we're making a pit-stop at a resort half way - i'm moving it ~250miles - over mountain passes and everything) then finish up and place her down on the 9th. i'll try to remember to snap some pics and put them up. alot is just riding on the weather too..... come on global warming!!!!!

j/k

Take the rear brake calipers off (10 minutes max) and you can fit some crap 15"s on there. BTDT.

Don't make it any more complicated than necessary. Unless you (or the tow truck driver) does something really stupid, you would do little to no damage to the underside of the car by winching it up on a flatbed without dollies.

If you're really worried about it, use some 8 ft 2x4's as skids under the floor pan/frame rails and it'll help.


Bret