When I started this rebuild I had no plans to publish a webpage, so documentation on this task is lacking. If you want to do this (or any major Corvette project), consider joining a corvette forum. Any trouble encountered during your project has been tackled by a member, and likely several. These message boards are a life saver...especially when the advice and knowledge comes from others with experience. I found this punch list of things to do prior to body separation. It's comprehensive across production years, so there may be things that don't apply. It worked for me, but I don't claim it's complete. There may be things on your car that didn't make the list, so take it slow.
The riskiest part is removing the #2, 3, 6, and 7 body mount bolts without either stripping the nut or breaking the cage off the frame. The nut cage is located between the car frame and cab frame (or birdcage). It's located under the body shim (#4) in figure B.
After removing the kick panels and rear fender access panels, I drilled a 1/8" hole in each body mount fender washer, next to the bolt head, making sure the hole angled towards the bolt shaft. This allows the penetrating oil to get at the threads. For two weeks, I checked off items on the punch list and every day sprayed PB Blaster into the holes. Luckily I was able to get the bolts out without a problem.
For body separation I used a chain hoist and the corvette body lifting straps. While I like how the lifting attachments fit nicely into cab frame channels, I don't like that they aren't adjustable. They were too long to lift the car high enough, so I hooked 500 lb ratchet straps to the chain host and the fabric loop over the attachment.
I initially lifted 3 - 4 inches, checking to make sure no connections were missed. I lifted another 3 - 4 inches and checked again. By now I was confident there were no missed connections. In the picture, the body is about eight inches above the frame. Note the dark spots where the nut cages are located. The PB Blaster gave those a pretty good soaking.
After moving the body, I bagged and tagged the body mount shims. Unfortunately, I discovered that shims can stick to the underside of the mounts when I found some on the floor. It seems they had fallen off the cab frame during handling. I don't know where they belong and will have to shim from scratch. Here's a picture of the shims and body mount (the nut is inside the body mount).
I was lucky. You can see the frame has mild surface rust. I'm convinced this is why the PB Blaster worked. Stingrays are notorious for serious rust issues on body mounts 2 and 6 resulting from water seepage into the birdcage through the windshield frame. Were that true in my case, I'm not sure the PB Blaster would've worked.
I included a picture showing how the car looks without a body, and one showing the suspended body. During this task, I got an appreciation for how well balanced the Stingray body is. Hanging by the straps, it only tilts slightly forward. t is very easy to handle and position.
SUMMARY: This straightforward project is a 4 out of 10 if the body mount bolts cooperate. Prep work on the bolts and serious attention to the punch list are the best insurers of success. If you do twist off a nut cage or strip a nut, there is plenty of help on the forums.
Body Separation