[the1ted]

One item I couldn't do without is the A-frame chain hoist. A work and life-saver. I picked the bed off with 3/8 eye bolts thru the wood bed on top and flatwashers with nuts underneath. I even up 2 lengths of chain and criss cross them in the bed. The hoist is on rubber lined casters so I moved it forward for the cab and rolled the truck under it.
The cab is a lot heavier so I used two short nylon straps for handling bundles of pipe and steel on the front windshield posts and a longer tow strap tied around the cab corners and looped thru the rear window. After unbolting it from the frame I raised it high enough to clear the chassis and rolled that out from under the cab and into the garage. Then I backed my lawn trailer under the cab and lowered it on there to take for sandblasting. I fixed a clevis on top for the Sandblast folks to lift it off the trailer. It will be good to see bare metal as someone already attempted repairs to the cab corners and covered the gas fill port. Both need redone.
Once I got the frame inside I measured the spring centers and checked the crossmember where the transfer case will mount-all good. The leaf springs are the same width which is a relief. A big plus is this '55 was a factory small block. There are some differences in castings and frame layout between the '55 and '57, but for the most part they are the same.