Rolling Chassis!

Big family effort to get the car down onto its wheels, my wife checking I wasn't doing something stupid (or dangerous) at each step & helping with ideas, steadying and moving trestles etc & my daughter helping out at the key step of removing the decorators steps when lowering the front end.

Resources

1. Engine hoist
2. Trolly jack
3. 2x Axle stands
4. Decorators steps
5. 2x Man power
6. 1x Teenager power

Process

First step was to take the weight on the engine hoist & remove the rear stand. During this I realised I would get stuck lowering to the floor - the rear wishbones would have hit the engine hoist legs.

Next the front end, my wife removed the stand and I lowered it part way onto decorators steps. I didn't want to try and man handle it to floor level at this point to save my back.

Now the puzzles, and a little thought.

1. The engine hoist could not lower the rear end to the floor due to the legs would foul the bottom wishbones, so we tried lowering the car onto axle stands and moving the hoist back. No luck though - the hoist legs would still hit the rear chassis member.
2. The decorators steps could not be removed while the rear was lower than the front - they would only slide forward which is where me & my wife would be standing to lower the car.

Spent some time trying different angles with the hoist, and axle stands in different positions - until I remembered the trolley jack. (The strap around the rear tube is not ideal - much preferred lifting around the chassis bracket at the rear of the diff)

So

We raised the rear end back up higher than the front so the steps could be removed, by my daughter, while me & my wife man handled the front to the ground. Then my wife (hands pictured) held the front to stop anything rolling away.

Then lowered the rear from the hoist onto the trolley jack & down to the ground:

Success

Finally the car is sitting on its wheels for the first time, no real chance of rolling away - there must be about 10 degrees toe in right now!

The whole process, including clearing/tidying took just under an hour & undoubtedly could be optimised if I had to do it again - i.e. rear end off the stand onto a trolly jack, front end man handled to the ground & then lower the rear.

When I sort out the front tracking a little, I can move the car out of the garage, turn it around as required and get the engine towards the bench end of the garage. It makes my limited working space much more flexible.