Hello to all,  I am about to move a Chickering Ampico grand into my new
digs (1 year lease on a house).  I have a maximum of about 18.5 inches
(along the line connecting points (A) and (B) in diagram) of horizontal
clearance coming in the basement door due to a stairway just inside
the doorway.  Therefore, I have determined that I can get the piano
into the basement only if I can slim it down to under 18.5 inches.
I must remove the under-the-keybed spool drawer and the stack, both
of which protrude from the bottom of the frame.

        |________|
        |________|         Basement
        |_stairs_|
        |________|
        |________|    (B)
        |
        |    /
        |   /
        |  /          <---- 18.5 inches of clearance
        | /
________|/         _____________________
          Doorway

         (A)

                        Exterior (backyard)

I will be doing the move sometime in the next couple of weeks.  I have
not studied the construction of the piano in detail, but I presume that
removal of the drawer and stack are straightforward.  If anyone has
words of warning or advice, I would be appreciative.

Sincerely,
Larry Toto