Combined threads on Rotisserie Construction

[fixing-gpas ride]

does ne one have pics or ideas on how u make a rotiserie for your body to make it easier to work on the under side? thxs jeffrey

[footbrake68]

You might try a search for "rotisserie" on the site. I think we have a few threads on the subject and some links to a couple of websites with plans. A few members have built their own with good results (tips & tricks, etc.).

If that does not yield some options for you ... try this site for reference ...

http://www.harwoodperformance.bizland.com/1941buick/index.html

Hope that helps and Good Luck !!

[taz3]

One guy here used 2 engine stands he extended the base wheels to 5ft and made mounting braces for front and rear.Probally the cheapest way to go and you get the engine stand when done.

[NOVANUT77]

Here's a couple pics of mine.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y221/novanut77/rotisserie1.gif

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y221/novanut77/nova4.gif

[K-Man]

You might try a search for "rotisserie" on the site. I think we have a few threads on the subject and some links to a couple of websites with plans. A few members have built their own with good results (tips & tricks, etc.).

If that does not yield some options for you ... try this site for reference ...

http://www.harwoodperformance.bizland.com/1941buick/index.html

Hope that helps and Good Luck !!

Strange...I have the info from that link as a single PDF file. Nicer that paging through the website one page at a time. I can't remember where i got it from, but if anyone is interested, i can host it and we can do a "sticky" on it..or i could just get one of the nice forum moderators to host it here on the site. :D

[70Deuce]

I've looked at a lot of these on the web and this is the one I plan to build when i am ready.

http://www.mts.net/~hpokrant/Restoration_Tips/1-Rotisserie/Rotisserie.htm

[nite53]

I've looked at a lot of these on the web and this is the one I plan to build when i am ready.

http://www.mts.net/~hpokrant/Restoration_Tips/1-Rotisserie/Rotisserie.htm


That one looks a lot like mine that I bought with another car, except mine uses teh long hydraulic ram like engine hoists use. I like mine a lot, but haven't used it yet for a review!

[fixing-gpas ride]

thanks for all your input guys...im sure this has been asked many times b4.

[Novaholic]

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d38/Novaholic1st/65wagon4.jpg

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d38/Novaholic1st/65wagon5.jpg

[JJ66-Dad]

Here's a few links I've been collecting...

http://members.tripod.com/~mopar_roadster/body_rotisserie.html

http://www.mts.net/~hpokrant/Restoration_Tips/1-Rotisserie/Rotisserie.htm

http://www.prostreetcar.com/body_rotisserie.html

[Custom Jim]

I looked at a few online and got some plans and idea's for the one I'm "hopefully" going to make.
I just went out this last Saturday to a local steel supplier and got some numbers to work with to weigh out buying all the steel and parts and making it myself or buying one I seem to like from someone like Autotwirler out of Indiana.
From what I see with myself, building one might be a better option. On mine I'm hoping to add a way to slowly turn over the car and lock it into any position and have it to where it won't take up too much space when assembled or broken down for storage. I'm also hoping to design it to where it is flexible and fit more than just my cars.
On the one I'm doing research on will take 35' of 2" square steel with 3/16" wall and 25' of 2.5" square steel with 3/16" wall and I also asked about the charges for giving them a list of lengths and the number of cuts and it came to $260. 00 for the steel and $60.00 for the cuts (30 cuts at $2.00 each). On mine I'm leaning to have them cut the different lengths to where it will be easier to transport home and with the tooling they have get squarre ends on my lengths of tubing.
If I add the rams on each end (the steel to add this is figured in my original steel pricing) would add about $100.00 to $130.00 for this option.
I look at the one from autotwirler and they are wanting a little over $1,000.00 for the ones with the rams and locally my parts would be $450.00 and the difference would be my time with the welder and actually building it (prepping edges, making sure it's square, basic paint job, and so on).
On mine I have dealt with the steel supplier before and these are for a walk in customer and chances are if it's been like the times before I will pay cash with no receipt and probably save some money this way also.

Whatever design you choose, build it very well. Even on my car currently on a roll around jig I've not had any problems with it and it hasn't bent or had welds come apart but you have to build them to where they are safe. Chances are too once you build one you will find yourself redesigning things to where they work better than in the original design.

Granted I have not included things like the wheels, nuts and bolts, and some other things but I'm getting there.

Jim

[NOVANUT77]

I will offer one piece of advice when it comes to building a rotisserie. Don't overbuild it! You'll just be paying more for material than you have to. I have seen some of these things built with I beams big enough to hold up a house. That's just plain overkill. Keep one thing in mind when you're building it. The thickness of the cars frame is only about 1/8" and it holds up the entire assembled car with glass, doors, drivetrain, everything. So why does everyone think the rotisserie needs to be made out of 1/4" material to hold up the same car with 75% of the weight removed. That doesn't make much sense does it. I built my rotisserie out of scrap steel for a little bit of nothing. About 40 bucks, and most of that was for casters. The bulk of the rotisserie is made out of used parking lot light poles. You've seen them in shopping malls and convenience stores. The poles are 4" x 4" square and the metal is 1/8" thick. It's plenty strong for the job. Best of all, it was cheap.:D

[JRChevy]

This guy built a pretty cheap but trustworthy unit form Harbor Freight...
Rotisserie (http://camaros.net/forums/showthread.php?t=12222&highlight=body+rotator)

[evldoer]

The brother and I built a good one out of 4" square tube. We cut the ends off of a 9" ford with the axle bearings and housing ends, about 6 inches or so to use as the pivots on each end. We did this because it turns so much better, and when you are sand blasting, the sand doesnt affect it like some of the ones I have seen at the swaps. It works pretty slick. We dont have any hydralics on it though because we have a car hoist to lift a body up. I cant post pics on here, but if you want to see a pic, pm me your email and I can send you some.

[footbrake68]

Strange...I have the info from that link as a single PDF file. Nicer that paging through the website one page at a time. I can't remember where i got it from, but if anyone is interested, i can host it and we can do a "sticky" on it..or i could just get one of the nice forum moderators to host it here on the site. :D

Yep ... you can DL it as a single .pdf file. I had it saved for "future reference" like all my other projects that I keep meaning to get done - really, I am ... soon ;) :D .

[BRETTZER]

You can see the one I built on my link. JJ66 posted a link to the plans I used, and it has worked great, and is versatile to mount different vehicles. Instead of hydraulic jacks, I mounted hand crank cable winches on each upright, and they work great. Pretty cheap too.

[grnova]

Here is one I made for my nova (I am a Carpenter by trade) 6 months it held till I wasdone.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v135/T_N_T/nova/Dec0528.jpg

[NIGHTSHADE]

Is that WOOD??:eek:

Here is one I made for my nova (I am a Carpenter by trade) 6 months it held till I wasdone.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v135/T_N_T/nova/Dec0528.jpg

[skrymir]

On mine I'm hoping to add a way to slowly turn over the car and lock it into any position.

I saw a engine stand for about 200 that had a gear drive on the head so you could rotate the engine easier. I think it was for a 2000 lb stand.

[K-Man]

Well, i guess that proves the ol saying, you work with what you know. I would never have thought of using wood, but when you think about it, a bare body can easily be supported by a wood structure. Very cool.

[NOVANUT77]

On mine I'm hoping to add a way to slowly turn over the car and lock it into any position.....

If you have the car installed on the rotisserie correctly, there is no need for any device to spin the car. If the rotisserie is built to allow adjustment of the cars position horizontally and vertically, you can adjust it so that the cars center of gravity is aligned with the spindles at each end. Once you have it adjusted properly, you can spin the car with one hand. As for locking it into any position, I used four draw bolts (two on each spindle) to hold mine in position. They work very good to hold it from rotating. In fact, I only need one tightened down and I can get inside the car and work and it's very solid. I still tighten at least two for safety reasons, but one will hold it.

[69NovaSS]

Is there any chance when you use a rotiserie restoring a car that when you rotate the car around to its side that you could end up "bending" (for lack of a better word) the car sideways? Do you get what I mean? Cars were never designed to support it own weight on its side.....maybe warping would be a better word for what I am describing?

I'm sure it cant happen but it sure looks like it could to me...:confused:

[NOVANUT77]

Is there any chance when you use a rotiserie restoring a car that when you rotate the car around to its side that you could end up "bending" (for lack of a better word) the car sideways? Do you get what I mean? Cars were never designed to support it own weight on its side.....maybe warping would be a better word for what I am describing?

I'm sure it cant happen but it sure looks like it could to me...:confused:

If the car is overall in good condition, without significant rust or other structural damage, there is almost no chance of warping the body like you mentioned. It is recommended that X bracing be welded in on convertibles to make them more rigid, but anything with a roof and without rot should be fine. I really think more stress is put on the body during hard cornering and acceleration than could ever be put on the body when installed on a rotisserie.

[69NovaSS]

could you replace body panels(such as floor, trunk floor, or quarters) while in one?:confused:

[JRChevy]

The brother and I built a good one out of 4" square tube. We cut the ends off of a 9" ford with the axle bearings and housing ends, about 6 inches or so to use as the pivots on each end. We did this because it turns so much better, and when you are sand blasting, the sand doesnt affect it like some of the ones I have seen at the swaps. It works pretty slick. We dont have any hydralics on it though because we have a car hoist to lift a body up. I cant post pics on here, but if you want to see a pic, pm me your email and I can send you some.
evldoer's rotisserie pics:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v610/31chevy/Rotisserie/100_0171.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v610/31chevy/Rotisserie/100_0170.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v610/31chevy/Rotisserie/100_0170.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v610/31chevy/Rotisserie/100_01692.jpg
Nice job..

[NOVANUT77]

could you replace body panels(such as floor, trunk floor, or quarters) while in one?:confused:

You can do floor pans and trunk floors while it's on the rotisserie, but quarters should be installed while the car is sitting on it's wheels.

[LT1 CT]

I will be needing a body rotisserie in the next few weeks. I was thinking of purchasing one but I will only need it for a month or so. Does anyone know of one for sale or rent. I had rather rent one since I will only be using it for a short time. After that, it would only be in my way.

Thanks,
CT

[CDJr]

Build One!!! Build One!!! ;)

[LT1 CT]

I have thought about building one but I was hoping someone may have one taking up space and need to sell. I am progressing along at a good pace on my project at this time. I don't want to take time out to build one. I am thinking it would be faster to purchase or rent one. Not to mention, material cost is unreal.

[CDJr]

You can build one very easily and very inexpensively (and very quickly). Probably cheaper than renting one for a month, and in less time than itd take to go pick it up and haul it home and set it up. I built mine in a few hours and it didnt even cost very much. Of course it was a couple years ago when steel costs were much less than now. However, when you look at it, the steel could always be re-usable when youre through with it, if need be. I honestly dont see how ya can go wrong building one for temporary use. Of course, "thats just my opinion...I could be wrong".

[novanutcase]

If you decide to build you might try this:

http://www.harwoodperformance.bizland.com/1941buick/Editorial_20.htm

Hope it helps!

[69NovaSS]

I believe there is a thread or two on here about that....actually there should be pics on here too where one of our members built one out of two heavy duty engine stands...worked out really well for him....possibly do a search....or maybe that member will chim in....I sorta think it might have been Joe that did it......but I could be wrong on that:o

[LT1 CT]

Thanks for the info.

[SteveM]

I am in the mood to build a rotisserie to mount the body of my '63 on during restoration. I'm looking for any good ideas that others have used and/or pics of rotisseries that have been built or bought.
The ones I've seen look pretty much like tall engine stands, tall enough to let the body rotate for access to the underside, and wide enough to be stable with the body shell attached.
I'm trying to figure out where the pivot points should be on the firewall and rear bumper area, so that it is not too top or bottom heavy as well.
Again, this is a "cry for help", looking for any advice with respect to building this contraption. I have access to a full industrial shop with powered hacksaws, welders, etc. The fabrication should be pretty straightforward, I'm just looking for some good ideas now.

SteveM.

[Custom Jim]

I am in the mood to build a rotisserie to mount the body of my '63 on during restoration. I'm looking for any good ideas that others have used and/or pics of rotisseries that have been built or bought.
The ones I've seen look pretty much like tall engine stands, tall enough to let the body rotate for access to the underside, and wide enough to be stable with the body shell attached.
I'm trying to figure out where the pivot points should be on the firewall and rear bumper area, so that it is not too top or bottom heavy as well.
Again, this is a "cry for help", looking for any advice with respect to building this contraption. I have access to a full industrial shop with powered hacksaws, welders, etc. The fabrication should be pretty straightforward, I'm just looking for some good ideas now.

SteveM.

Steve,
We need to get together. I started up again last night and here at work doing some design idea's and I too want to build one. What got me going again was looking through my old mags and found an article from 1995 about building one.
I went earlier in the year to Shapiro steel up in north Saint Louis to get a rough idea as to steel prices (which probably have gone up some) but roughly for the steel using a Jeff Lilly design with the cuts the materials are a tad over $300.00.
I did last night bookmark some sites with plans and idea's and I can post what I found later tonight when I get home.
I've been playing around with the idea of using a single ram on one end connected with cable like on the garage lifts I've seen to where when you lift one end the other end moves the same amount. Other designs I've seen use two rams but you have to jack one up, go to the other to jack it up and then go back to the first one. I've also toyed with the idea of having two rams but a common pump with a hose Y'd off going to both pumps. Maybe I'm getting lazy in my years but it seems like a lot of back and forth with two independant rams.
I also have a buddy in Arnold with a setup for his 69 Cutlass convertible I looked at least year and he was cost effective and used round tubing from an old trampoline he had and his is working out just fine.
From what I've read so far any vehicle the center of gravity will have to be found and there just needs to be enough flexibility in the design to make this happen. I did read about a guy with a Camaro coupe and convertible and they had two different pivot points.
I agree the fabrication should be straight forward just some good layouts and welding with some small parts like wheels or casters.

PM me if you want with your number or I can send mine to you. I have to go down to Herkey this weekend to work on a relations house and might be in your area to get together if you want.

Jim

[Real McCoy]

Someone recently posted a photo of a Nova on a really nice unit. It may have been a purchased one but it had all the bells and whistles. Might be able to seach around and find it just to see how it was done. RM

[Gloryhound]

I got plans for one off a web site recently that someone had posted in a previous thread about building a rotisserie. I got the steel and it costed around $350.00. Now all I have to do is weld it together. Then buy all the little assesories. I'm steeling the casters from my two of my four tire dollies. Also I made some slight adjustments to the plans due to some free steel I managed to get from work. (mainly the rotators instead of 3" OD with 3/16" wall and 2 1/2" OD with 1/4" wall I switched to 2.5" OD with 1/4" wall and 2 1/4" OD with 1/2" wall that will get just enough machined off to make it a good fit with only enough play for grease.) Still looking back if I had it to do all over again with the cost of materials, expendables, and my time which is not included in the end price I'm only going to save around $150 from a base model sold by venders and if I would have known all that I would have just bought one of the vender machines! Oh well Hind site is 20/20.

[CDJr]

Theres some pics on my site of the very simple (and inexpensive) one I made. It held my 68 Firebird for about 2 years and when I took it off of it, I converted them into roll-around car stands. Im not sure about the center of gravity on that early model but I know where it is on a 1st gen F-body, and its probably real close on a 3rd gen Nova. I had to guesstimate where mine was, and I actually got it very close...close enough to where I could put the leaf springs back on it and it was perfectly balanced (it was a tad top-heavy without them).

[BRETTZER]

here is alink to the one i built and used, with minor mods.
http://members.tripod.com/~mopar_roadster/body_rotisserie.html

you can see it in use on my picture links

[SteveM]

CustomJim:
I work in Pevely, and the company I work for buys quite a bit of steel from Alro metals - their truck delivers to us pretty much every week. I think we get a pretty good discount on steel - once I figure out exactly what I need I'll get a quote pulled together.
I live right around the corner from another Festus Nova guy - I don't know his first name, but he's got an orange '70 with a black vinyl top and a freshly installed aluminum headed 427 - he has mentioned you before.
I'd like to get a little more involved in the StLouis area Nova scene.

Gotta go for now.

SteveM.