DanielForest
True Classic
JUST 2? You are a stubborn guy!
Budget rotisserie
- Thread starter Rodger
- Start date
Rodger
True Classic
It took my wife quite a while to tolerate two. I need to stay married so two is my limit.
DanielForest
True Classic
If you look at my signature, you will notice how much I could understand your situation.
Dr.Jeff
True Classic
Nice job. I recall quite a bit of discussion about making car rotisseries on Xweb a few years ago. The one thing I did not like was most of them cut and re-welded the center/upright post on the engine stands to make them vertical (so the two stands are on the same axis to pivot). But I like your method of raising the rear of the stand better.
Then after seeing the out-riggers you later added gave me an idea. Make the out-riggers with the extra casters on them, then use them as the risers (attach the out-riggers to the bottom of the engine stand's rear leg). I'll try to make a visual to help explain that later.
Then after seeing the out-riggers you later added gave me an idea. Make the out-riggers with the extra casters on them, then use them as the risers (attach the out-riggers to the bottom of the engine stand's rear leg). I'll try to make a visual to help explain that later.
darwoodious
Darin Nelson
Rodger, they should have a photo of you in the dictionary next to "a glutton for punishment".
Now you have zero X1/9's to drive. You better finish your K20 before I do. I honestly thought you'd be done by now. I think I have another 28 months left...
Rodger
True Classic
Fortunately with the ‘79, I have already done most of the restoration of mechanical bits. It was the rust that finally got to me. Not terrible but noticeable. Once it is back from paint, it shouldn’t take too long to reassemble it. Then I can try to beat you on the K20 race. 28 months to go, huh? Ok, it gives me a target to shoot for.
Rodger
True Classic
I made a small modification to my rotisserie. I added a piece of 2x4 under each "front" wheel of the engine stands. This raised the horizontal bars of the stands just enough to level the large tubes which hold the pivoting pieces that the car is attached to. Before, they were tipped downward slightly, so that when the car was rotated, the stands would pivot so that they were not pointing right at each other. Now, when I rotate the car, they stay nicely aligned. It also makes it easier to wheel the whole thing around as the rubber wheels swivel much easier due to being more perpendicular. I also made some cut-outs in my outrigger to allow those wheels to swivel without hitting the outrigger cross member.
Another nice benefit is that now when the car is totally on it's side, the only place it hits is the bottom of the car on the connecting beam. Before, the rear fender could touch one of the engine stands.
Another nice benefit is that now when the car is totally on it's side, the only place it hits is the bottom of the car on the connecting beam. Before, the rear fender could touch one of the engine stands.
Dr.Jeff
True Classic
Possible thought here. If the main benefit of the connecting beam is to stabilize everything while it is being rolled around. Then what if you made that connecting beam removable? Could the car then be rotated completed sideways without hitting anything? Replace the connecting beam to roll it around, then remove it when you want to work on the bottom of the car. You would need to find a way to make it removable, but that shouldn't be difficult. Could that work?
Rodger
True Classic
The connecting beam is easily removable. Just one bolt at each end. It is only there to stabilize the engine stands when you are rolling the whole thing. I'm not sure if the car will pivot all the way around with the beam removed without hitting something else at this point, but I will give it a try.
Rodger
True Classic
Nope. The rear fender hits the engine stand. I am still very happy with the access that I get with the way it is, with minimal investment or fabrication skills. If I extended the vertical members of the engine stands to allow the car to spin 360 degrees, I would think that the car would be too high then to comfortably work on it when it is horizontal.
kmead
Old enough to know better
Looking good Rodger.
Next time you have it outside, are bored and have nothing better to do on car on rotisserie, could you snap a photo or two of the bottom of your car?
If you could use a couple of worklights to fill light the surfaces and try to take them so the camera is perpendicular to the bottom? The best would be three pictures in portrait, all taken at the same elevation starting at the front of the car, progressing to the rear with some over lap of each shot. I can then stitch them together.
If you are really bored, similar images of the top of the car would be really cool as well.
Thanks
I did some minor manipulation of this image which makes it easier to see the bottom surfaces. I did the same a few years ago to some other images but it was a bit distorted as the images were from different heights and slightly different angles.
These are useful images for people trying to understand the relationship of parts and where stuff is bolted to the body. The other images I stitched I see used by others regularly.
Next time you have it outside, are bored and have nothing better to do on car on rotisserie, could you snap a photo or two of the bottom of your car?
If you could use a couple of worklights to fill light the surfaces and try to take them so the camera is perpendicular to the bottom? The best would be three pictures in portrait, all taken at the same elevation starting at the front of the car, progressing to the rear with some over lap of each shot. I can then stitch them together.
If you are really bored, similar images of the top of the car would be really cool as well.
Thanks
I did some minor manipulation of this image which makes it easier to see the bottom surfaces. I did the same a few years ago to some other images but it was a bit distorted as the images were from different heights and slightly different angles.
These are useful images for people trying to understand the relationship of parts and where stuff is bolted to the body. The other images I stitched I see used by others regularly.
For what it's worth....
I found that if I was going to be cutting and welding stuff anyways, the advantage of starting with prebuilt engine stands is small. My local steel supplier sells 20-foot lengths of 2" square tubing for way less than even Harbor Freight engine stands. Welding up the the tee and post eliminates all the problems with the angle of the pivot and getting the height so that the car would do a full 360 without hitting the ground. Building my own also meant that I could have a much wider footprint, which means greater stability, which means no need for a crossbar between the two ends.
I found that if I was going to be cutting and welding stuff anyways, the advantage of starting with prebuilt engine stands is small. My local steel supplier sells 20-foot lengths of 2" square tubing for way less than even Harbor Freight engine stands. Welding up the the tee and post eliminates all the problems with the angle of the pivot and getting the height so that the car would do a full 360 without hitting the ground. Building my own also meant that I could have a much wider footprint, which means greater stability, which means no need for a crossbar between the two ends.
Dr.Jeff
True Classic
Yes, that was helpful to have. I've used that image for demonstration purposes myself. Thanks for doing it.
Dr.Jeff
True Classic
Thanks for trying Rodger. I was thinking it just might clear after your latest changes to the stands. And I agree, the way it is will be more than sufficient. Really can't beat this for simplicity.
Agree. I'd either keep it real simple by doing what Rodger did, or go full-on and make one like you describe. Doesn't make a lot of sense to keep cutting/welding/modifying the engine stands. The benefit to using the engine stands in the method Rodger did is they are still good as engine stands and it is quick/easy to put together. This is preferred if you only plan to use it a couple of times. The benefit to making one from scratch is you can design it anyway that suits your needs. This would be preferred if you planned on using it many times over.
Rodger
True Classic
Ok Karl, I gave it a shot. Here are the best three I could come up with. I tried to get as perpendicular to the bottom as I could and the same distance. Problem was that I was using a little zoom on my camera to fill the image, but by the time I would move the camera to the next spot, the camera would shut off and reset to no zoom, so the magnification was not uniform. I tried both with and without flash and the ones without flash but lit by some shop lights had the best shadowing for detail. Hopefully you can do your Photoshop magic.
Dr.Jeff
True Classic
Hey Rodger, this does not apply to you...you already have the stand working very well.
But if someone wants to make the same sort of set-up and does not have the engine stands already. Perhaps a pair of this style (below), configured the way Rodger did his, might allow the car to rotate all the way around without hitting the center support? There may be enough gap between the lower legs to allow the corners of the car to pass between them (not certain until it is tried).
Not that the car NEEDS to be rotated all the way around. As Rodger has found, it is accessible enough at the limits of its current rotation. Just having fun thinking of options for others to consider.
Rodger
True Classic
I would totally agree with Eric, but welding is not in my skill set, as much as I would like to learn. At this point in my life of car restoration, once my two X project cars are done, there will be no more (well, never say never
), so acquiring the knowledge, tools, and practice time just doesn't make any sense to me. The advantage to using the engine stands is that once I was done with my rotisserie application, they come apart easily and are stored in a relatively small space on a shelf, as opposed to having a bigger, nicer one that is all welded together. Plus, I can always use the engine stands for just that.But, everyone takes the path that makes the most sense to them. That is what is great about this forum. Everyone freely exchanges ideas and opinions and everyone's view is respected.
kmead
Old enough to know better
Likely sometime on Monday for the next iteration. Thanks!
One minor thing, what was the camera used to take them? I can do a correction on each photo for the defects caused buy the lens of the camera. IE iPhone 7, etc as they have look up tables for a variety of popular camera lens.
Thank you
Karl
One minor thing, what was the camera used to take them? I can do a correction on each photo for the defects caused buy the lens of the camera. IE iPhone 7, etc as they have look up tables for a variety of popular camera lens.
Thank you
Karl