Dershum Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 So I'm working on building a simple rotisserie out of a pair of engine stands, and as I was checking measurements I realized that the heads on the stands aren't level. They're slightly inclined, which I'm guessing is so that when the weight of the engine is on them, the deflection would level them out. Is this the case, or are they just designed so the engine is at a slight angle? The reason I ask is because I want to find out if i need to level out the heads or if I should leave them alone and allow the weight of the body to deflect them a little? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbs70z Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 So I'm working on building a simple rotisserie out of a pair of engine stands, and as I was checking measurements I realized that the heads on the stands aren't level. They're slightly inclined, which I'm guessing is so that when the weight of the engine is on them, the deflection would level them out. Is this the case, or are they just designed so the engine is at a slight angle? The reason I ask is because I want to find out if i need to level out the heads or if I should leave them alone and allow the weight of the body to deflect them a little? I would level them out so it would be easier to rotate the car on the heads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Six_Shooter Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 (edited) I agree, level out the heads for rotisserie use. You are correct about the built in angle of the heads. With many off the shelf engine stands there is plenty of slop between the stand and the head, so that when an engine is on it, this will keep the engine level. With the car being supported at both ends, the sagging is less of an issue. Edited May 13, 2012 by Six_Shooter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zinpieces Posted May 14, 2012 Share Posted May 14, 2012 (edited) Where in Jersey? I can show you how I built mine from two Harbor Freight engine stands. Here is a picture. Big thing is to tie the bottoms together and balance the car so it turns freely. I found that by using the rear bumper mounts and bolting two pieces of plywood into the radiator mounting holes I could achieve just about perfect balance. The car rolls with one hand. These pictures are old, but you get the idea Edited May 14, 2012 by Zinpieces Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dershum Posted May 14, 2012 Author Share Posted May 14, 2012 I'm also using a pair of harbor freight stands, but I already had one of the 1k lb stands (looks like you've got the heavier ones) so I just got a second. I'm tying the front crossbars onto the body via the bumper mounts, and a simple crossbar across the back connecting the rear bumper mounts. So I think what I'm doing is very similar to what you've done. I'm basing a lot of it on this pic/diagram from at atlanticz.ca. About the only modifications I'm making are increasing the overall height on the stand by 12 inches (I'd only need to do about 7 based on this design), and I'm not making the height adjustable. Also I'm going to weld in some bracing triangles wherever the rectangular tube meets at a 90 degree angle for extra bracing, and I'm probably going to add some underneath the heads of the engine stands Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redneck1545 Posted May 14, 2012 Share Posted May 14, 2012 http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/topic/81766-welp-im-building-a-rotisserie-from-engine-stands-pics/ Pretty much answers all your questions and has tons of pics of other stands built by memebers here. I used these plans myself except that instead of buying a 3rd stand I simply went to the metal yard and bought the metal in the dimensions I needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dershum Posted May 14, 2012 Author Share Posted May 14, 2012 (edited) http://forums.hybrid...ne-stands-pics/ Pretty much answers all your questions and has tons of pics of other stands built by memebers here. I used these plans myself except that instead of buying a 3rd stand I simply went to the metal yard and bought the metal in the dimensions I needed. I looked through this pretty extensively in the past and also emailed back and forth with a couple members here on their designs as well. After I kicked it around in my head for a couple months, I decided to go with the simplest and cheapest option I could come up. I figure I probably won't be using the engine stand again as a body rotisserie (at least any time in the next several years) so I wanted something that I could disassemble from the stands and still use one of them as an engine stand and probably just sell or store the other once i take it back apart. Of course, I suppose cutting up the second stand for scrap metal is also an option, but I'm also pretty tight on extra storage space. What I really need is an extra garage bay Edited May 14, 2012 by Dershum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
proxlamus© Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 Hey thats my old thread! nice! I'm not sure who you emailed back and forth.. but my 280z has been on the rotisserie for over 2 years now and is great. I slide it around, wheel it outside, spin it every which way. Works fine for a light unibody like the Z. Yes you can use them as an engine stand when you are all done... its just a little higher up I am tight on garage space as well. so in order to park my other car in the garage, i rotate the Z on its side.. problem solved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dershum Posted May 31, 2012 Author Share Posted May 31, 2012 Not to drag my own thread back from the dead, but I started (finally) working on this. Got the 2nd engine stand and all the metal pre-cut from SpeedyMetal, and I'm starting to extend the length (height?) of the engine stand uprights. Not a lot of progress, but a little feels good Also wouldn't mind a little critique on my welds...here's a couple closeups. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
proxlamus© Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 your welds look healthy to me =) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dershum Posted June 2, 2012 Author Share Posted June 2, 2012 Progress continues apace...got the front crossbar started and holes for the mounts drilled. I'm going to cut some small plates out of 3/16 thick plate and drill holes to match so I can sandwich the body panel between the crossbars and the plates. I had to cut off the mounting bolts that were there...two of them were so siezed up (after the bolt broke off) that I sheared off a bolt remover trying to get one out. This was after liberal applications of PB Blaster and heat. Also I'm going to cut some triangles from the 3/16" plate and weld them in the corners where the crossbar meets the bars connected to the body. One thing that I'm still working on though. Based on my measurements, the front crossbar is (currently) 27" off the ground. I've got the car what I believe to be level, and the rear bumper mounts are at 27" (give or take) as well. In most rotisserie designs I've seen, the front is offset from the rear, presumably so that there is a straight and level axis down the length of the car. However, if I'm measuring this right, the front mount and rear mount are already on a straight level axis. I'm thinking I can just mount the crossbars directly to the (modified) engine stands and forgo the offset on the front mount, but I wanted to run this by you folks and see if you had any thoughts on the matter. Oh, and that engine stand isn't modified yet...I'm just using it to help hold the crossbar in place while I got it measured and bolted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dershum Posted June 4, 2012 Author Share Posted June 4, 2012 Not to bump my own thread, but I'm making some more progress on this, but I'm trying to figure out if I need to offset the front/rear mounts at all. Here's kind of what I'm up against. I've got the car level (at least based on the front frame rails), and at it's current height on jackstands, both the front and rear bumper mounts are right around 27". In most designs I've seen, the front mounting point is much lower than the rear, so the crossbars (A) that connect to the front bumper mounts are about 10-12" lower than the rear mount. But if I'm measuring this right, the front and rear bumper mounts are at nearly the same height when the car is level. I'm hoping that someone might have some insight on this. Oh, and the Z is a '71. Thanks much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluDestiny Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 This is so awesome. I need to learn to weld Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dershum Posted June 4, 2012 Author Share Posted June 4, 2012 If I can do it, anyone can. I just started with little "art projects" to practice on. After 2 or 3 of them, I kinda got the hang of it. I wouldn't call myself a master, but I can lay down a weld that I'm not (terribly) afraid will result in my death Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vertebraille Posted June 6, 2012 Share Posted June 6, 2012 Looks great so far. I'm thinking I need to build one of these. However, I have a pretty substatial pile of steel behind the house, and I think I might start from scratch. We'll see. Your welds look pretty good. However, I think, the second close up, you might focus a little more heat on the "bottom" edge. Or the surface of the metal you added. The weld looks like it could use just a bit more penetration. but I'm pretty sure it'll be fine for a light car like the Z. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Six_Shooter Posted June 6, 2012 Share Posted June 6, 2012 There are two different bumper attachment points on the S30, early 240s used a higher mounting point, than the later 240Z ('73 only? Maybe early 260Z as well), that mounts lower, which looks like where you have attached. I don't recall where late 260 and 280Z mount the front bumpers. I haven't measured but the lower bumper mount points may be in line with the rear bumper mounts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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