toolman Posted March 6, 2017 Share Posted March 6, 2017 In planning to do a restoration of my 240z, I knew that I would need a rotisserie to repair the floor panels properly. Most automotive rotisseries run about $2000 not including shipping. A used one would run about half that amount. For me, the problem was most rotisseries are large and take up a lot of space. As I have only a two car garage, this type of rotisserie was not an viable option. After searching the Internet, the idea of a tilt rotisserie was found. The best version for me was a wooden tilt rotisserie. This style is very compact and can easily disassembled after used. Second the cost is very low. I spent less than $100 for lumber and hardware(bolts, nuts,screws and nuts). With the vehicle on its side, the floor panel, frame rail, and rocker panel repair is readily accessible. Construction time was roughly 3 to 4 days. Sunny head on view of rotisserie in sitting position rotisserie in tilted position front mounting bracket rear mounting bracket Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Villeman Posted March 6, 2017 Share Posted March 6, 2017 (edited) Think roof beams.... at least if you have build the shed yourself and know what you put in there. We did it with an old engine crane in the back and a heavy duty lashing belt in the front and just suspend it from the ceiling. Not a long-term solution but if you know what you do there is no chance you will be cheaper.... Edited March 6, 2017 by Villeman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicapizza Posted March 6, 2017 Share Posted March 6, 2017 Looks like a good cheap option, but I would be concerned about body/frame warping over time, especially if you're cutting out the floor pans and frame rails Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Villeman Posted March 6, 2017 Share Posted March 6, 2017 yeah but that option is always present when you use one, no matter which way (okay, no stiff connection bar with our setup) but its anyways just to check the undercarriage. When not in use we drop the hoist in the back and let part of the weight rest on a matress Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zzeal Posted March 6, 2017 Share Posted March 6, 2017 (edited) Hey, toolman, you beat me to it. But thanks, I wasn't 100% sure it would work. Here's my version: Like you say, cheap, and easily knocked down. Steve Edited March 6, 2017 by Zzeal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scartail Posted March 6, 2017 Share Posted March 6, 2017 How much of the car has to be torn down? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toolman Posted March 7, 2017 Author Share Posted March 7, 2017 Not to worry, I used to be a bodyman before and am familiar with splicing vehicles. As to the question about how much to tear down the car, it depends what you are trying to fix. The lighter that you can make the vehicle, the easier it will be rotate over. Also keep the center of gravity low as possible makes rotating easier too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neverdone Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 A few words on center of gravity. You want the CG of the car to be in line (or as close as you can reasonably estimate) to the rotation axis of your rotisserie. Putting the rotation axis above the CG makes it harder to flip over, and then the car will want to flip itself backover when you do finally turn it over. Putting the rotation axis below the CG makes the car constantly want to flip over on its own. I'm not 100% sure how much that applies to those 90 degree only rotissary like the ones made out of wood on this thread, but if you're going to make one out of two engine stands (like lots of people do), keep that in mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
260DET Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 Two modified engine stands. The car can then be rotated 360 degrees which gives you different heights and angles to work on the body most effectively. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toolman Posted March 8, 2017 Author Share Posted March 8, 2017 I forgot to mention that for safety reasons- a pair of rubber wheel chocks are placed under the curved wooden section( on each side) of the rotisserie. Never hurts to be safe. Sunny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auxilary Posted March 11, 2017 Share Posted March 11, 2017 (edited) 2 Harbor Freight engine stands at $37 each and some steel from a scrap yard. Total investment (not counting wheels/casters) was probably $100-120 http://forums.hybridz.org/topic/124889-finished-building-a-rotisserie-today/ Edited March 11, 2017 by auxilary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toolman Posted March 27, 2018 Author Share Posted March 27, 2018 (edited) Returning to Low Cost Rotisserie topic after almost a year. Preparing my Z for media blasting. I decided to work on the rotisserie. As the car will probably be in the normal upright position for the most of the rest of the restoration, casters must be added to provide easy movement. Utilizing two 2" x 2" x 1/8" right angle shelving brackets formed into "U" shaped channel support between the two vertical supports of the rotisserie. Two 4" metal casters were added to bottom of the channel. Support channel is about 88" in length. Each side of the channel us attaches to the rotisserie with six-5/16" x 1" lag screws on both sides. Back view of front caster support channel. Each 4" caster has a load rating of 250 lbs. Pic of rear caster support channel These caster channels will be slid in position/ bolted down after car is in the horiziontal postion and jacked off the ground. These 4 swivel casters will allow the vehicle to be turned completely around with ease. Cost of casters was $10 each-Home Depot and shelving brackets were free(dumpster diving) A 2" X 4" board was cut down to fit in the center of the support bar and bolted to frame with four 5/16" x 2" lag screws. This was to provide additional strength when floor jacking on the bar. ' Overall view of addition to support bar Edited March 28, 2018 by toolman additional infor, new pics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toolman Posted April 8, 2018 Author Share Posted April 8, 2018 After rotating the car to the horizontal position, I attached the two caster cross members. Pushing the car around was fine but I noticed that the rotisserie was wobbly when moved. So I decided to add a 1 1/4" galvanized conduit between the two ends of rotisserie to solve the problem. Two mounts were made to hold the 15 feet of 1 1/4" conduit. Two 5/16" x 1" lag screws held the mount to the cross member.A 3/8" bolt with welded nut holds the conduit in place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
socorob Posted April 9, 2018 Share Posted April 9, 2018 My friend made a rollover frame like this, except instead of a curved 90 degree edge, he made 2 45 degree bends. It gave a few options on what position to have the car in for different things. He made it from square tube, so on the upright, he had another tube that would slide into them with large bolts to act as a kickstand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
socorob Posted April 9, 2018 Share Posted April 9, 2018 https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=140&t=1139816&i=200 About halfway down page 11 is what he copied, worked good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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