Rotisserie

[71ChargerRT]

Who here has built or bought one? I believe this will be the easiest way to do the Challenge-R.

Pros and cons? This is a looooong term project, and I should be, err, am committed to completing it.

 

[restoman]

I built my own back in '01.
It was one of the most utilized pieces of equipment I had

There are a few things I would change if I did another, such as the ability to put a car on it from ground level and lift it up to work height. I had a hoist at the shop so that wasn't necessary at the time...

I think I had about $400 in it, start to finish, and it was heavy duty enough to support anything I ever hung on it. I'm pretty sure I could have hung a Freightliner on it...

 

[71ChargerRT]

Do you have any pics of it? I'm looking around the internet now for design ideas. I will need to be able to pick the car up from ground level, or pretty close to it.

 

[69.5CUDA]

i drummed up a few ideas over the years..and still plan to build one

imo going from ground level is great but problematic...sure you can drop in a couple of HF long rams in some slide tubes at each end..but then the whole "level jig" goes out the window..however thats the only real solid way of doing it..at that point youd just have a pined hole to lock itin place...however i think having some kind of lift..be it a cheep scissor lift(which will come in handy as all hell and had off c-list for cheeeeeep) or a 2/4 post to get the car up "into place" is best..this allows you to put the car up and strip all the extra weight off and then load it onto the rotator...when done on it you come back to the lift and do assembly without ever touching the ground....also a scissor lift is GREAT for body work(no good for exhaust or transmissions tho).....having the lil lift i have now..im actualy questioning my need for the rotisserie ..but i KNOW ill need one i contemplate making a mount of one to my lift

anyway back to design...

me personaly i was going to use rear axle/hubs from say a minivan or other FWD..the reason here is simple rotation with the ability to "e-brake" lock it into place at ANY position..and bearing-ed rotation designed for double or even triple the weight youd ever put on it with very smooth simple operation

casters are the one thing you want to make sure you get the highest quality you can find

lastly the the base...sliding tubes imo are a REQUIREMENT..yes i say tubes..as 2 is going to stay more "square" than a single spine..and flex is the LAST thing you want happening if you do any welding on the car...the slide tubes are needed so you can do anything from a PU cab to a 50s rod body on up to anything big n unibody without the need of longer/shorter mounts...mind you every car will need its own mount but with a FWD rear hub means it bolt on like a wheel


maybe ive over thought things over the years..but my brain says this is the best ways of doing it

 

[dodgechargerfan]

I built one.

It was a bit ridiculous actually but it was strong. Like resto said, if I ever did it again I'd build it so I could load a car on at ground level.

I got the metal tubing from scraps where my brother works. It was 2.5" or 3" round steel tube with 1/8" wall, if I remember correctly.

The only thing that I didn't put in that I wanted was a connecting piece to tie the front and back together. That would have made moving it around much easier.

The round tubing made it a pain to weld at the joints and the lack of flat surfaces for mounting points was a challenge.

But for the time I needed, it did the job. I wish I had kept it but it was really a monster and I don't have the room for it when the car isn't on it.

 

[dodgechargerfan]

My plans were an adaptation of plans that I found on another web site.
The end result was an adaptation of my plans. (i.e. We designed it on the fly based on material that was available.)

http://www.niagaramopars.com/images/stuff/rotisserie.pdf


We didn't put in as many "height" adjustment holes as in the plans. We used round instead of square. The welds were done in the shop at my brother's work. We didn't need the support gussets.

 

[Jester]

Wow. The craftiness in this thread is impressive. The only rotisserie I've ever been involved with was with a hot blonde and a buddy :giggedy:

Kidding, no guys allowed at my pillow biting parties

 

[71ChargerRT]

Unfortunately cheap is still out of my present budget, although hopefully soon that will change. I'd love a 2 post lift.

I like that idea DCF, that looks like something I might be able to do with my lack of budget, I can use my engine hoist to lift the car up there.

As much as I'd like to have one of the YUUGE fancy ones, this is a one time deal. I refuse to do it again, and I haven't even seen my car in person yet.

 

[71ChargerRT]

Oh, and it irritates me to no end that I misspelled rotisserie.

 

[restoman]

I'll dig up some pics of mine in the next day or two for ya.

 

[69.5CUDA]

find yourself a SURPLUS steel yard...a place that sells new as well as used/weathered/cutoffs at x$ per lb....i have one i use religously ....you find yourself a place like that and your cost to build it will go WAY down...heck i get reminant chunks of 16-22ga sheet at about 2$ a lb wich translates out to about 1/3rd the price of the same size chunk off of a full sheet

 

[restoman]

Or get yourself set up as a business with a commercial steel supplier...

 

[restoman]

I know I've got more pictures... somewhere.
This thing is rock solid and stable. It's been on the back of several tow trucks and trailers with the cars attached. Never any problems or "oh shit" moments.
We swapped out a front frame rail, both inner aprons and the torsion bar crossmember on DCF's Charger while it was hanging on this spit.

I lifted the Charger up one the rotis in my driveway the last time... with an engine crane, a floor jack, lots of chuck blocks and planks. By myself.
I wouldn't recommend anyone doing that...

I made up a caster to fit the lower center tie bar, but never needed it.
The pivots are simply one round pipe fit inside another. It rotated very well. Some guys use bearings and that's ok as long as the bearings are sealed, but I'm cheap and the pipe in a pipe works.

I'll keep looking for more pictures.