[RallyBob]

I found a bunch of pics yesterday I haven’t seen in years, and thought it might be nice to put them in one place.

These are various items I’ve built for working on Opels. In theory making my work easier…

The first one is a chassis stand I built for my dad’s GT. It could also hold a Manta chassis in theory, though I never used it for that. Part of the design was the ability to drop an engine from a GT and roll the chassis away. The front crossbars are removeable. I sold this when I moved into my new shop due to a lack of space.

 

[RallyBob]

Next up is the rotisserie I built in 1989 for a 1974-1975 Manta. The bumper mount holes are utilized for attachment.

 

[RallyBob]

Then there’s the chassis jig I built to allow structural repairs to be done, or rollcages to be welded without distorting the chassis. I made it in 2000 or so from some scrap I-beam I got.

 

[RallyBob]

Here is the new rotisserie I’m building. I needed a rotisserie for my Sportwagon, but my old one is currently on loan, so I figured I’d update and improve the design a little. I had 5 lengths of 3” x 3” x 3/16” square tubing, so I designed it around that. I also wanted a more positive method of locking the rotisserie in position.

I’m hoping I can build this rotisserie in the next week or so. Materials are all cut now and I have the casters too. I went with 6” diameter urethane casters. Just need to finish up a few other projects first.

 

[Mercougary]

Well laid plans. This will be a breeze. Powder coating may double it though. Excited to see your fab area in action. As always, keep up the good work Bob. You are an inspiration to us all.

 

[opelwasp]

I'd love a copy of the plans for this stand.

I found a bunch of pics yesterday I haven’t seen in years, and thought it might be nice to put them in one place.

These are various items I’ve built for working on Opels. In theory making my work easier…

The first one is a chassis stand I built for my dad’s GT. It could also hold a Manta chassis in theory, though I never used it for that. Part of the design was the ability to drop an engine from a GT and roll the chassis away. The front crossbars are removeable. I sold this when I moved into my new shop due to a lack of space.
View attachment 442497
View attachment 442499
View attachment 442498
View attachment 442500

 

[RallyBob]

I'd love a copy of the plans for this stand.

I built that over 30 years ago.
No doubt the design sketch is in one of these bins. Which bin…that’s the magic question.

If I stumble across it at some point I’ll let you know, but searching for a specific sheet or two of paper amongst all this stuff is not in my immediate plans!

 

[RallyBob]

I’m lacking fabrication bay floor space due to having an immobile car in my shop. Waiting for parts to come in, which is still a few days away.

So I started putting together some of the smaller pieces for my new chassis rotisserie. This I can do on my welding bench in the meantime.

 

[kwschumm]

Nice and beefy! 👍

 

[RallyBob]

Nice and beefy! 👍

Massive overkill for an Opel.

My old rotisserie was made from 2” x 2” x .095” square tubing. It supported a full Manta body shell (including glass, interior, and suspension) minus the engine and gearbox for years.

I have no doubt this one would hold a complete car with driveline and then some.

 

[Justion337]

Here's a "tip-tisserie" I had on a previous VW Scirocco shell. Two people could tip it on its side.

 

[GoldGT]

I'd love a copy of the plans for this stand.

This is the same design but not quite as high. Obviously it would be very easy to increase the height if you wanted to. This one is only made for the GT so it does not have the second set of vertical supports, but again it would be easy to add them if you have the dimension between the jacking points of the Manta. Mike Lane (Opellane) has this one, I built it for him when he was building his blue car.

 

[GoldGT]

To add a little to this thread, here is a set of jack stands that I made that fit into the jacking points of my GT and had casters that you could screw down and lift the whole body off the ground to be able to roll it around. This is what I used in my garage and also at the body shop to roll the shell out of the way when they were not working on it. I still have it all in NY. Doubt I will ever use it again.

 

[Buicknick72]

Thank you for this post. I've been contemplating making a rotisserie for my 2 manta projects or just finding a way to tilt the car at a steep angle. Seeing it in real life and seeing how you used the bumper mounts is very helpful. I think I'll mirror what you did.

2 questions-

Are the front and rear bumper mounts same height?

How did you lift the chassis up to get it on the rotisserie?

 

[RallyBob]

2 questions-

Are the front and rear bumper mounts same height?

How did you lift the chassis up to get it on the rotisserie?

The bumper mounts are essentially in the same plane, yes.

When I first put a car on the rotisserie I had access to a forklift. I put the entire car up, minus engine and gearbox.

Later on I used a 2-post lift when I purchased one in my old shop.

A bare-bones Manta shell (no glass, interior, doors, engine, suspension, etc) is very light. I can lift one end up by myself overhead. Two people can lift a shell off the ground with ease.

I don’t have a forklift or a 2-post lift in my new shop, so I will finish stripping down my Sportwagon and will just use my engine hoist and a couple of tie-down straps to cradle the shell, and lift it up high enough to slip the rotisserie stands onto the bumper mounts.

 

[RallyBob]

I’m gathering up the parts for my rotisserie locking mechanism.

I’ll use a spring-loaded 3/4” pin that slips into one of the 12 holes on the 3/8” metal discs I had water-jet cut.

I modified a piece of tubing as a receiver for the locking pin, complete with a guide slot in the tube and a threaded knob. I don’t have a mill to machine the slot, so I just drilled a few 3/8” holes and connected them by grinding with a carbide burr.

 

[Buicknick72]

The locking mechanism looks really nice, any reason you didn't go with a simpler pin in the rotating part like a engine stand?

 

[RallyBob]

The locking mechanism looks really nice, any reason you didn't go with a simpler pin in the rotating part like a engine stand?

Once built, it’s really quite simple.

Draw the handle back and sideways like the bolt of a rifle. No tools needed, no dropping or losing a loose pin. All self contained.

 

[RallyBob]

A few more details on my new rotisserie.

 

[samdog]

Next up is the rotisserie I built in 1989 for a 1974-1975 Manta. The bumper mount holes are utilized for attachment. View attachment 442501 View attachment 442502 View attachment 442503 View attachment 442506
View attachment 442505
View attachment 442504

Excuse me rally Bob, is this my Manta from 1989?