[RallyBob]

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

Yes sir it is.

 

[RallyBob]

Tiny progress. Having trouble getting good welds. I’m not sure if it’s contaminants, bad shielding gas, the gas lens, or what.

I’m betting on contaminants since this is all old rusty steel. I’m pre-sanding down the areas I’m welding but I’m getting a lot of cratering. Which means grinding out the pits and craters and welding things over.sigh. Nothing is ever easy.

I changed out my gas lens and increased the argon flow rate from 20 cfh to 25 cfh and that seems to have calmed things down a bit.

 

[Buicknick72]

There's a local metal supply shop that has a 'bargain barn' loaded with cutoff pieces. I'm going there this weekend to get enough metal to build the rotisserie.
What weight capacity do you think the casters should be rated for?

 

[RallyBob]

There's a local metal supply shop that has a 'bargain barn' loaded with cutoff pieces. I'm going there this weekend to get enough metal to build the rotisserie.
What weight capacity do you think the casters should be rated for?

The casters I have are MASSIVELY overkill for an Opel. They’re rated at 600 lbs each, with 6” diameter urethane wheels. That works out to 2400 lbs capacity per rotisserie stand, or 4800 lbs total capacity for two stands. Seeing how the stripped body shell is about 500-600 lbs, I’m not stressing the casters at all!

I did this not for the load capacity, but for ease of rolling. The old casters on my first rotisserie were 3” phenolic wheels, rated at 250 lbs each. Being small diameter phenolic, a stray zip-tie on the ground would cause them to trip up, lol. Large urethane casters roll smoothly, and over small debris with ease.

 

[Buicknick72]

I would not have guessed the body is that light. That really is nothing, the rotisserie will weight more! Harbor Freight has some affordable 6 inch castors so I'll probably go with those. My driveway is a bit rough so the bigger wheels will help.

 

[Autoholic]

Jegs sells a chassis rotisserie for $1200 if you don’t feel like making one. Looking at this, I think it’s worth the cost and you could sell it when you’re done. I’m sure there would be a body shop in town that would buy it for the right price.

JEGS 81241: Auto Rotisserie 2,000 lb. Capacity - JEGS High Performance

Buy a trusted truck and car rotisserie online now. Our JEGS auto rotisseries offer a 2,000 lb. capacity, a sturdy steel construction, and 360° of rotation. Plus, this premium automotive rotisserie features adjustable heights and fork settings. Buy your truck and car rotisserie online today from...

www.jegs.com

 

[Buicknick72]

Looking at your original vs the new one, the new one looks more robust. The angled supports were angle iron, but are now box tubing. Was that more because it was the metal you had available or did you think it needed more support?

 

[Buicknick72]

That Jeg's one does look nice, and if I was planning on doing another car after my 2 Manta's, especially a bigger car I would seriously consider it, but for the little use I'd rather save the cash for the rest of the projects.

 

[RallyBob]

Looking at your original vs the new one, the new one looks more robust. The angled supports were angle iron, but are now box tubing. Was that more because it was the metal you had available or did you think it needed more support?

Exactly for this reason. I used what I had on hand. My first one I built from mostly 2” x 2” x .095” steel tubing.

The new one I built from 3” x 3” x .187” steel tubing because it’s what I have left over from a custom corporate meeting desk (21’ x 42’ long!) I built for my father’s company about 30 years ago.

 

[GoldGT]

Exactly for this reason. I used what I had on hand. My first one I built from mostly 2” x 2” x .095” steel tubing.

The new one I built from 3” x 3” x .187” steel tubing because it’s what I have left over from a custom corporate meeting desk (21’ x 42’ long!) I built for my father’s company about 30 years ago.

You could rotate a '65 Caddy on there with all the running gear still in it. That's a hellova strong stand!

 

[Mercougary]

You could rotate a '65 Caddy on there with all the running gear still in it. That's a hellova strong stand!

A'65 Caddy probably too wide. The stands would likely be alot taller.

 

[GoldGT]

A'65 Caddy probably too wide. The stands would likely be alot taller.

Uh .... I was just kidding

 

[RallyBob]

A'65 Caddy probably too wide. The stands would likely be alot taller.

Maybe…maybe not!

I did design it with Opel fender flare clearance in mind, plus an additional 6” per side.

 

[Mercougary]

Uh .... I was just kidding

I know.

 

[Buicknick72]

I picked up a few 8 foot lengths of 2x2 steel. I got them at Logan Steel in Meriden, CT if anyone is ever looking for metal, they have a Bargain Barn full of cutoffs and misc metal pieces. You pay by the pound, great place.
They didn't have any pipe combination that would work for the rotating part. I was thinking, I have 2 old front wheel hubs from a late 90's ford explorer. Do you think that could be used for the rotating mechanism? They support at least 1000 pounds each in an unloaded Explorer. In my head it's similar loading geometry, think of the rotating Opel as the Explorer and the stands as the wheels.

 

[RallyBob]

I picked up a few 8 foot lengths of 2x2 steel. I got them at Logan Steel in Meriden, CT if anyone is ever looking for metal, they have a Bargain Barn full of cutoffs and misc metal pieces. You pay by the pound, great place.
They didn't have any pipe combination that would work for the rotating part. I was thinking, I have 2 old front wheel hubs from a late 90's ford explorer. Do you think that could be used for the rotating mechanism? They support at least 1000 pounds each in an unloaded Explorer. In my head it's similar loading geometry, think of the rotating Opel as the Explorer and the stands as the wheels.

I’ve never bought from Logan Steel though I’ve seen their billboards for years when I lived in CT. I was fortunate that where I lived in CT (Pleasant Valley in Litchfield County) I had a local welding supply/steel supply shop about a mile down the road from me.

I don’t see any reason why you can’t use front hubs/bearings for the spinner. The only down side might be the fact that it’s TOO spinny and it might be hard to control the body rotations.

Maybe keep the hydraulic brakes and a foot pedal to slow it down, lol.

 

[Buicknick72]

hmmm.... I could drill spaced out holes in a brake rotor and use a pin locking system like your new one has pretty easily...

 

[Buicknick72]

I think I may stop at the You Pull It junk yard and grab a rear rotor and caliper. The rear rotor should fit on the front hub and will be thinner and easier to drill thru for the pin lock. I could mount the caliper, drill and tap a hole to use a bolt to push on the back side of the brake piston to create drag.

 

[Mercougary]

Is SPINNY a word?

 

[BQS4]

Hey if RallyBob says it, it's a WORD