Getting serious now! On the (home-built) rotisserie and starting on a trunk corner.

 

 

 

Can't wait to see more. 

You see much or any Real flex when suspended in rotisserie fashion?

 

I've heard resto guys (some of course) the rotisserie is tough on unibody cars.

 

Let's hear from The Man.

I can now see myself doing the same in a rented storage unit. Lol but hey , if it works I'm all for it. Looking most inspiring from this coast.

I have not noticed any flex. I would think it would be opposite, with body on frame cars flexing as uni-bodies are self supporting, especially hardtops. I guess I'll know for sure when I fit the doors! You know, it is SO MUCH NICER working on the car this way. I shouldn't have been so lazy and did this years ago. Went from dreading working on it to actually somewhat enjoying it. lol Once I get the engine compartment and underside done, the rest is (relatively) cake.

 

Mark

Yeah you're doing fine ! And you're right about the frame - chassis cars having more flex while in weenie mode.

 

My wagon is flexing some when I jack the front. Gonna be wiggling and jiggling when it's flippin like a chicken. Rot finally got enough of mine in the firewall base/rocker/wheel arch area that something has to happen. Paying tuitions so cheap refurbishment will do fine for me.

Flippin like a chicken. LOL.

I love the home made rotisserie. Two engine stands?

Seems perfect for tiny cars like these. Lol.

Yup, 2 harbor freight specials. Works fine for these light cars. I did replace the fixed wheels with casters to both make it so it can move in any direction and to also level it up since engine stands have a pitch to them. Turns with ease. This is the 3rd car I've used them on.

Show us how and where you bolted it up, please.

Show us how and where you bolted it up, please.

Will do. I hope to get some progress pics up this weekend so I'll get some snaps then. Basically used the bumper mounts.

That's what I figured for center left and right. Looks like no issue but is maybe on side ( top or bottom ) heavier and cause it to want to rotate? Or does is stay well at any point in rotation?

It's pretty balanced the way I have it set up. The key is to get the centerline of the car and the rotisserie matched. If they do not match is where it becomes imbalanced and gets difficult to turn depending on how far off the center axis it is.

So I did not get a chance to work on the car this past weekend, but here are a few progress pics of rust repairs.

 

 

 

 

The top 2 are the leading edge of the wheel arches. The outer skin has been cut out and the internal rust ground out. The lower is where the frame structure attaches to the floor pan on the left side. The rust has been cut out and the internal surface cleaned and cold galvanized painted.

 

 

Filled the inner panel hole with a fiberglass patch. Both side the same.

 

 

Used more glass here to close up the floor section.

 

 

 

And the final metal outer patch on the wheelwells. Sorry Moosens, no mounting pic yet.

 

Mark

 

No sweat. keep it going ! Lol

Resealed the backs of the front fenders, front fenderwells, and underside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then undercoated

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also got the bodywork done on the roof. Not too much work here. After 1st blocking, needs a little glaze/reprime then should be good.

 

 

Also resealed the doors while I was at it and started to do the little bit of bodywork necessary to the doors. Overall they are pretty straight and solid. Only the drivers side lower needed a small rust patch. These doors came off the OK parts car. Plan for the next few weeks is to finish the roof up, get the doors and fenders ready to shoot (blocked and primed) and finish the body work under the hood and get that painted. It's helped that it has been in the low to mid 70's the last couple weeks allowing me to do some paint and bodywork.

 

 

 

 

Been working on the car pretty much every weekend since the last update. Lots of stuff done, but not pic worthy. Here is the progress,

 

1- Roof touched up and re-primed. Needs blocking

2- Door bodywork done, primed and blocked. Ready for color

3- Fenders bodywork done, primed and blocked. Ready for color

4- Quarter panels and rockers bodywork done and primed. Needs blocking

5- Finished the last of the repairs to the cowl replacement. Engine compartment ready for primer

6- Finished the inside repairs to the cowl, around the fresh air intake.

 

Here is what I hope to get done by Monday, if my back lets me.

 

a- Finish rust repair to right inner fenderwell

b- Re-scuff passenger compartment and seam seal

c- Prime engine compartment

d- Prime passenger compartment

e- paint passenger compartment with some left over single stage paint

 

Still a ton of work to do if I hope to have it ready for JCCS.

NICE

following this now. Cool resto, good work done.

 

I've been spending my time on a '78 Datsun 200SX I have, just done some rust repair it needed on driver's floorboards etc, trying to repaint the car red right now. I know if I had gotten as deep as you have on the Sub with sandblasting etc, I wouldn't be as happy with what I'm working with, this car had been previously wrecked and the front-left corner of the vehicle had been welded in from a different 200sx, under-fender and half way across to center of radiator area.. still some crinkled steel where it was welded in to rest of body/trans tunnel/drivers floorboard. I'm sure handling will never be 100% because of this, shame.

 

I AM stripping down a '77 Lancia Scorpion which I have for total blasting of the bare frame for a custom build from scratch! Going with a mitsubishi turbo 2.3 stroker engine for that (eventually)

Well, my back did not hold up well welding in the patches, so not everything I wanted to accomplish got done. However, with the help of my buddy Motrin, I at least got the damn welding done under the dash and for the right fenderwell. The fenderwell was not too bad except for forming the compound bends needed, but the interior cowl repairs were a bitch. Thin metal and upside down welding suck.

 

 

 

 

The doors and fenders waiting for color

 

Mark

Like your work ( at risk of repeating myself - I will have to do the same to MY '76 Wagon some time ) ...

 

Query - Why weld upside down ? Especially when you already have it on a rotisserie ?

 

Cheers, Bantum ...

Edited February 17, 201511 yr by Bantum

Like your work ( at risk of repeating myself - I will have to do the same to MY '76 Wagon some time ) ...

 

Query - Why weld upside down ? Especially when you already have it on a rotisserie ?

 

Cheers, Bantum ...

 

Thanks. I sure hope you don't have to do the cowl repairs I did. As for the upside down welding, it was only semi-upside down (is that a word? lol). Because of the forward legs of the engine stands, it will not let me rotate it 360 degrees. I would have to make the mounting points so high it would not allow the body to easily rotate as the centerline of the body would be so far off the centerline of the stand, it would be a pain to spin it as it would always try and spin to it's roof. The downside to having a $150 rotisserie vs. a $1500 one.

More progress. Got the interior and most of the trunk epoxy primed then topcoated with some leftover single stage enamel from other paint jobs. The car is still going to be green, but since I'm going BC/CC on the exterior, I was not going to waste the time (and $$$) doing BC/CC in the inside where it will be hidden under carpet and such.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I didn't take a pic, but I shot the engine compartment in high build poly primer, so I just need to do a final sanding there (not looking forward to that) and it will be ready for color. Working now on getting the trunk rust repaired so I can get it off the flipper and get the shell painted.

 

Mark

Thanks for such great updates.

 

Forsee any help needed in a part or two? Earl is getting a nice coupe front seat from me , but it's still here

Most everything coupe I had went to Danny who the grapevine tells me has sold off his stock to another guy here in Illinois. So I'm pretty sure all his / my old coupe stuff is with the new guy. Anything left coupe you are welcome to. I think there is one NOS rear quarter inside panel that was supposed to get to Danny. Some double items I kept : steering column complete , numerous small items , and ctsuba has lots of loose parts from 72-3.

Thanks for the offer Paul. Check my wanted post in the classified and let me know.

 

Mark

Yeah I probably asked you six times already lol

 

Combination of the excitement of your project and wanting to pare down. . This spring I need to go nuts getting stuff pared down , again. Lol

Drivers side trunk repairs done.

 

 

 

 

What a pain with the compound curves and bends. Now it's just the passenger side, and the rust is not quite as bad so hopefully it will be a little easier. THEN THE RUST IS GONE!