How to work on the tub bottom with no rotisserie (1 Viewer)

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acjb

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Joined
May 3, 2007
Threads
28
Messages
110
Location
Birmingham, AL
This project has been on again off again for the past 8 years. I bought the cruiser in 2000 and did not even put 20 miles on it before I started tearing it apart. The floor pans were the only thing rusted on it but there was enough there to make up for not having it anywhere else. I put new pans in it first thing after buying a welder. I always dreamed of doing a body off so I could fix the rust issues the right way, but knew a rotisserie was out of the $$$ question. So after having plenty of time to think it over this is what I cam up with. I am very pleased with how it works and I have all of 50 bucks in the wood and screws. The key to the whole deal is the electric hoist that I got off ebay for $125. I could be done with a come along also, but I have always wanted a hoist for my fifth wheel hitch and top to the cruiser. One thing is for sure, that baby is tied and chained in several places just in case. I am trying to document as much as possible. I really like looking through and reading the build threads so I thought I would contribute.
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This project has been on again off again for the past 8 years. I bought the cruiser in 2000 and did not even put 20 miles on it before I started tearing it apart.

I feel better now. It's only been two for me thus far. :D

The homemade rotisserie looks like a good idea. Good luck with the restoration. Do you have a thread started on the rebuild yet? Keep up the good work.
 
Just get another one, it worked for me.:grinpimp:
 
looks good, fyi, you can make a very nice usable and reusable rottisserie for fairly cheap if you have a welder, I made one out of 2 engine stands and it came out great, it will be reusable as well as the center section can be bolted off and cut and the stand pieces sit in c channel so they can go up or down, on a different car all I would have to do is change the template pieces....

Noah
 
Thanks for the encouragement guys. My dad has told me on several occassions I should just sell that "old truck", you will never finish it. I am not one to keep one vehicle for any long time, but this truck has become a part of the family. It has moved with us two times so I may be on here later beggin' for this or that which has been misplaced. I will post pictures as I go so that maybe they will help others also. I have really gotten a ton of help just by searching and looking at other post. With all the trash and what not on the net now, it is nice have places like this for us guys to hang out and share a passion. Guppie that is one cool set up. If I were doing several projects I would definately do something like that. I hope all of you have a great Easter!
 
keep on it man! don't listen to those people that say it will never be done. Just break it up into mini goals, meaning make a goal for the weekend or the day you are working on it and complete it. This way things will move quicker. It also helps to write out all the steps you see ahead of yourself. I have a typed up plan of steps to take in order to get my restore done, it helps to see it on paper so you can follow the line to the end. good luck.

Noah
 
Noah,

The rotisserie that you made is great for a car that does not need a lot of metal work, but if you cut too much metal out, it's going to fit differently when you put it back on the chassis. If you don't care about door gaps, etc, it's not a big deal. Your project was pretty clean so you may not have this problem.

The one he built is going to hold the body in alinement's better because it's bolted to the jig the same way that the body bolts to the frame and this is ideal for alinement's.

Panel beaters like to make a wood frame to hold a part in place when working it off the car and a wooded buck to form new panels around. Wood with metal work go together, kind of weird but old school. For example, if a fender come off a car, you can't just set on a bench and start hammering on it, you have to build a frame to hold the fender in a way that approximates the way it bolts to the vehicle.

The most logical thing to do is do all of the metal work on the frame with the wheels on the ground and the body fully braced up.

Then, take the body off and put on a rotisserie to do the clean up. Still needs to be fully braced up.

I have never worked on a FJ55, perhaps the body is strong enough to not need bracing, but I'd still prefer to do metal work on the chassis.

Great idea with the wood frame, I really like it. Sometimes the simplest idea is the best. Occams's Razor...

-Stumbaugh
 
stumbaugh, good points, agreed, if you are cutting out a bunch of metal you would definetly need bracing, I am not cutting huge amounts of metal, just patch work, really I didn't want to scrape undercoating while laying underneath the truck, this is just what worked for my project......
 
Noah,

I fully agree, I'd prefer to use a roto as well for clean up, just not for panel replacement. We are on the same page. Unless you bend the body when on the roto, you can get it back on the same way (this does not work on convertibles sports cars though - if you open a door, they kink). A 55 is probably not going to kink in the middle...lots of beef if it's not rusty.

One more point. A lot of undercoating has asbestos in it. Not wicked dangerous unless you use a wire wheel to get it off and or it gets dried out and flakes off. Probably best done outside with lots of water to wash it all away. Nice to roll outdoors to do this.

I had the stuff on my project tested and it came back clean, but other I know had the same test and found friable asbestos fibers. Only cost about $65 to find this out after I breathed it in all day.

A heat gun with a scraper fixed to it with two radiator clamps is amazing for getting off thick undercoating.

I bought a 78 frame from a Cruiser head down your way named Chris. Super nice guy, old school cruiserhead too.

-Stumbaugh
 
I dont worry about my old man giving me grief on this stuff. Fact is, he is just seeing himself 30 years ago and wants to see what the end result is going to be as bad as I do. I am not done because part of me really never wants to finish. If I do then what ...sell it and buy another...and start the whole thing over. Although I do need to get it driveable. Kind of wasted money if you cant enjoy your work right.

Noah, I like your ideas and I bet yours will be really nice based on the detail you seem to have planned with. I have found the best thing for me so far has been photos to go back to. The kind nobody else is interested in, but sure help when you go to put her back together.

Stumbaugh, my thoughts were just as you described. I have heard horror stories of tub and bodies collapsing when picked up or moved so I thought my best bet was to to as I did.

I may just start a build thread. Funny thing is, some of the pictures are from before I had a digital camera, so I will have to scan them in to show you guys. Hence the bad avatar photo. It is from the first day I bought it. Man that seems like an enternity ago. I will get some photos of the floor pans tonight and post them up.
 
nice rotisserie guys ,my dad said the same thing all the time also."sell that piece of junk ". i think it mostly had to do with all the work i made him do on it . but once you get it finished he will be a proud papa ,my dad thinks my rig is pretty cool now ,but he still calls it a piece of junk. :grinpimp: keep up the good work .

:cheers:
 

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