Rolling cart to transport shell to painter?

[steveh326]

Right now my car is stripped to the shell. Thinking I could get the best paint job if I sent it to the painter that way. I will talk to the painter later this week to confirm, but I am thinking of building a rolling cart to bolt the shell to for transport and painting. The shell doesn't weigh much, I am thinking I'll just use some 2x10 or 12 and some 2x4 lumber, along with some casters from Harbor freight, and build a 5x7 or 6x8 cart.

has anyone ever done this? Am I over simplifying it?

 

[cmayna]

Here's some pics of a coupe carts used to move Shag around during it's restoration.

 

[apollard]

Talk to your painter about the wood. As an organic product, it could shed fibers and such that he doesn't want in the booth - tiny little things screw up paint.

 

[steveh326]

Talk to your painter about the wood. As an organic product, it could shed fibers and such that he doesn't want in the booth - tiny little things screw up paint.

hmm didn't think about that, thanks... will talk to him this week about it.

 

[steveh326]

Here's some pics of a coupe carts used to move Shag around during it's restoration.

Thanks Craig, I thought I typed a response to you earlier but it doesn't show up, so I guess I didn't. Yeah, my car looks about like yours in your pics right now, thats why i was thinking cart. I've got to finish pulling the dash out but other than that it's stripped. Will talk to the painter this week and see what he wants me to do. Concern over wood fibers and dust the cart would hold are valid concerns, although I could throw a coat of paint on it to seal it up.

 

[Horseplay]

It wouldn't cost much more to weld something up with metal and avoid the wood altogether. This coming, of course, from a guy who made a front straight axle out of a 6 x 6 to roll my car around for a while!

 

[buckeyedemon]

picked up some remant box tube and some wheels. made a few cuts, stitch welds and done.

when i was finished with it, i just used a cutoff disk and nicked the stitch welds then packed the metal away.

 

[RyanG85]

 

[steveh326]

picked up some remant box tube and some wheels. made a few cuts, stitch welds and done.

when i was finished with it, i just used a cutoff disk and nicked the stitch welds then packed the metal away.

awsome thanks very much.... I like this idea, simple... I am going to price out the square tubing. looks like 2"? dumb question... do you tack the frame rails to the cart, or bolt it on somehow, or just use gravity to hold it on? I am mostly concerned with loading the cart/shell onto the trailer to transport to the painter... don't want to lose anything.

 

[buckeyedemon]

awsome thanks very much.... I like this idea, simple... I am going to price out the square tubing. looks like 2"? dumb question... do you tack the frame rails to the cart, or bolt it on somehow, or just use gravity to hold it on? I am mostly concerned with loading the cart/shell onto the trailer to transport to the painter... don't want to lose anything.

it was 3" tubing around 12 gauge. the place that sold remnant metal basically had some scrap this size, so that's what i used. so there was nothing special about picking that particular size beyond it's what they had leftover at $0.40/lb.

the car just sits on the car with gravity. it has never slid around on the cart just pushing it in and out of the garage. it is just sitting on all four torque boxes. maybe you could take advantage of the car's body buck holes to keep it from sliding when pushing it up onto a truck.

and the big air filled wheels really suck. i wouldn't do that again. they were a bear to swivel because they wanted to grip.

good luck.

 

[steveh326]

it was 3" tubing around 12 gauge. the place that sold remnant metal basically had some scrap this size, so that's what i used. so there was nothing special about picking that particular size beyond it's what they had leftover at $0.40/lb.

the car just sits on the car with gravity. it has never slid around on the cart just pushing it in and out of the garage. it is just sitting on all four torque boxes. maybe you could take advantage of the car's body buck holes to keep it from sliding when pushing it up onto a truck.

and the big air filled wheels really suck. i wouldn't do that again. they were a bear to swivel because they wanted to grip.

good luck.

thanks. I called my metal supplier today and new tubing would run me about $100 give or take, but that was for 2". I found some solid poly wheels at Harbor freight that will add another $60 the tab.

I talked to my painter today and I might be screwed. last summer when I talked to him all was good, but delays in my project has me 6+ months behind. in the interim there was a major hail storm in his area that has him swamped doing insurance repairs, and because of that his corvette customers (he specializes in corvette restorations and is well known in that community) are all starting to complain and whine because their cars are running behind. he told me to try to find someone else, so it's back to the drawing board. best case scenario I'll be another 3 months or so getting everything done and ready for paint, and he'll be caught up, but that might be wishful thinking. His dad painted my 1st car for me, and is now retired, but maybe I can talk him into coming out of retirement for a special project...

 

[cmayna]

Very sorry to hear about the painter but this happens so often. Hopefully you can ask around amongst your car friends as to who they might recommend.

 

[mustangstofear]

I use a dolly system on every car I paint, just keep in mind not to make it to tall so you can paint the roof and not to low so you can paint the rockers.

 

[steveh326]

Very sorry to hear about the painter but this happens so often. Hopefully you can ask around amongst your car friends as to who they might recommend.

yeah I am starting to check around. I got burned earlier this year painting an old truck that I took to a guy I had not used before, I ended up having to hire a rollback and move the truck from his shop to another one just to get it done. I've known this father/son my whole life, and I know they are good, but will start checking around.

 

[steveh326]

I use a dolly system on every car I paint, just keep in mind not to make it to tall so you can paint the roof and not to low so you can paint the rockers.

too bad you aren't closer !