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Which of these would you buy?

Grabber70Mach

Grabber70Mach

Well-Known Member
The second one (Easy Balance) looks sturdier on the floor area and has more adjustments for vertical changes.

I'd stay away from the Camaro wiring schematics, though...*G*
 
I built this one just over a year ago for my El Camino ( sure wish I had it for the Mustang ). I looked at a variety of different ones and came up with this simple setup.
It's a lot sturdier than it looks. The main mast has telescopes about 15-18" maybe more. Once you set the CG of the body, you're basically done with that adjustment... no need for a fancy hydraulic jack unless you are using it all the time on different bodies.
The mismatched caster pairs were picked up at the metal yard's scrap bin for $5 each, but you can also get air filled wheels from harbor freight for $5 each that work very well even though they are only rated for 300#. The caster version is only about $10. I made spindles for the air tires so that I could easily move them to either end, then use the swivel casters to steer. The little plastic casters are just there for easy transport... Once the tiebar is installed, there in no need for them... that's why they are held on with muffler clamps.

The one thing I do plan to change is the locking mechanism to set the rotation. Basically it' just 4 bolts that are tightened like set screws on a shaft.. I tends to distort the inner tube a little if you over torque them, but they do a good job otherwise. I like the index plates that some rotiseries have. I thought about adding a disk and fabing a caliper to lock it into place.

anyway... It cost my just over $225 to build and about 13 hours... If you think it's a design you'd want to work with I'll dig up my drawings, clean 'em up and send you a copy...

roto1.jpg


underbelly.jpg
 
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Thanks, Yes I would be interested in looking at the drawings for your setup. I had thought about getting a solid shaft and some pillow block bearings mounted on a flat plate to make the rotating part. What do you think of doing it that way?
 
I think the bearings would be overkill... Once get the body's center of gravity adjusted to match the pivot point then you can practically spin it with one hand, and it shouldn't take much to hold it in place. The shafts on on mine are just schedule 40 pipe - 2-1/2" Outer, 2" inner. There's something like an 0.094" gab between the two so I used a piece of aluminum sheet to act as a bushing between the two... Once greased it spun easily.

Part of the reason for the inner tubes distortion is that I over torqued the locking bolts. I did't set the CG quite right because of my garage door's opening mechanism interferred with the side of the body near the back. I left the rear about 3-4 inches lower. Therfore when I spun it 90 degrees it would want to spin back and therefore I torqued on the bolts a little more to hold it in place.... after hundreds of cycles it took a toll on the inner tube. Something I often thought about was to simply drill 1/2" holes through both tubes, indexing the inner holes every 45 degrees, but then that limits you only want to spin it 15, 20, 25 degrees... When I replace the inner tube, I'm thinking of changing the braking to something like a band brake. It should be pretty easy to fab up.

Anyway, I'm having trouble locating my soft copies, so I may need to redraw it. Fortunately I still have my hardcopies. How soon are you looking to get started on it?
I'll try to get some more detailed pics this week if I can get over to where I have it stored for the winter.
 
Just in the planning stages at this point, the bearings and shaft were just a thought, I already have some out in the shop. They were scrap that was being thrown out at work, IIRC its about 2 3/8 to 1/4 shaft. Just thought it might work out since I have it on hand. Thank I appreciate any info when you get the chance.
 
If you have them on hand then by all means use them, pillow blocks that large can get pretty pricy, so I personally wouldn't go out of my way to buy a set. I'm all for using stuff you already have. That's half my problem... I keep all sorts of junk thinking someday I'll be able to use it for this or that....
 
I'd buy both set of plans if you are exploring. the cost is down in the noise.....
 
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