Not sure where to post this.
I am building my own steel rotisserie (mainly because I have a pile of steel laying around for parts.) The plan, from Red Wing Steel Works, states to use 1/4" plate steel cut to 4"X4" triangle gusseting. I have 1/4" x 4" flat steel on hand and was wondering if there was a significant (me, the car, or both being squished) difference. If it is a strength issue I'll get the specified stuff.

Thanks

 

The difference in what steel is called (plate, sheet, or flat) doesn't mean anything except maybe in the thickness. Strength is determined by the alloy. Common structural steel is 1018. As far as using any of them for gussets, it wouldn't matter what it is called.

 

^^^^This. If it's 1/4", it's "plate" anyway. There are minor strength differences between hot rolled and cold rolled, but the difference isn't meaningful in your application.

 

"Flats" is actually"Bars" which covers round,square, hexagon and rectangular shapes. "Cold rolled" is more precise in size than "hot rolled". Hot rolled steel would probably need the "mill scale" ground down to "bare metal" for welding.
......Just my two cents worth, just minor information

 

1/4" seems like over kill. When I bought this last 442 it came with a homemade rotisserie. It is constructed of 2" square tube, but the wall of the tube appears thinner than 1/8". I can get some pictures and measurements of the square stock if you would like.

 

The plans call for 3/16" tubing, mostly 2 1/2" and 2". The reasoning is that the tube is heavy duty enough and it allows the different sized tubing to slide into each other for adjustment with no slop between them.

http://redwingsteelworks.com/wp-cont...s-01022015.pdf

 

Finished the metal work on the rotisserie today. I then disassembled it and put it close to the sandblast pile. Knowing my dad the stuff will sit for weeks or months before he gets to it. Once blasted I'll paint it with a self etching primer and paint. I could use it the way it is but parts are rusty and other parts have the new steel film that seems to jump onto my clothes.
I'm pretty happy how it turned out. I did have to buy some of the steel as some of the stuff that I had on hand turned out to be 1/4" wall.
I did add a few things not on the plan such as pins to hold the hanger brackets if the bolts would slip; I capped the main upright to keep stuff that I'm sure I would have placed on top from falling in; I added a couple of D rings to assist winching onto a trailer, and cut a couple of "J" bolts to act as wrench holders. The plan did not specify the center connection so I fabbed up three 6' pieces that can telescope into each other. I should have a range of 9' to 19'. I also beefed up the gussets from 4" to 5".
My first welds looked like a flock of geese hit it but by the end the welds were looking pretty good. Like anything, you don't do stuff for years and you almost have to relearn how to do it.
I haven't tallied up the total cost but the casters and jacks cost about $250. I had to get a new bottle of welding gas half way through and blew a fuse on the wire feeder (that took hours to figure out.) I still think I spent less than half than a purchased one.

 

That sure looks like it will do the trick. Thanks for updating your progress.

 

X2 thanks for the update. Put-r-ther, Excellent work and a very nice job!
Those locking casters are a little expensive, but top notch for home use. That will make your project much easier to move around.
Keep the pics coming one you start on you car please!
Cheers'
Eric

 

That is a nice design! Looks plenty strong for cars and light trucks. Looking forward to a restoration thread.

 

"Knowing my dad the stuff will sit for weeks or months before he gets to it." I hate it when i'm right. For whatever reason my dad finally decided to get the rotisserie blasted. I'm working nights and had gotten up early for a doctors' appointment. While showering I get the onset of a migraine headache. I've had enough of them to know the signs (shimmering vision like looking over a lake on a sunny day) to take medication to hopefully stop it. I go to the kitchen and pop the meds. I see I have a voicemail telling me the appointment will have to be rescheduled. I go back to bed and 5 minutes later my dad calls and tells me the rotisserie has been blasted. But I need to get it out of the way as he needs the space for paying customers' stuff. Can't leave it outside or it will surface rust, and don't have room anywhere else. My plan had been to paint it myself but at this point my only real option is to take it to the powder coater. I do that, pick up the kids from school and then go in to work at 6. Great day.

I picked up the stuff a couple of days later. I brought it to my garage and assembled it the other night. I should have taken a photo then but I didn't.

I work on my projects mostly alone (tough to call someone at 2am asking for help.) After assembly I went to put in back on the trailer to take it to my farm. Since my trailer is only 5 foot wide I couldn't put it on the trailer with the cross bar on holding the two ends together. So I tried to push the individual end frames up the ramp. This SOB is heavy and very tipsy without the cross bar in place. I used ratcheting straps and pushed. Probably took about an hour just to get it back on the trailer. I have since fabbed up a short connecting cross bar that will hold the two ends together and still be small enough to trailer if I need to. Ironically it is still on the trailer in my dad's shop out of the weather until I can safely unload it (with a hoist or tractor loader this time.)

 

Next steps will be to get my red 64 on the rotisserie to cut out the pieces of floor and trunk to patch my white 64. I will probably also take the area around the rear wheels as there are no repop metal patch panels available. Then I will put the white 64 on the rotisserie. I have already removed the front windshield and rear window glass and plan on taking off the doors and trunk lid. Should I take out the rear side glass out or would it be OK to leave it? For that matter should I remove the glass from the doors or leave it in place? The doors will probably need a little rust repair around the bottom eventually.

 

Nice!