body weight?
- Thread starter Max B
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Someone will respond who has solid information, I am sure. However, the stock Tiger was around 2,600 pounds. Subtract the engine, trans differential, all the suspension parts, wheels, interior etc. and I would think two (2) 1,000 pound engine stands would work just fine. However, I would wait for someone to respond who has actually built a rotisserie.
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FYI, a completely bare Tiger shell could be lifted by myself on each end individualy to stack cross hatch style 5.5" x 5.5" square lumber (my old fence posts to raise it up manually to then be attached to a rotisserie. Also, took my time and kept checking as I added lumber - looks crazy but worked very well IMO (have done twice sucessfully so far) Went quickly for both raising shell high enough to attach initially as well as lowring when I was ready to put it back on the ground. when I was close to gound I re-attach front cross member and rear end/leaf springs to make it a roller again. Highly recommend rotisseri, did this in a single car garage with plenty of work room left over. I did install/test fit the doors while on the rotissere but only one at a time and took back off when I was pleased with fit (did not trust doors remaining shut whil spinning car around (way cool). I worked on trunk and hood fitement gaps with car flat on ground. Posting picture with risk of everyone knowing I am nuts for sure. Wanted to add - used a light duty rolling tool cabinet with a small bottle jack and to hold up the 'lift' while I added the additional logs - car did 'step' 5.5" angle on every other lift which I compensated a bit with stacking small 2"x4" pieces to lessen step/tilt ., looked funky but it was sturdy and stable doing so - again, did everything very slowly and double checked 3-4 times .
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After I bought my Tiger I purchased a Liqui-Tilter. This allowed me to work on the bottom of the car. It connected to the lug nuts on one side of the car and then used an electric drill to tip it over with a long bar attached to the rounded rockers. I looked on line to see if they are still available but I couldn't find anything. I think that it was around $500 when I bought it.
Keep in mind that if you use the mounting points for the bumper, they are a piece of sheet metal welded to the front and rear frame rails with a captive nut welded to the inside. If you use these areas to secure to, the weight could be a problem depending on the condition of the metal. You should secure the body by the front crossmember mounting holes and the rear by the rear spring mounts.
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Thank you. I was considering the jacking sockets after making sure they are still solid. But will check out your suggestion now. Will do some research. I also will check for rustouts, cracks, or other weakness that the stress of a rotisserie might leave me with two halves in stead of one whole. If risky, will find other alternatives. Thanks.
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Austin Healer
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I have a rotisserie and a self built rotisserie. The difference is that the self built one isn't on wheels. The way I mount the body is with 2X2 thick wall square tubing with a plate over one end drilled for a 1/2-20 TPI Allen head cap screw. These all bolt to the OE bumper mounts. As a secondary mount I have made solid square bar stock that inserts into the jack holes. The cross bar for my rotisserie gets the 2X2 box section welded above and the square bar stock fits below. This is all clamped together to the cross bar of the rotisserie. as i said, I weld the 2X2 mounts to the cross bar. this keeps them square so they cannot sag and possibly damage the bumper mount points.
All of this requires that the frame ends and jack points are not compromised by corrosion. If there is any damage, I certainly wouldn't mount the car in this manner. It is also a good idea to make a bar to mount on the "A" pillar and "B" post so the car cannot distort the door opening area...
If I have a car with compromised sills/rockers I will place the car on a rigid trolley and make repairs. Once I am satisfied that the car is structurally sound enough, I will then mount it on the rotisserie.
I've restored the last 5 Tigers with this system and had no problems... BUT, it cannot be stressed enough, the integrity of the mounting points cannot be in question.
All of this requires that the frame ends and jack points are not compromised by corrosion. If there is any damage, I certainly wouldn't mount the car in this manner. It is also a good idea to make a bar to mount on the "A" pillar and "B" post so the car cannot distort the door opening area...
If I have a car with compromised sills/rockers I will place the car on a rigid trolley and make repairs. Once I am satisfied that the car is structurally sound enough, I will then mount it on the rotisserie.
I've restored the last 5 Tigers with this system and had no problems... BUT, it cannot be stressed enough, the integrity of the mounting points cannot be in question.
The square jack tubes are only a few inches in length and are also welded to the rear valance. The comment about making sure there is no rust or corrosion is dead on. We don't have that luxury on most cars in my part of the world. The jack tubes and bumper mounts could be weak.
This style of rack is used for obvious reasons by some in this area. The car is my green car.