The engine bay is now stripped with the exception of brake lines and the crossmember which I want to leave in place for strength while it's on the rotisserie. Speaking of that, I had to unearth the rotisserie since it was stored among the 2 engines and 2 transmissions, the snow blower, and other miscellaneous stuff. I bought it on eBay 4 years ago. It's manufactured by a company called Fab Tech in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This is one I got from a Shelby Mustang restorer in the Dayton, Ohio area who was retiring.
On Saturday, I got all the pieces out and was short a couple of clips that hold the mounting pins in place. A quick trip to Lowes solved that. These are the two ends all assembled and ready to go.
This was a specially designed rotisserie for first generation Mustangs. I hear they are making them once again, but probably with more improvements like some of the newer rotisseries have. This one has to be at least 30 years old.
I made another trip to Lowes to pick up some grade 5 bolts, washers, and nuts to mount the rotisserie heads to the car. I also picked up a 7/16-14 tap to chase the threads on the front frame. The rotisserie uses the bumper bracket mounts to hold it on.
The rear uses the bumper mounting holes also.
So now I was ready for some help, which came on Sunday afternoon. My friend Glenn (the guy who found the car for me) and 6 other guys from church came over around 4:30 PM. We had to wait until qualifying for the Daytona 500 was over. With 6 of us to lift the body and one person on each end to slide the rotisserie frames onto the front and rear head, it made quick work and an easy lift. I have no idea how much a stripped body weighs, but it was much less than I thought it would be. Here's a video of the event.
So my fastback is finally on the 'tis. I have a piece of square tubing that I'm going to connect the two ends together so that the body isn't the main member taking the stress when rolling it around. Now it's on to cleaning up the underside, doing all the metal work on the floors, putting in the new passenger toe pan patch, and finishing out the underside. Progress is a beautiful thing.
That is EXCELLENT progress! But I gotta know Dennis, which one are YOU in the video? LOL!
ReplyDeleteYou are funny Sven! I'm the guy with the black jacket and the tan Ford hat. I step across the view field after the car was on the 'tis. Now I have no excuse to work on the underside. I'm still trying to sort out the mystery of the black paint and absence of red oxide on the original floor. I've got an email in to Bob Perkins (former pres of MCA) to get his thoughts. After all, I should have it done in a week or so, right? LOL!
ReplyDeleteAwesome video Dennis! You're a very lucky guy both for having a rotisserie and for having enough friends to help you lift your car onto it! :-)
ReplyDeleteYes I am lucky...or as I like to say "blessed" with friends and family. My wife took the video and did a great job considering all the bodies around the car. Thanks again for your encouragement.
ReplyDeleteI wish I had a rotisserie when I did my car. That should be a huge help with working underneath the car. Are you going to put in sub-frame connectors (i.e. Tin Man)?
ReplyDeleteI thought about doing the car as an old 68-1/2 Cobrajet car in Wimbelton White and a big block. But since it's a 1-of-1 car, I'm going to go back to mostly stock. Therefore, no sub-frame connectors. The changes I'm making can be undone if necessary. I'm adding power brakes with front discs, an R-134 AC compressor, and the 5 speed manual with a cable clutch. I may use the new Borgeson integrated power steering box. But I'm a long way from making that decision.
ReplyDeleteNot sure if you saw my response to the Hurst shifter information, but here it is:
DeletePart number 5388022
Shifter Stick Length (in)
12.000 in.
Shifter Stick Layback (in)
7.500 in.
Shifter Stick Offset (in)
2.000 in.
Shifter Stick Ball Thread Size
3/8-16 in.
You can do a google search and come up with multiple places that sell the shifter. I got mine from CJ Pony as a "T-5 Conversion" handle. Here is a link to the part on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Hurst-5388022-Shifter-Stick/dp/B00062Z520
Thank much for the info!
DeleteDennis, this reminds me of when I stuck my 67 fastback body up on saw horses (in the days before rotisseries). I enlisted the entire staff from my engineering group over a long lunch. Although no photo exists, I'll never forgot the sight of 10 aerospace engineers in classic white shirts and black narrow ties, lifting the shell off the jack stands and up onto the saw horses. And since we were all 99 lbs weaklings - that explains why it took 10 of us to do the work of 6 of your friends :)
ReplyDeleteNice job - forward progress!
rj
RJ, I remember saw horses well. When I did my '29 Ford, I made some out of 2 X 8 lumber. They were wide enough to roll the chassis underneath since I had a deep single car garage. Four of us lifted the body with no problem. I am fortunate I found this rotisserie. In fact, it's already spoken for when I'm done with it.
ReplyDeleteWow, I definitely wish I had a rotisserie like that. Good luck with the build. Once you get the body cleaned up installing the parts will be fun. I would get headers and maybe a Mustang brake kit.
ReplyDeleteDan, already have a set of hooker long tube headers and the front disc brakes with power booster. I need to make ponies and stop them, right? :D
Delete