I am not looking to spend the big dollars on a commercial rotisserie for my 78 280Z 2+2.  Would much rather put that money into the vehicle.  I have seen some home made units based on engine stands.  Just looking to get some input as the project slowly proceeds.  Any ideas on the pivot height needed?  Best place to attach ? -bumper supports seem to be the logical spot but someone with experience would know better.  Thanks for any input or ideas, John-Lugoff, SC.

I'm on the same page, looking to built my own as well. I'm actually debating about just building a body stand rather than a rotisserie.  Here's some pictures I've acquired throughout my travels & planning.  Sounds like the cheapo harbor freight engine stands need to be increased in height to allow for full rotation.  I've also seen some cheapo wooden rollers but that doesn't look too stable.

Also check out the great info (PDF) from the Atlantic Z Club.

Rotissary.pdf

I have also seen some of the wooden ones on the internet.  Probably much easier to build but they do look possibly unsafe.  The engine stands seem to be a good starting point but the height factor is my concern. The 78 280Z has the extended impact absorber bumper mounts which look to be a good mounting point.  Thanks for the info.  Adding to the height of an engine stand would not be too difficult but would like to know the best height for the pivot.  John-Lugoff, SC

Here's a pic of mine. I forget the name but it's a pretty good one. Put the car on jack stands, attach rotisserie to bumper mounts and then raise each end of the rotisserie. It works very well. The brackets are meant for Mopars but I drilled an extra hole in the front mounts and made adapters for the rear.

 

Chuck

 

A friend of mine built one out of square channel and angle iron. It works good and mounts to the factory bumper shocks on the 280... A little high for centre of gravity but manageable.

I bought an Eastwood rotisserie for $1200 and sold it when done for $800 two years later.  So my cost to use was $400.  Not too bad.  You might give this approach some thought.  The reason I decided to go commercial was safety.  I didn't want to get crushed.  

I used the bumper mounts, but they are high and will lead to the car being bottom heavy.  It does work ok but is not ideal.

.... Mines top heavy...

I built a rotisserie out of 2 harbor freight engine stands, large HF casters, some steel plate and an old trampoline frame. I priced some steel to build it from scratch but the steel was so expensive it wasn't practical. I added plates to make the stands wider and give me a place to mount the larger wheels

 

You can also see where I extended the frames to make them taller so the car could rotate fully.

The two vertical pipes that are on each end are held by u-bolts throught the engine stand. So the car can be raised or lowered to get it to the proper balance point.

 

 

 

 

 

The car is turned sideways because the shop is full of stuff. The car is very neutral and can easily be spun with one hand. You can use the pin on the engine stand to hold the car in any orientation. When I go to set it down on it's wheels, I can loosen the u-bolts and slide it down until it is close to the ground

 

I bolted through some pipes to where the bumpers mount. You could do something similar

I ran a pipe from one stand to the other with a large bolt for a set screw so the stands are tied together , so they don't stress the chassis. I wasn't too worried about the car falling on me because a stripped Z is pretty light.

I did mine on the cheap and it was perfectly safe, however, the 2 engine stands MUST be connected together at the bottom or you are just asking for trouble.

Chris

I used large wheels on my rotisserie because I took the car to the media blaster on the rotisserie. We loaded the car and all on my car trailer so it was easy (i.e. cheaper) for him to blast. It also allows me to roll it outside into the yard if I need too.

What is the weight of a stripped body? I've got one stripped of everything but the suspension and it already feels as if a good push would tip it off the jackstands.

Thanks for all the fast replies and helpful suggestions.  Did not think of looking for a used unit someone may not have a need for anymore.  John-Lugoff, SC.