The main task right now is getting the Alfatross up on the rotisserie so we can clean the the bottom and interior and soda blast the body. While we're at it, we'll check for rust problems on the frame, dents in the floor pan, and for electrolytic corrosion of the aluminum body due to dissimilar metals being in contact.
The good news is that Dave already has both the rotisserie, the commercial soda blaster, and a heap of experience acquired not only from running Auto Right Collision Repair in Santa Fe, but also from building the "HelCamino," a 1972 El Camino frame-off resto-mod project just completed last year.
 |
| Powder-coated and plated frame and running gear of Dave's last project, the Hel Camino . . . |
 |
| . . . which has already accumulated a pile of plaques and shelf of trophies! |
I had hoped to have the Alfatross up on the rotisserie by now, but the re-engineering, cutting and welding associated with modifying the rotisserie to suit this application is taking longer than anticipated. As I mentioned before we are going to suspend the car from a 17 ft. long section of steel pipe run through the body instead of the normal technique of attaching to the underside of the frame. This means that we have to build brackets on top of the frame inside the body and align them with each other, the trunk opening, and the grill opening.
It also means we have to modify the rotisserie "heads" to receive the ends of the pipe. It isn't all that difficult, it just takes a lot of measuring, cutting, welding, and drilling. The simple design we came up with is U-shaped brackets and sockets that can be bolted to the front faces of the rotisserie heads. This makes it possible to restore the rotisserie heads to their normal configuration in the future.
 |
| Standard rotisserie head before modification. |
 |
| Dave and I working out the sockets to attach to the rotisserie heads. |
 |
| Welding one of the sockets to the rotisserie head. |
We had to buy a 20 ft joint of oil well "drill stem" for the axle pipe and cut it down to 17 feet. One thing I can tell you is that drill stem is some of the toughest steel around. I went through 5 Sawzall blades making just one cut! It's also pretty darn heavy. The walls are 1/4 inch thick and I estimate the length we're using weighs more than 150 pounds--much too heavy to use in test-fitting the alignment of the brackets inside the car. Solution? Use lightweight PVC pipe for alignment.
 |
| View through the grill: aligning the brackets. |
As expected, some more grinding and fitting will be needed before we do final welding on the brackets and bolt them to the frame.
Back to work . . . .
