You can see the mess left after the brass and patches were removed. I cut away all the rotted metal back to good metal ready to weld in new patch material. I started fitting the rocker panel and discovered that it is 1/4" too long. I cut it and removed the extra length, it fit perfect but I didn't weld it together nor install it until the base is repaired. I'll also wait until I get some POR-15 to paint the inside before welding on any exterior skin.

I marked the cut line for the rocker panel using tape and cut the bottom rotted piece off. Surprise! More rot. I got out the torch and melted all the brazing off, removed the bad patches and started to clean up the area preparatory for new patches.

This is the first trial at tilting the car. It can be turned with one hand but I will always use two. You can see there is still a lot of work to do on the bottom. this will be so much easier on my back. I can also finish fitting the new fender before moving on to the rocker panel. I am able to roll the whole thing outside and over to the other bay when I need the room for Corvair work. When the body work is all done this rotisserie will be available for sale, rent or scrap. I don't think I'll be doing another one. I will finish my Rampside pickup truck that is occasionally seen in the background, just needs sanding, paint and assembly. This is as far as I got today. It is presently 102 degrees here, it's just too hot to weld anymore. I think its Miller time! Of course, I'll be using Coors light, just doesn't sound as cool.GGGGGG

This shows the attachment under the front of the car. It's over built but ya gotta use what ya have. It bolts right on to the front spring mount. The other shot shows the car suspended on the rotisserie. I don't think I need the struts in the door but for $4.00 why chance it? They are easily removed when the body panel replacements are done. Cut them off, grind them smooth, prime and paint. The windlace goes over top and will hide any imperfections (if any) GGGG

I finally got the metal, the strength and the stamina to finish the rotisserie. The pictures show the way the car is attached at the rear, which was relatively easy, and the front which was a little bit more complicated. In the following posts you can see more detail on the under side of the front mount.

Progress made so far, left picture shows the head that was cut and rewelded to provide a level pivot. This was done on each of the motor stands. The welded on axles were cut off and discarded along with the little metal wheels, the welds were the ground smooth so as to provide an easy insertion into the extension tubes. I drilled a hole in the top side of each tube and welded a nut over the hole providing a means to lock the tube in place and also allowing dis assembly when I'm finished with it. I then welded the new larger casters on the outer ends and installed them on the stands. I fabbed extensions for the front swivel casters and installed them also. they wont have much to do with the finished product but they do make it easier to move each stand around until I get the whole assembly connected. I took both of the handles used to turn the engine and welded them end to end giving me more leverage to turn the whole car. Each stand was placed in its approximate position and clamped together using a piece of angle iron just to see how it would roll. The next step is to start fabricating the attachment points for each end of the car. The rear will be a snap, the front will take a little longer.
I'd like to welcome Sean Harvey to the followers list.
I also would like to anounce that I heard from my neurosurgeon Friday, that he sees no sense in operating since the nerve block is working so well. He did set me up with physical therapy for three weeks. Looks like I'm almost out of the woods.

Well, Oxycodone and Morphine may be a magic potion but is sure is a bitch getting off of them. I had a nerve block shot scheduled for last Thursday morning and in my drug induced stupor I figured how will I know if the shot worked if I'm still on pain killers? So dum bass that I am, I quit taking them. Dry heaves, weakness, diarrhea, heavy breathing, couldn't talk without crying, irritability, loss of appetite, loss of motor function, super sensitivity to smell, distorted sense of taste all followed. My wife called the doctor and he said I'm experiencing with- drawal and put me back on them but in a decreasing dosage everyday until today, I'm officially off them and of sound mind again. The good news is the shot seems to be working so far, I have an appointment with the neurosurgeon Thursday morning to check my progress and determine my need (or lack of) for surgery. While floating around in la-la land, I had several ideas concerning the car. The trim strips on the rocker panels are not to be had anywhere. I had the bright idea to use 1965 Corvair rocker trim instead. I can remove the anodizing, cut them down to 49 3/4 inches, weld them back together, smooth and buff to a high gloss, clear coat and they are ready for installation. Not original but better than nothing. They look great and it's my car, so there. The other idea I had is to fabricate a rotisserie out of engine stands which just happened to be on sale at Harbor Freight, less than 1/2 mile from me. I bought two of them and started the project two days ago, working a little at a time. I'm amazed at how much muscle tone I have lost over this month. Also twenty one pounds. Don't miss the weight but I sure tire easily now. Anyway, I moved the car to the working bay since there was no Corvair work in house that needed that much space. I also brought over the lift and raised the car to a comfortable working height and started modifying the stands to fit. The first thing I had to do was take my plasma cutter and cut a slim wedge out of the neck and reweld it so the pivoting pieces were level. I bought new casters with bigger wheels so I could wheel the whole thing back into the other side of the shop when needed. Then the big job started, I am going to use the front spring mount as the front attachment point so all the suspension and brake parts had to be removed. I needed the" blue" wrench to get the nuts off the spring mounts. I ran a die over the threads to clean them up and bead blasted the nuts clean. The rear end was next, removing the suspension, brake lines, heater duct and decided to remove all the control cables also. I now have a very light, stripped down body all ready to mount on the rotisserie as soon as I fab the mounting pieces. I removed the rear cross piece that holds the motor mount and am planning on using the holes for the rear mount. All of this is for the easier installation and welding of the fenders and rocker panels. Also cleaning and repairing the rustouts in the wheel wells will be easier if I can tilt the car to a comfortable working position. Pictures will be coming soon. Stay tuned.