Thread: American Graffiti Coupe, My Version

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Exactly, the PLYWOOD 3/4" sheet cut to size whether 4'x6' or 4'x5" bolted to a 2" x 4" frame will provide stress bracing in whatever direction is needed and provide a "floor" for the body which could have some large holes cut for underneath spraying. Four 12" diameter holes in the corners would leave cross strength in the middle as well as room for some spraying underneath as long as the caster mounts get it up off the floor. Although there are extra long deck screws, probably 1/4" x 6" thru bolts are more reliable. I went through this design-think to support a 1500 pound magnet on a caster wheel roller and used a 1" thick aluminum plate on top with steel perimeter and had to add vertical braces at each corner to get the deck 14" up off the floor. As said above you need to get the rating on the casters and diameter of the wheels large enough for easy rolling. This reminds me of the time I thought I could beat a hardware store price of $90 for bean bag holes using the Internet plans and then found I used almost $200 in wood and bolts to make my own from the plans! Having said that, this whole project is only justified for home painting, a paint shop may already have a cart!

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

Thanks guys, that link is exactly what I need that's what I'm going to build.

I made a cart that was completely underneath the car body in order to give clearance for painting. You can't see all of it here, but you can get the idea. Except for the casters, it was made from stuff I had lying around the shop. I bought the casters from Lowe's or Home Depot. Don't remember which. Just check the weight bearing capacity of the casters.

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Thanks Jack, good point

You're right, it has no diagonal bracing, didn't pay much attention to it. Add a vertical 2 x 4 between the upper and lower horizontals at the corner 4 x 4s with a 12" square gusset of 1/2" plywood at each corner screwed in place would take care of it.
gussets.jpg

Originally Posted by 36 sedan

You're right, it has no diagonal bracing, didn't pay much attention to it. Add a vertical 2 x 4 between the upper and lower horizontals at the corner 4 x 4s with a 12" square gusset of 1/2" plywood at each corner screwed in place would take care of it.
Attachment 65290

Your design would work fine. The only comment I have is that, with the original and the extra gussets, it would take a whole lot of lumber, and be quite expensive.

Not my design, I can't believe Street Rodder Mag has not amended it to be safe. The additional cost to make it safe would add less than $20.00, well worth it to be safe. However, as all have pointed out, any design should be made to fit your application and above all be safe.

I simply screwed a few pieces of plywood to the 2x4's at the corners also where it was right next to the 4x4's, mindfully I did this while its was emergency jacked up since it folded up like a tent with a VW body on it (luckily only a VW!) after that particular incident I have always wondered if some of the mag articles where really wrote by guys that actually have some "shop time" in, if you know what I mean.

Originally Posted by 36 sedan

Not my design, I can't believe Street Rodder Mag has not amended it to be safe. .

Reminds me when one of the hot rod mags said turn up your hot water heater as high as it will go and hook a hose to it to really "steam" clean a greasy motor, a few people the next month stated garden hoses burst about 150 degrees and they got a scalding bath!

Originally Posted by Matthyj

....Reminds me when one of the hot rod mags said turn up your hot water heater as high as it will go and hook a hose to it to really "steam" clean a greasy motor, a few people the next month stated garden hoses burst about 150 degrees and they got a scalding bath!

Sounds like a tort attorney's dream!!

One additional note when building your cart, sheet rock screws are not safe for structural applications, they have no sheer value. In other words, they break easily.

By 'your design' I was only referring to the drawing improvements you had in your post #113. The point on sheet rock screws is spot on.

Here's what I came up with, and as Don Shillady says above, not cheap.
Body cart.pdf

I don't find a picture of my body dolly in my stash of old photos, but I did mine on the cheap - A 2x6 perimeter frame that followed the basic wedge shape of the chassis so that the body rests on the dolly as it would on the chassis, not out in the middle of the floor. The back cross member got a piece of 2x4 across the top to come up and support at the wheel arch area to keep it from rocking fore & aft. A 4x4, nominal 18" long in each corner for legs, with a pair of 3/8"x6" carriage bolts, one from the side, one from the back/front to prevent the legs from folding under. You can buy a furniture dolly at Harbor Freight for $12 that gives you four casters - 18 In x 12-1/4 In 1000 lb. Capacity Hardwood Dolly Lots of ways to skin the cat, and you don't have to spend a bunch of dollars that could go to car parts.

Edit 2 - I went out and found the frame leaning against a tree. The rear crossmember has been in the dirt so it's about gone, but you can see the idea. The pieces on tacked onto the sides are to compensate for the curve of the chassis and support where the body hits the chassis.

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The legs were closer to 14" long, as this dolly was made to give mobility to the body while working on the chassis, not a painting dolly. I tried some old casters that fit into a hole in the end of the leg first, but needed the larger wheel so I just lag bolted on a piece of angle iron. Not pretty, but it worked just fine.

DSC01346.JPG

Simple, stout, performed as needed, and now kindling material. This was to hold a 3W Hiboy Coupe body that weighs MAYBE 500 pounds, and move it on a smooth concrete floor . If I were looking at a dolly for a fat fendered body I'd build accordingly. It filled the need for me, and I'm only showing it as another example on approach, on the cheap.

It's a PDF, click it and it will download

the 4 casters under peice of plywood and just two 2 x 12's cut to length and stood on side and positioned exactly where the frame sits. bolt all of this together using lag bolts up through plywood into bottom of 2 x 12 and down through the body mounting bolts in floor of car into the 2 x 12. this lets you paint the bottom of body on same dolly as only areas where frame will be sitting won't get paint. paint3.jpgpaint2.jpg