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Simplifying Life In The Garage - High RollerFrom the February, 2012 issue of Rod & Custom By Kev Elliott
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I know I’m not the only one with two projects in a two-car garage and who spends an inordinate amount of wasted time moving one or the other around to work on them. My roadster pickup runs and can be driven out of the garage, but the Purple Pig ’49 Chevy isn’t a runner yet (it’s close, but I know what I’m like, and if I get it running I’ll start driving it and never finish it!) and I can’t push it back in my garage on my own if I move it out. While I have a set of four-wheel dollies, not only are they hard to move over rough ground (and my garage floor ain’t the smoothest concrete; I’ve even been asked if it’s a dirt floor by people who’ve seen pictures of the car in there!), but invariably I’ll have the car up on jackstands and have to lower it onto the dollies to move it over just so I can get the pickup in at night. Many of you will have used... Many of you will have used these wheel dollies before, and know how hard, if not impossible, it can be to move those small casters on rough floors. However, they do have their uses. The combination of maneuverability and wishing to keep the car at a working height for the excessive amount of bodywork I’m about to tackle, brought me, in the best “Necessity is the Mother of Invention” way, to the following solution: Four-wheel dollies that offer adjustable height and bolt to the car’s axles, giving access to the inner wheel arches, ease of working on the lower bodywork sections, the ability to simply push the car against the wall at the end of the day, or even turn it around in the garage without having to open the main door. Also, with the car raised off the ground, it’ll save my aching back while prepping the bodywork. So with the plans in my head, I went steel shopping. I returned from the steel... I returned from the steel yard with lengths of 2x2x3/16-inch steel box section, and four 4-foot lengths of 1 1/2x1 1/2-inch box section. The former was then cut into eight 20-inch lengths and eight 10-inch lengths using a chop saw. Now, be warned, if you feel like following and making a set of these yourself—and they really do save an awful lot of time—there’s quite a bit of fabrication, with 56 holes, 12 countersinks, and a bunch of plasma cutting in each dolly—and you’ll need four of ’em! There’s also a fair amount of welding. While the finished article doesn’t look like much effort went into them, it’s more than a hard weekend’s worth of work. When looking at the dollies, you may wonder why I chose to make the plates that bolt to the axles removable. Even though two of my cars have Chevy bolt patterns, the third is early Ford, and I wanted the dollies to be universal. With removable plates I have the option of fabricating another set for four-lug patterns, a jackstand-style top to clamp around rearends or framerails, or even a set of clamps that grab the lip along the bottom of rocker panels, as with many collision repair body jigs. While I don’t require any of these now, it pays to have the option later. Footnote: Once completed, I realized there was a design flaw with the front pair of dollies. They will only work if there’s 0 degree of camber. As the Pig has a little negative camber, and early Ford frontends have a little positive camber, I’m going to have to add an adjustable pivot between the uprights and the axle plates for use on the frontends. That’ll have to wait however, as I ran out of time and energy prior to deadline.  I used a 4-inch grinder and...  I used a 4-inch grinder and soft pad to deburr the outside of each cut, and a die grinder to do the same on the inside.  I used 90-degree magnets to...  I used 90-degree magnets to hold everything square, with a piece of 2x4 wood (which is actually 1 3/4 inches wide) to space the cross pieces of the dolly’s frame from each end.  A steel bench was used as...  A steel bench was used as a level surface upon which to weld together the four lengths of box section that make up the frame of each dolly. Each corner was tacked, then the frame turned over and the horizontal joints finish welded. It was then turned again and the process repeated before the vertical joints were welded.  The Lincoln Tomahawk plasma...  The Lincoln Tomahawk plasma cutter in our Tech Center made light work of cutting the 3/16-inch corner plates, which will mount the casters. The Tomahawk has an internal air supply, meaning an air compressor isn’t required.  After measuring and drilling...  After measuring and drilling the first plate to fit the casters, I used that as a template to drill the remainder. The bolts keep the plates aligned throughout the process.  With all the plates drilled,...  With all the plates drilled, I leveled, squared, and clamped them to the corners of the dolly frames before welding them in place.  I took my paper pattern, with...  I took my paper pattern, with all measurements and hole locations, to John at Acme Speed Shop, who created a CAD drawing and a DXF file that would allow me to get the plates laser cut from steel plate. He also ran one mockup part in aluminum on his flat bed router table to use as a test pattern before making the finished steel parts.  As mentioned in the text,...  As mentioned in the text, the plates which attach to the vehicle’s axles bolt to the dollies. I drew a pattern using a bolt circle template to determine the minimum and maximum length of the slots I’d need to fit the plates to everything from late-model Ford (5 on 4 1/2-inch) to early Ford (5 on 5 1/2 inch) and everything between.  Magazine deadlines wait for...  Magazine deadlines wait for no man, so while waiting for the plates to be laser cut, I used the pattern to make my own. I used a Rotabroach to cut a 1/2-inch hole at each end of the intended slots …  Once I’d also drilled 12 mounting...  Once I’d also drilled 12 mounting holes (to allow for height adjustment) in the plates, I countersunk each one, as the mounting bolts will have to be countersunk in order for the plate to fit flush against the rotor hat or brake drum. The depth gauge (arrow) on my drill press ensured I drilled each one the correct depth.  … then used the plasma cutter...  … then used the plasma cutter to remove the material between the holes, as well as freehand cut the U-section between the slots. These were all then filed to final shape.  Industrial Metal Supply laser-cut...  Industrial Metal Supply laser-cut the axle plates, using the DXF file supplied by Acme Speed Shop.  Having made a set by hand,...  Having made a set by hand, it’s totally worth the cost to get a DXF file made and have a set of axle plates laser-cut professionally. The IMS-supplied plate is in the foreground, while my efforts are still attached to the dolly and brake drum for now.  When I drilled the mounting...  When I drilled the mounting holes in the axle plates, I’d made this template to ensure each was identical, and used it again to drill the upright sections of the dollies, which the plates will bolt to.  The uprights were made from...  The uprights were made from 12x12-inch 3/16 mild steel plate, sourced from IMS. After drilling the mounting holes, and trimming them diagonally (as shown) so they measured 8 inches across the top, they were clamped square and level against the crosspiece at one end of each dolly and tack-welded in place.  The diagonal sections I’d...  The diagonal sections I’d trimmed from the uprights were then used as gussets for strength and again tacked in place.  Everything was then final...  Everything was then final welded. The gussets were seam-welded, though shown here partway through, to illustrate the V joint prior to welding.  The bolt on the right will...  The bolt on the right will become the clamping bolt for the 1 1/2x1 1/2-inch box section, which will tie the dollies together from side to side of the vehicle. Just remember to drill a suitably sized access hole before welding the nut in place! These are 5/8-inch coarse thread bolts. The 3/8-inch hole to the left is a sight hole so I’ll be able to ensure the crossbraces are far enough inside each dolly. They’re drilled 9 inches from the inner end of each one.  Ah, the casters. These are...  Ah, the casters. These are 6x2-inch heavy-duty swivel casters from Harbor Freight. The large-diameter wheels will help navigate over rough surfaces.  Ta-Da! Finally you can get...  Ta-Da! Finally you can get an idea of what a pair of the dollies looks like with the crossbraces inserted.  Another view, with an early...  Another view, with an early Ford rear brake drum attached.  The rear pair of dollies,...  The rear pair of dollies, bolted to the Purple Pig. Looking at the finished product, I may now add larger gussets on the inside of the vertical sections. Note, these dollies are designed to be used strictly in pairs, with the two lengths of box section tying them together.  With both pairs in place....  With both pairs in place. I can now move the Chevy around my garage at will, and in minutes, without dropping it from a good working height. The only thing remaining before I can do that though is to tie the front and rear pairs of dollies together. While the e-brake and selecting Park will prevent the rear axles from moving, there’s nothing presently stopping the front dollies from turning around the front rotor’s axis, potentially resulting in catastrophic damage, as the car will fall!
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