Rotisserie?

**djwimbo** · 12-16-2008 07:35 PM

Has anybody made one specifically for a B5? I know there's at least one company out there that make prefabbed universal ones.

I know they're typically for cars needing restoration, but for somebody doing a serious track car build, would it be worth it to add bracing under there? With or without a full cage?
I guess the question I would have about the bracing is, how much would a B5 benefit from it? What if the owner didn't want a full cage, only a roll bar?

How much does a fully stripped out B5 unibody weigh? ~1400lbs or less with the subframes installed?

I can't do it, so I'm curious if somebody else has. Obviously there's a lot of room and commitment involved.

**onemoremile** · 12-16-2008 07:51 PM

If you are looking for performance than the cage should brace the upper and lower suspension pick up points for all corners. They should be tied to each other and to the chassis itself. That suspension stiffness makes a massive difference.

The other criteria in a roll bar is occupant safety so that is dealt with according to whatever bylaws or mandates you choose to follow.

**djwimbo** · 12-16-2008 08:03 PM

as much as I would like to fit into "class xxx" I don't see myself abiding by the rules. At least not until I'm pulling a big enough income to afford it.
I'm the bastard child that really just wants to build a B/A car that I can waste my money on "Unofficial" track days.

I understand the purpose of the cage and ideally where some of the mounts go, but it seems that the actual unibody could use some additional reinforcement.
I've been noticing recently (cold weather) that my A4 will twist going into some parking lots or when the car is "teetering". (opposite corner dampers compressed and the others fully extended). By no means is it near as bad as my T-Top Camaro, but they had cheap/easy fixes, like subframe connectors. If you went to a cage/rollbar later they tied the subframe connectors into the cage. It made it more of an "eggshell" around the passenger compartment.

cliffnotes: after a cage is installed does the floorboard/unibody become the weakest link?

**groggy** · 12-16-2008 08:11 PM

it's going to be much cheaper to buy a completed car. You can probably find a completed roller.

**djwimbo** · 12-16-2008 08:18 PM

Originally Posted by groggy

it's going to be much cheaper to buy a completed car. You can probably find a completed roller.

If I'm buying another vehicle any time soon (especially a "clean roller") it'll be an E36. In which case it will get a well deserved LSx/T56 swap.

I guess the direction I'm shooting for (after I learn how to weld) is something that I can track all day and often that I don't have to worry about. It's going to need some help, it has >178K on it.

NTM we're talking long term. I want to get my new degree rolling before I start worrying about building anything.

**leon** · 12-17-2008 06:07 AM

Hahahahaha.. Rotisserie is in The Netherlands that spinning thing, where you grill your turkey on your BBQ...

**onemoremile** · 12-17-2008 09:42 AM

Originally Posted by groggy

it's going to be much cheaper to buy a completed car. You can probably find a completed roller.

Grassroots Motorsports magazine classifieds.

**DJSticky** · 12-17-2008 10:32 AM

Originally Posted by leon

Hahahahaha.. Rotisserie is in The Netherlands that spinning thing, where you grill your turkey on your BBQ...

That's one definition here in the US too XD, gonna have to google to find how it relates to cars haha.

**djwimbo** · 12-17-2008 10:39 AM

Originally Posted by DJSticky

That's one definition here in the US too XD, gonna have to google to find how it relates to cars haha.

... Saab Rotisserie:

**onemoremile** · 12-17-2008 10:42 AM

That is a pretty sketchy setup. I'd connect the ends and make the bases at least as wide as the car's track width.

I've got a couple ideas if anyone want to build one of these things.

**djwimbo** · 12-17-2008 05:27 PM

That's a rather ghetto one, it's the first one I found though. I was browsing the BMW forums and it was on there.

There's other versions available with height extensions via hydraulic rams, etc. I saw one (MIVE) made of wood, granted a MK2/MK1 is drastically lighter than a B5, but I wasn't real excited about that one.
I don't understand though, why everybody makes them so long/wide. I understand the need for the legs to go out to the width of the vehicle, but the "snouts" that grab onto the frame/unibody all seem like they're >1' long. If you could slim that up to 4-6" that would decrease the stress on the uprights and pivot/bearing area drastically.

And yes, I would definitely connect the middle beam.

I'm curious what the deal is with the rotors on that specific one though. I'm sure you could make a couple rear calipers work via the parking brake lever to be able to hold it in any position you wanted. Presuming the car is relatively balanced around it's axis.

EDIT: here's the car that's on that Rotisserie BTW