What are people using to build a good set of door braces for their car? Is this off-the-shelf or putting some parts together from the store (Harbor Freight?)

Also, for a rotisserie setup, I saw a video for building one. I'll be a first time welder (save for that high school shop class many, many, many moons ago). Is that something reasonable to build for a first time welder?

Otherwise, I guess I'll post in the WTB ads.

Door braces are usually square tube with some sort of adjustment. Rotisseries can be as simple or a complicated as you want. You can start with two 1000 lb engine stands from Harbor Freight and go from there or build the cage as shown in Restoration Designs build. Tangerine Racing offers a bracing kit and a rotisserie.

racer chris offers a great set already done, easier than making them yourself

The biggest/only advantage to buying a rotisserie is that the prefabbed models have jacks built into them and often come with door braces.

I bought mine premade. My wife convinced me to do so since the parts would be $600 and the premade w/ jacks and door braces was on sale for $1000. $400 to buy parts would have been nice, but this thing is sweet.

Where did you get yours?

Mine is a Derek Weaver, super heavy duty.

I think a rotisserie is a great project for a first time welder if you welder is big enough to handle the relatively large metal. I build mine with the welder at work because my little Lincoln 135 just did not get hot enough. I guess cutting the material might be an issue, but you could probably use a sawzall.

I've built a couple, plans on around $250- $300 in material. . wheels on EBay and get larger rather than smaller as they are much easier to roll. .
Here is the last one I did that has a boat trailer cable winch [don't laugh, it works great] for raising one end at a time. . moves from post to post.
only thing missing from picture is a link bar that slides down the middle and ties the end sections together.

Short story is it took a full day to weld up and 3 hours to machine pivot shafts. .
Probably be cheaper to buy pre-made or a used on

I was googling around for rotisseries and you just have to LOL at this:

I think I built that Revell model when I was 12 or so... and didn't need a rotisserie to do it!

I made mine from 2 HF engine stands. You'll need to cut the thing apart and extend the bases and the top, but its a well-known mod. Do a search, a bunch of people have made them now.

I have some pictures on my Build-Off Thread of mine, Yellow Sub/Vysoc.

I built it myself, with the plan from Blueskymotorsports.com he is now out of business but his website still has a link to a plan to build a nice rotisserie.
If you have welding skill you can do this.
If your car is a 75 or 76 you can modify the bumper adapter to attach to the 4 shocks that attach the Big Ugly Bumpers on the 75's & 76's.

The rotis is a great tool.

Good Luck,

Vysoc

For adjustment on the door braces I found a few huge turnbuckles with straight weldable ends on McMasterCarr.

Another option is to go to somewhere like Tractor Supply and buy a Category 0 toplink arm for a 3pt hitch. Cut the arm in half and add a piece of tubing, square is preferred but I used round, between the ends. This gives you a left hand threaded end and a right hand threaded end so that you can easily adjust the door gap by turning the brace. You would need 2 arms at about $10 a piece plus 2 pieces of tubing so figure another $15. Cut and weld and you got 2 door braces for $35. McMaster Carr sells bushings that you can use in the ends to match up with the bolts you are using if you want to go that r route or you could weld a couple right-sized washers on the ends. Good luck.

This is an extremely well done and well documented set of door braces:
http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?s=&...t&p=1401718

but he went nuts on those things!
there is an similar design (but simpler) in the "home made tools" thread

BTW the comical pic above features an "Autotwirler" rotiss.

It's certainly one end of the spectrum. I admire them, but did not build mine to this degree. If you know you're going to do more than one car, or if you just want to see what they need to be able to do, it's a great reference.

I agree. They are awesome, but......
I'd rather spend my limited time actually working on the car, not building complicated accessories.
Mine are simply bar tube welded to simple plates that attach at the door hinges and upper seatbelt post.

Bringing it back from 2015

Where is the prefered locations for the door brace front? door hinge plates?

Where is the prefered location for the door brace rear? strike plate or seat belt threaded hole?

Depends on if you want to keep doors on, or be able to mount them when you want. If so, you can use the seat belt shoulder mount in rear, but need to weld the front directly to the tub, usually on the side member somewhere.

If you want simple, weld it inside using plates.

Also, before you do it, move the door up and down….do you need to fix the area the door mounts to? If yes, square tube welded to flat plates….plates welded inside once you use jacks, and possibly rachet straps to get the correct measurements

Exactly, having the luxury of fitting the doors seems very important to the process. I can just imagine (and quite sure it's happened before) one does all the structural work only to find out the doors will not fit. Having a frame bench is the best, but how many of us can afford a bench?

We don't need a stinking bench... Oh wait.. I have one. It took a lot of time to locate the fixtures but I found a set several years ago. My 6 is hanging on them as we speak. As for the door braces go yes you want to be able to hang/remove the doors as the work goes on. I lost count on how many times I had to install and remove my pass door. The bench does help but the braces locks everything in place. I have some sweet door gaps now. lol

I'll post a few pics of my home made brace and mounting locations.

John,

Here's the pics of the brace and mount. I later added another brace from the outer seat belt mounts to the dash brace. I measured everything before locking it into place and cutting the chassis. I also added a brace from the targa to the upper part of the windshield frame.

If you need more pics text me and I'll take some closeup shots for you.

Luke nice shots. Your braces looks just like what I made with L & R hiems at each end & I welded an over lrg nut on the tube centers for ease of adjustment.
Could you please post a shot or two of the inside of the mount plate as it attached to the front door post?

Very impressive, these little 914's must be worth a bundle with all the work that's involved?