It's pretty obvious what its coming to. Either do a really bad job and keep your 'costs' low. Or build a frame. Surely you have a mate who can weld? Or has a welder??

A frame shouldn't cost you more than two cheap or second hand engine stands and a 6.5meter length of square hollow. You could model the thing and build it out of off cuts from a fabricators off cut bin. $2 a kilo of steel is about the going rate for offcuts, probably a lot less in the land of plenty.

Otherwise, take the doors and guards off and tip the shell on its side onto a mattress, lean it against a wall. Hook into it with a grinder and use a roller to apply a generous coat. That's about as cheap as you can get. Doesn't look good but it won't damage the shell and you can get good access to do the job properly.

For larger photos, go to our club article Rotisserie. Click the thumbs to see the full size.

You don't need to create frame, just fairly simple brackets that bolts to existing bolt points on the 1200 unibody.

The only other strategy I can think of is to paint the underside of the tray with the car on stands. Let it dry. Put the diff and wheels on the rear end. Then use an engine hoist to raise the front end up with the back wheels locked in place. Thing is that when you hoist it up you can only go so high before the ass end starts to touch the ground.

Thanks for the reply DD. Can you make your pictures bigger?

I have thought of the two engine stand idea. Sounds like you would need to fabricate a few things to make it work though. I'm sure you would need to make an adaptor and a frame to go off the engine frame assembly.

It seems the easiest way is to find someone who has a Rotisserie or get it as high as you can on jack stands and paint underneath upside down.

I'm trying to do it with as little hassle as possible as I don't have alot of tools and no welding ability. If I have to go down the path of fabricating something it outweighs the cost savings of doing it myself when I can have a panelbeater do it for me for the same cost as building something myself.

car off the frame?

You can make brackets that bolt where the bumper brackets fit. Some have used two engine stands (with rotatable arms) -- but be sure to fit extra-wide wheel extensions for stability.

Rotisserie

Here we are 3 years later. How did it turn out? How did you get access to the underside of your ute?

I am encountering the same problem. Access.

I have the entire shell on stands and I can get to the underside of the tray easy enough on stands but not to the underside of the cabin nor the front end.

I have thought of hoisting the front of the car up, but what prevents the back from sliding off the stands and killing yourself as the car swings into you?

I have also thought of building a frame out of SHS and bolting the shell to it so that I can hoist the entire car off the frame....but too $$$$ and I can't weld.

Thoughts? What have people done before?

No i dont have any taiwanese panels at all on..... that i know of anyways lol.
Engine stands look like an easy option. Thanks Dan. The underside of your car looks the goods thats for shore.

if a mattress can dent the car with only the weight of a bare shell pushing down on it then there is something wrong...like your car is made completely of taiwanese panels

im one for a roto.
thats how i did mine but mine has a car on it sorry budy. heres a pic to show how simple it made it.


:)
cheers
Dan

Haha yer i know the mattress trick has been done before but i dont like how thin the pannels on the datos are already and the rear quarters are a big surface to dent in so il try other options first.
I dont realy want to use the stone guard/tar/sound stuff as it wont clean up to well (so im told) Il try and get the prep work spot on and maybe a couple of coats of etch then a couple of coats of 2pac hammer tone.
I dont realy have it planned but with the coments i have got here i have enough confidence to give it a shot myself :)
Make my own rotisserie???? hmmm i could give it a go but dont have a welder handy so i am finding out ways to get around it.
As the saying goes its all in the prep.
Any rotisseries not getting used?