Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

Has anyone ever put their car on a rotisserie?
I am attempting to do that but the rear body mounts in the trunk, I'm not sure is the correct support place. the trunk pan really seems to want to flex, a lot. What little rust the trunk had along the seems has been repaired. The glass is all removed, the shell is stripped down to nothing. I have searched but haven't come up with any photos showing this ever done. Any help or guidance would be much appreciated.

Not a rotisserie but Keegan had a project blog when he worked on a badly rusted 55. He made a frame that seems to have worked out well. You might be able to figure out where some extra brackets could bolt to various points of the body where the main support needs to be that could also bolt to the rotisserie. Keegan had a great start but stopped posting some 10 years ago so we never heard if the car was finished or the project was abandoned.

Something Stewart on his 55 and I with a 56 plus others with various models can speak from experience about is to take the time to provide extra support at the door openings if the car is a hardtop. If the large open area is left unsupported there can be issues. Another thing is when placing the body back on the frame, be particularly observant of the frame to body cushions and any added shims in spots. The shims control to a large extent the door and fender to body fit. If the opening changed due to flexing or if there was a large enough sheetmetal change the old shim pack thickness as it came from the factory may also need to change.

Recently there was a great rotisserie thread on Facebook and, while not a Packard, it caught my attention both to the size of the car (it required extending the rotisserie) but also its extreme rustiness which they fixed. It was a 1957 or 1958 Cadillac landau hearse but unfortunately I’ve looked all over and cannot locate the thread now. While not a Packard, there is a Packard Approved Service sign on the wall!

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I did my 1941 Clipper about a year ago and it worked very well. This image shows mounting positions used.

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Thanks all, thanks HH56 for the link to Kegan's blog, pretty slick that set up. I do have the body opening well braced, I hope. Alas I already purchased a rotisserie.
nice catch on the sign PackardDon

39Rollson, thanks for the photo, that is how I envisioned it working. the front is no problem, but the trunk body mounts just seem to have so much movement, the trunk floor flexes/rolls & seems to want to deform the trunk lid line. I'm hesitant to continue that way. Maybe if I sandwich some heavier material top & bottom across the trunk.....

found part of my issue when I pulled the HSS off...........in addition to the one being rusted out It only appears to have been tacked or spot welded to the trunk floor. The other tacks/spot welds along the sides have come loose. Once I rebuild the body mount and tack it securely, I will try again to raise the body with the hoist.

39rollson, thanks!

I rebuilt the rusted out trunk mount. took the other one off also for inspection, not rusted out but 1 cup of dirt in it, just a matter of time I expect.
soaked the body mounts in evaporust, cleaned & rust treated the areas on the body. A light blast in the media cabinet then painted them up & installed them. tacked them back into place & surprisingly the body lifted easily without the trunk pan flexing, I'm feeling more confident now.

I saw a very simple (and obvious after watching) trick when you get to the point of dropping the body back on the frame. Use plumb-bobs on strings from the mounting holes on the body down to the frame's mounting sockets. This allows precise x-y alignment of the two sub-assemblies.
You are going to end up with a wonderful restoration. Great job!
Bob J.

Bob J
Thanks for the tip& kind words