05snopro440
Well-known member
We looked at a few units before my Son decided to buy this one, and Auto Twirler makes 4 models. This is the "Pro" model and he upgraded it to air over hydraulic rams which make it much easier than pumping the jack handle to raise the car up.
That one you pictured looks pretty good too, just a different company going at the same idea a different way. One thing that impressed us was that the Twirler does not use a bolt to tighten down on the tubing to hold everything in place, it uses specially cut clamps that go around the outside of the tubing. Over time, as you tighten down one that uses a bolt the bolt will dimple the tube below which eventually makes it harder for the piece of tubing over it to slide smoothly over it.
We also looked at another one on display at Turkey Run last year before Dan pulled the trigger on the one he bought, and what we didn't like about it was that it used two pieces of steel that run the length of the body instead of a single one, like the Twirler. It seemed to us those two pieces of steel would be tripping you when you were working close up to the car.
Like I mentioned, it was a little hit to his wallet, but this thing should last for years and lots of projects.
Don
All the things you mention on the twirler are great features. You're right it's a different take on the same idea, but I think the twirler just ends up being a much more stout unit. I hope it works well for you for years.
Thanks, Bob. Yep, we tend to overbuild everything and I should have known Dan would err on the side of heavy. He knows the car will be a little heavy to be super competitive, but he just wants to have some fun with it and drive it a lot on the street.
Don
It may not be super competitive, but it will be fun, and over-building will ensure that if (god-forbid) something were to happen, he can race another day.