Frame fabrication

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Cfuzz987

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anybody have any information on how to make frames. I would like to gut a dart or something and put in my frame around the Dart body. I am looking mainly at proper measuring techniques and how to make jigs for welding the frame
 
Im just guessing, but I think explaining frame fabrication to a novice is beyond the scope of this forums ability.

I could be wrong.
 
Try going to Chris Alston's Chassisworks website.
They have videos on there you can watch. (or at least they used to)
Lots of great info on there.
 
Alot of things to consider like full perimeter frame or just fresh front/rear rails, how to mount the body to the frame, and the big one, suspension. I'm doing a full frame build myself and over the next 3 weeks hope to have a roller. Big thing for me right now is getting the suspension finalized. I'm using Viper suspension but I have to modify the front with shorter control arms because my engine would not fit between the stock Viper stuff (super long control arms). Your ride height and tire/wheel combination is going to be a big determinant as well. If I were not using Viper wheels/tires with a 5 inch to the rocker ride height, I might have been able to get away with using stock Viper control arms. Since my ride height is so low, I have to tuck the front wheels a bit to get a good turning radius...

This is definitely a doable project and I wouldn't say frame fab to a novice is outside the scope of this forum. I'm a novice, this is my first build and I'm doing it myself. You just need to research everything, ask a lot of questions, and make a plan.

First thing you need to do is decide what you want this car to do (drag/road race, autox, daily driver, etc) and commit to doing it, gonna be costly but you may be surprised if you were to compare to doing a full RMS front/rear build, if you do the work yourself. I would then connect with an artist to do a rendering to help you put your vision on paper which will help keep you motivated and act as sort of a blueprint. I strongly recommend Shawn Mascoll, mascolldesigns.com, he did mine. Determine what you want to run for wheels/tires and buy them. Build the chassis around this combination. Then mock up the wheels/tires in the wells at ride height. Then build a table, though not necessary I have found it to be a benefit. I am glad I'm using a table because it allows me to lock the car down in 1 location and retain some specific mounts, i.e. bumper mounts and core support which allow me to get body panels aligned correctly. Get the car welded to the table at ride height, cut everything out of it, get your engine/trans set in place, take more measurements for front suspension. You may be able to use Corvette pieces up front which would be a great benefit. It's quality stuff with good geometry, can be bought cheap off ebay, and all the pick-up points are available online so that will make the setup easy(er). There are plenty of resources for the rear depending on what you want to do for suspension, 3-link, tri-4, etc. For the chassis, I've researched what a lot of the top shops are building (Morrison, Roadster Shop, Alston, Ironworks, Detroit Speed, Jakes Rod Shop, etc) and am using ideas from a combination of those places to get exactly what I want out of my chassis. Take more measurements, start cutting, start welding.

That's quite simplistic but you get the idea. It can be done, even as a novice. Ask a lot of questions and don't be afraid to ask help. There are a lot of resources available on the net and more than likely in your area. I have found pro-touring.com to be an invaluable resource for my build. Feel free to ask questions. I'll answer what I can but I'm also learning as I go...
 
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