Has anyone boxed the frame of their truck? I have heard it makes the frame stronger. I plan on doing something nice to my frame when the time comes for my ground up project. I was thinking of maybe boxing the frame to help handle the 2.5 ton axles and blown stroker going in it. Any suggestions or advice? I'm building a truck that will just at home at a show as it is in the mud.

 

Yep, my Feep has a boxed frame..........

Well I think if you're gonna go Blown w/2.5's, You'd be a fool to use the stock frame...........Build a Real chassis and 4-link it..........

 

My uncle was a machinist and welder by trade so I was going to have him weld the plates to the inside of the frame. If I understand correctly you think I should build a complete frame from scratch? I don't know if he would be able to do that. Any shops I could call to get this done if that is what I should do? I don't rock climb, the truck will be used for mud boggs and show. Would a custom built frame be nessacery? I have to admit it would be cool to say it's totally custom built?

 

Ahhhh, what kind of show are you going to? A 1000 point show and mud bogging don't mix very well. I'm not saying it can't be done but will you be willing to spend 20-40 hours of clean-up each time you want to do a show. Not to mention, replacement of parts that have gotten dinged up or the repainting of scratched paint.

If you box in that frame, you are going to have a pretty strong set-up (assuming you're not dealing with something like a Toyota pickup). I suspect your weak link will probably lay somewhere else.

Just my 2 cents worth.

 

http://www.knight-stalker-ent.com/

 

Aekisu kinda confused me in his reply and bizziscrazy2 lost me in his reasoning also.

My question to you is "what are your plans for Your truck"??? You have to figure out the use. Boxing your frame, depending on how it's done and for what purpose can be good and bad. If you actually plan on using it like most of us do, boxing will be bad in the long run. You have to remember that these things were built over time and people have learned the do's & don'ts. The frame's are a part of the do's/don'ts in that our elders have figured out that there's got to be some give & take. I think that's what Aekisu was trying to get to. Even if you build a completly solid frame like Buzzi has, you have to be aware that there will be new give points. The give points in the originally configured frames have already been tested by the experts before us. Change that configuration and you're on your own. Should the cab or box begin splitting in a wierd spot, no one would know why. Also, any fix wouldn't last unless someone else has been there. Basically, you'd be entering into new territory.

I'd actually thought about posting before Aekisu did, but being a girl, I wasn't sure how my opinion, experience and inquisitive nature would be taken. We talked about "boxing" in what we thought were weak spots on our '41 and come to find out that if we box them in, the frame would give out elsewhere.

Since you have both sides of the opinion, I guess your only answer is to decide what's best for your use, how much do you want to spend and how comfortable do you feel with your truck frame which ever way you decide to go.

Good luck with your project and I do hope you keep us informed.

 

Ok, i cunfused you..........Here are pics of my Feep. 81 cj-7 frame boxed, EB axles, t-case, FI mustang roller motor, fiberglass tub. ie; Feep.

No problems and it gets beat VERY hard and is my DD. "Crazy Too" which has the tube frame and 4-link also does very well, but was built for jumping and mud and whatever else you can throw at it............

If i were gonna build a truck based around duce and a halfs and a blower motor i would do a tube and 4-link like "Crazy TOO"

The only thing i have broke on Crazy too is a steering knuckle...........Out of 8 years of HARD ABUSE.............

No way i would do a stock frame...............

 

I have a very heavy foot and drive my truck hard. I want the frame to be as strong as possible. I have looked around and found an article on tube frame vs. ladder frame. The ladder frame had more strength in certain areas but I think those weak spots could be reinforced. I don't plan on any 1000 point shows. Just the local shows that my club particapates in. I know things break I just don't want it to happen the first time I get a couple feet of air between the truck and the ground. Please keep the ideas comming.

 

Exactly Carlene. That's what I was trying to get to.

I see from his second post, dieingford has focused on where he is going. He wants a strong, powerful truck that isn't going to 1000 point shows. It also looks like he is aware of weaknesses, he should be concerned about.

I'll bow out now. I may be able straighten bent metal and paint it to look pretty but I know next to nothing about suspension systems. With that, I'll repeat what Carlene said, keep us informed on your progress.

 

Hi every one. I have followed this thread with great intrest. In a former life I was an ASE master tec / Ford tec and one of my specialties was suspension and steering. you are all right. little miss carlene came closest to the mark. the frames on our trucks are desined with stress points in them, some give must be there to absorb road shock and vibration for normal road driving. now for those of you that do a lot of off roading or drag racing then you want the stiff frame so it wont pull it self apart when you go over rough terain or pull the front tires off the road. when you lift the tires off the groud you are changing the dynamics of the suspension and frame from all the weight sitting on the frame to hanging all that tire and suspension stuff off of the frame. do this enough times and somethins gonna give.the down side is the stiff frame wont give or bend and transfers all the stress and road shock to the drivers compartment and to a small number of stress points insted of spreading the load. sort of like a tree in the wind, if don't bend a little it will break. so you got to sit down and realy think what you will be doing with this truck every day. and if you can live with the comprmise of what you do to it. if you do box the frame remember to grind the edges of what you weld at 45 deg facing each other and use a good quality welding wire or stick. and good penatration. clean the steel realy well and go for it. if done right the frame will give you many years of solid service. just keep in mind if it can't flex the stress will go some where else like the axle mounting brackets or some other as yet unknown point. the main thing here is do it right and be safe for your self and others on the road with you. good luck wiyh your project. and keep dem old ford trucks runnin hard.