custom frame ideal
Thread Starter
|
Posting Guru
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,325
Likes: 3
custom frame ideal
well first off im just thinking out loud but could you use like 2x4 box metal with like 1/8 inch wall to build a custom frame. would this metal be to stiff and not flex enough or would it be okay to take two sticks of this and build crossmembers and stuff and presto custom super strong chassis. i know nothing about building frames and stuff so i was just wondering
Elder User
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 966
Likes: 1
From: Too far north of I-10
Yep. Check this out. Scroll down and you'll see the Ford Truck stuff. I'm doing something similar to one of my trucks.
http://www.progressiveautomotive.com/Chassis.htm
Scroll down 'till you see this...Style 3: Our other frame rails, for trucks, are constructed from 1/8" wall, 2" x 6" box tube. These are sculptured to have the same shape as the original frame rails. Again, not mandrel bent and forced into position. Shown below, is one of our 1953-56 Ford truck chassis.
http://www.progressiveautomotive.com/Chassis.htm
Scroll down 'till you see this...Style 3: Our other frame rails, for trucks, are constructed from 1/8" wall, 2" x 6" box tube. These are sculptured to have the same shape as the original frame rails. Again, not mandrel bent and forced into position. Shown below, is one of our 1953-56 Ford truck chassis.
Thread Starter
|
Posting Guru
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,325
Likes: 3
cool im not thinking about building a frame or nuthin but useing box tube always seemed like it would be a lot easer than welding up out of plate. but now that i know it would be okay ill have to see on one of my next projects
New User
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 14
Likes: 0
Here is my frame....
First one ever from scratch. 2 x 4 .120 wall tubing. 2 x 3 bottom struts. 4 link rear. Custom bent rear frame rails. I hope it stays together. It looks heavy in the pictures but it's not.
http://mysite.verizon.net/danbfl/dan...streetproject/
Dan
http://mysite.verizon.net/danbfl/dan...streetproject/
Dan
Thread Starter
|
Posting Guru
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,325
Likes: 3
whats the purpose of the x-crossmember why do all the costom frames have it and stock frames dont.
Trending Topics
New User
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 14
Likes: 0
I am not an expert on frames and chassis design, but what I have read and been told it helps with frame twisting. I remember picking up the stock frame at one corner while it was on the jig and it would twist out of square. This is due to the fact it is riveted instead of being welded for the most part. But if you added just the welded x-member it would reduce this a lot. If you just ran a length of 2" round tube straight across from frame to frame and welded it in place solid, it would do the same also to some degree. This is how Ford and others are doing thier chassis now days. In short it just makes a more rigid/solid frame. This is good for heavy loads or high horsepower applications. But remember, too much stiffness and rigidity?? could lead to possible failure if you don't use the proper heat treated metal and proper welds (cracking and fractures). I am using friends who do build frames for advise so I hope mine stays together. I know a stock frame would not last long with 600 HP up front trying to make a screw cork out of the original frame.
Dan
Dan
FTE Stories
Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts
3 Best / 3 Worst Parts of Modern Ford Ownership
Brett Foote
10 Amazing Upgrades That Solve Common Ford Truck Owner Headaches
Pouria Savadkouei
Every 2026 Ford Engine Explained
Brett Foote
10 Ugly Ford Trucks That We Still Kinda Love
Joe Kucinski
10 Things Every Truck Owner NEEDS (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalyptic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Most Expensive Ford Trucks Ever Sold on Bring a Trailer
Joe Kucinski
2027 Ford Super Duty Buyer's Guide (Every Model, Engine, & Package)
Brett Foote
Top 10 Ford Truck Tragedies
Joe Kucinski
Junior User
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 79
Likes: 0
From: Phoenix, Arizona
Originally Posted by 59flatbedford
Could you use like 2x4 box metal with like 1/8 inch wall to build a custom frame? Would this metal be too stiff and not flex enough?
In the old days, when someone drove down a cattle trail full of craters in a stock Model T Ford or a Model A, frame flex could provide the last foot or so of suspension travel. Today, driving on decent, paved roads, we want a smooth, quiet ride that's free of squeaks and rattles, and we don't want our door gaps changing. You can get away with a bit of torsional frame flex with an I-beam axle and a solid-axle rear end, but independent suspension is particularly incompatible with a flexing frame.
Contemporary frame design calls for any torsional flex to be minimized if not eliminated. Center X-members are a popular way to maintain the correct relationship of both frame rails as viewed from above.
Junior User
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 53
Likes: 0
From: 30 mile East of Seattle
What do you guys think about turn key custom roller frames? I have another 56 bw cab that I want to use to build a new truck some day. I think it is a great way to go to start off a project it is done and bolt on ready. I would think using a stock frame and then add all components, rear end, front & rear suspension etc., would be more cost effective.
I would like to hear if any of you have purchased any of these new frames like the ones mentioned above.
Is there a big difference from a stock frame verses a new reproduction frame?
Thanks
1956bigwindow
I would like to hear if any of you have purchased any of these new frames like the ones mentioned above.
Is there a big difference from a stock frame verses a new reproduction frame?
Thanks
1956bigwindow
Junior User
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 79
Likes: 0
From: Phoenix, Arizona
Originally Posted by 1956bigwindow
What do you guys think about turn-key custom rolling chassis?
Originally Posted by 1956bigwindow
Is there a big difference between a stock frame and a new reproduction frame?
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 15,882
Likes: 88
From: Durham NC
56 panel has the reason the original was designed to flex. A rigid frame would have bent permanently from the abuse, a 4 leafsprung suspension doesn't have enough travel to handle very rough terrain by itself. Similar reason a skyscraper's and bridges steel framework are riveted rather than welded. Note that the cab and sheetmetal were mounted to allow for that frame flex. A lot of torsional rigidity can be added simply by boxing the stock frame, basically turning it into a tube frame.
New User
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 14
Likes: 0