Questions about chassis design.

Howdy all!

I got a car project that has been brewing in my head for years, although when I get to actually do it is a different story,LOL! I want to build a car ground up, making alot of parts, but putting on stuff like brake parts,ect, that is easy to get from a auto parts store. Anyway, I want to build a tube chassis, with the body panels fastened to the "cage" style frame work. Like a built in roll bar system. Can I have some tips on chassis design? Like common structeral weaknesses, best metal and pipe choice, or most commonly used, ect.

God Bless!

Dylan

I am unclear on what type of car you are trying to build. I got tube, cage ,chassis but is this on road , off road, drag strip ,etc. One word of advice is dont use the word or material "pipe" on any car.

First, what is the intended use of the car? What make and year of body will you be using? How much horsepower are you going to put in it? If you plan on racing it and depending on the speed you run, or what class you're planning on running? What will you have for suspension? and probably most importantly, what's your budget for the chassis????

I do a lot of chassis work, mostly for myself now but what I've found during the years is that few people put the time, effort, and money into the chassis and suspension that it actually deserves... A lightweight, well constructed chassis will function better with less horsepower then some cobbled up POS that was thrown together with no planning... Congrats on at least starting to plan the build rather then just see where things fall into place......

Ooops, sorry 'bout that. I was even planning on giving info on what I want to do with it. I plan on running it on the street, and the dirt track races. Maybe some light off roading, but not too bad. I want something that can handle it if I do though. As for horsepower, I don't know at the moment. I want to run a smaller desiel, like a older mercadies one, or possibly a smaller cummins (can't remember what the model I was thinking of was.). As for the body choice, it will be one of my own design, harkening back to the roadsters of the mid 20's to mid 30s. I plan on mounting alot of the body panels to the chassis, think of maybe dune buggy style, with alot, if not all, of the body on top of a tube ''cage'', and comes off easily with a lift. I will probley craft my own front suspension, and adapting readily available front end parts to it, such as the brakes, ect, but keeping a open, astheticly pleasing, suspension, and useing coil overs for it. Similer to a F1 racer open suspension. THe rear will be a independant, I had one in mind, but not sure anymore because of the planned desiel.

I was thinking maybe 4130 steel tubeing for the cage chassis, but what do you guys think? Oh, and for budget, I'm not too concerned at the moment, but I'd rather materials be affordable, and not something like titanium,LOL!

Oh, and thanks much for the compliment Mr.Severson! I can't stand the idea of jumping into something with out a plan of somesort, and will not do a chassis and other related parts with out a good design. Against my nature,LOL!

Here's a link to a thread over on the Triple R, all about tube chassis's. None may apply to or for your project, but maybe an idea or two.

On that site there is a complete build of a feller doing a tube chassis on a very nice T Bucket. I looked for that thread but could not find it. Don " Itoldyouso" post over there as well and maybe he will chime in here with a link to that build, I am pretty sure that he has seen the one I am talking about. It is a very nicely done chassis and completed car.

RS

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/s...t=tube+chassis

After I clicked on that link I see it is to the Hamb and not RRR. However the build thread I am talking about is on the RRR.

Thanks, I look there!