Wondering who has built a frame jig before pictures of them would be very helpful wile i'm working on designing mine. Building 32 rails with stock 32 rear x member A front x member and a 34 styled center X made from 10ga sheet metal broke into a channel at my local steel yard. Ideas and tips would be appreciated and very helpful. thanks
I use a table style, that is level and square for measuring, and allows for centerline measurements. All the frames I do are different so I dont use a "clamp it in place and go" type jig. This works well, allows you to stand inside the rails to work, and is a good height to avoid neck/back pain while welding etc.
Unless you're building frames all day long, one after another, a frame jig is of questionable value. They're large, expensive and you'll hate tripping over the goddam thing in your shop. A level, a string line and a tape measure will do just fine.
I built just one, so I made a table from 3/4 plywood screwed to two 2x4's, screwed to two fold up saw horses. I painted the 4x8 plywood white. It makes a great place to mark out all the measure marks, and write down the numbers. For side frames, I screwed short pieces of wood in from the bottom. Weld slow so it wont distort. It is a comfortable hight to work on, no bending.
I built one for the modifications to my Model A frame. Cost of the material 2/3 years ago was about $250..........I'm sure it would be more now. I just made sure everything was level and square..........put the frame on the jig, squared it up and made sure it was level and welded the frame rails to it. I replaced the center X member, Z'd the rearend, and boxed the frame. When I was finished with the jig I donated it to the local Model A club. I can't imagine building a frame without sometype of jib and keeping it straight. http://groups.msn.com/FordFlathead1...av85window.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=3000 IMHO
allllllllrighty. lets see if i can find the pics. GMgrunt and i built this for our pal Denny Lesky at The Ionia Hot Rod Shop. it is setup for 32 Ford rails but we also built "stations" so they could do 33-34 rails on the same base by changing out the bolt on stations. the basic idea was the same one used by Denny when he built his original chassis jig but we made this one portable (with a bolt on axle and hitch) and we kinda got carried away with the details . hey, ANY JOB WORTH DOING IS WORTH OVERDOING!! getting a print like this can help with the build of the jig and the frame. i think this is coppied from the Wescotts catalog... I THINK> P.S. i know your gonna ask so i'll tell ya now. to do all those holes we made a template out of 1/4" plate with a hole sawed hole in it. it had tabs so it fit over the square tubes nice and snug. we lined it up with centerlines that we laid out on the tube and "traced" inside of the template with a very sharp flame wrench . i later cleaned em up with a stone on a die grinder (SEVERAL stones actually). for the holes inside of the I-beam it was more of the same. i believe we just knocked off the tabs and made the template fit inside of the I-beam nice and snug. then i went at it with the Ford wrench and die grinder too. it was so much fun i can't wait to do it again ... LOL
also note the small "towers" that allow us to run a string through the exact center line of the chassis. this can be very handy... if you want both sides to be exactly the same. ...after it was all said and done the Road Runner and i (Wiley Cyote) slapped on one of our company plaques so everyone knew what a serious profesional outfit we realy are . we made that with hammers and chisels "Flintstone's style"... REALY!... what? you don't believe me???
You will first need to make a frame jig manufacturing jig to insure the jig is jigged correctly. Something best left to professionals. If you are only making one frame or one every once in a great while and only want it because you don't want to get porn star's knee calluses from welding on the floor, just use a couple of substantial saw horses and level them to each other with a couple of crossed level strings. They should just touch at the "X", same goes for the frame itself.
hahahahahahahahahahahahahah porn star calluses that shyt is funny. anywho i made a frame jig bout of heavy duty angle iron then cut it up after i was done worked out just fine and the frame is straight.
Just started this one today for an upcoming very special secret project. The table is a 1948 cotton trailer frame....crude but effective and a freebie!!!!
yeah, i made those white walls too. i think i did one and made Jeff do the other, i forget. took a grinder to the raised white letter tires that were on that axle already. i think Denny had the axle layin around and i'd had that hitch in my stash of junk since i was about 18. all the rest of the metal came from the "usables" section of the scrap yard.
Jeff and I do work good together. just wait till we get good with his Pulmax! we made these doors for my tubing bender cabinet, just for practice...
kustombuilder: I'll steal some ideas off that frame jig! Mine will only be a onetime use though, but I'll pass it along to a friend. Love the 'Acme' tags! LOL Sweet cab for the bender. Rich
thank you for all the ideas I know mine will be used more than once Ive already done two frames and now its time for the jig if only to save my back.
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