2"x3"frme tubing. What wall thickness you use

For those who have built frames using 2x3 tubing what wall thickness do you use? Is the 1/8 " wall tubing too thin? Waiting to buy some and not sure what would be the best.

 

11 ga. is what i use...

 

1/8 is good and what I used.

bret

 

isn't 11 gage about 1/8" thick?

 

i use 3/16. It has a better look to the bends and 1/8 will flex too much in a long frame

 

It REALLY depends on whether or not you plan on additional reinforcement (like a roll cage) or not. The old Pro Gas cars used 2" X 3" X .090" - I used it on my car also, but I put in a decent cage. If you weren't planning on any cage I think I'd go .125" even more if it was a longer wheel base. Just thinking out loud

 

just bought 11 ga for my g***er willys ch***is anymore is excess weight on the race track...

 

It would probably be better to go to 2x4" tube for a longer non-reinforced frame. The extra height does a lot more to reduce flex than using thicker wall tubing.

 

we used 1/4 on my brothers rod. but it might of been 2x4

-TDWK

 

I used 2x4 7ga. (3/16") on my frame because of the HEAVY BB ford motor up front....and 'cuz my brother worked at a steel fab shop and could get it new at s**** prices

 

fwiw

1/8" =.125"

11 gauge = .1196" (.120)

five thousandths of an inch difference.

 

I also use 2X4, .125 wall thickness for a Model A style frame. Works good, last a long time.

pigpen

 

1/8 wall has always workred for me... remember its pre-boxed, so theres a quarter inch of thickness in the vertical plane.

 

I know some people think it's overkill but I like 3/16, this is my Son Kyle's metal shop project for his senior year. The Frame is 2X4 X 3/16. He won 1st place in the High School M.I.T.E.S. compe***ion in the regon, 2nd place in the state. ( because it was unfinished )

 

used 1/4 inch but there was a caddy motor up front and bags at all four corners. the frame had lots of movement so we used some heavier wall to compensate. Its a 500 cad with 500 ft lbs so im sure it can handle the extra weight. i think that 1/8 is a good strength to wieght ratio though. Look at stock rails or even a late model car. and most cars arent even boxed. I would think 1/8 or 11 or 10 guage would be fine.

 

From total performance catalog.their frames are made from1 1/2" x3" .120 wall tube. This is all A and T frames.for anyone wanting to build their own frames I highly recommend buying their ***embly manual its 25.00$ but it gives you blueprints for every single piece you need to build a T roadster and I do mean every piece these are the exact parts used by them in their cars!there are also tons of ***embly tips as well.they also have the Shade Tree Mecanics tv series about building a T roadster on vhs for 15.00$ app.3 hours long 6 episodes this manual should be on every rodders book shelf for reference.
just mho

 

Keep in mind, if you’re building a relatively light car like a T - A or even a 32, a little extra weight in a street car is a big plus. Makes a big difference in ride quality.
When I built the frame for my 31 p/u I used 2x3 and 2x4 3/16 wall.