frame question

forgive my crude drawings but i only have ms paint not any fancy cad programs but i am going to do a step up in the front of my 30 a sedan and was wondering which is the strongest and why

 

I'd say A....i never understood the vertical kick ups, they're not even good looking in my opinion..haha, but we all know about those...With that said, I may be wrong, and whichever you decide, make sure you properly chamfer the edges for weld penetration, and I always sleeve or gusset anything like that...I err on the side of strong..haha

 

A.....

 

Hopefully you'll hear from Brianangus a HAMB-er and designer. I think you'll have best luck with (a) ! and it will look right. The rail is under bending load (engine/trans/body weight) and torsion from shock loads, road/cornering, etc.) So you are making a joint that will survive both forms, bending and twist. A vertical link weakens the frame rail in these types of loading.

 

i was thinking a or d but have seen all of them i plan on fish plating it after its going to have a good sized notch in the rear too

 

A

Use backing plates for any joints between axles. To do this, take a piece of 1/8" or 3/16 plate and cut to match the angle of the joint you are making. Drill 3-4 3/8"-1/2" holes on each side of each tube for rosette(plug) welds. Make all your rosette welds, then do your seam, that will help you get proper penetration for the seam. I've seen where people do the seam first and don't get very good penetration, the heat of the rosettes will help you with that.



also, since your asking this question to start with, I'll throw this in, when you make your cuts, each tube needs to be cut at 1/2 the desired angle, example, if you want a 45 degree angle, cut each at 22.5 degrees, if you want a 90, cut each at 45, and so on.

and if you question your welding ability AT ALL, have a buddy thats competent, or a professional do it.

edit:

the why part. the angle you cut it at provides a longer seam than just the height of the tube, thus more weld area. In addition, this method allows for for the use of a backing plate, and, therefore, rosette welds.

I forget the actual numbers, but rosette welds provide a lot of strength for their welded area, much more than a **** weld.

 

A ,its a easier cut ,plate and weld,not to mention it looks way nicer then the others when finished

 

thanks guys