So I have come to an end with the four banger that is in my 31 sedan and and now in the process of going with something a little more modern. So the question stands, do I box my original frame or buy an aftermarket one or build one out of 2x4 tubing? I plan to keep my hood so stock length and want to keep my running boards so plain and boring rails are ok since I will have to put back on the fender supports. I have no desire to have a kick up in the front but might want one in the back, a small one. My original frame looks good right now from what I can see from crawling under the car and taking the floors out. It has all the brackets for the fenders which is also a plus. But a modern built one would have a nice k member in it and have all the rails boxed and rigid. I plan to put a more modern four cylinder in it with a standard trans and hopefully not sink the firewall. I am also looking at the money factor, I have the welder and the tools to attempt the boxing part with new cross members which might be cheaper to do but I am also looking to drive the wheels off of this thing and want a frame that I won't have to inspect for cracking all the time because it wasn't designed for the stresses of modern driving. I appreciate your responses and any and all opinions about this topic. And if any one that does make boxing plates and frames want to pm me about prices, please do. Thanks
with a new 4 banger, I don't see why you would need to box anything. If you want to, you can save a lot of work by just boxing the firewall forward on your stock frame. That is enough for a tame V8.
If your planning on doing alot of uprades or suspension changes, a new frame will probably be less work. You dont have to take everything apart, plus you're working with new clean metal, so theres alot less cleaning for weld prep. I started with a pretty complete sedan and intended to use the original frame. Once I got it to this point I had a week and a half into taking off fenders, interior, etc. And still had the running gear to pull out It took about a week to build the frame and get drivetrain mocked up, and could still roll the original car around.
I have a dropped axle and spring in the front and plan to split the bones or use hair pins. I will have to change the rear axle to a 8 inch or something similar for a open drive line. So I will need a cross member for the rear ladder bars and a new cross member for the trans. The four cylinder is going to be putting out around 250 to 300 hp on e85 if I can get it to work out right. BP, nice chop and good progres, I wish I had that kind of room in my garage.
I would think it would depend more on what condition your current frame is in. If it is in good shape to start with I'd go ahead and box it. A lot of guys swap frames because theirs is tweaked, cracked, shows the results of too many modifications in the past, or they can sell the stock rolling ch***is for enough to pay for some of the goodies.
Easy to box. Lot cheaper too! Depends on condition of original like above post said. Those old frames were pretty rugged. Just think about the roads they had to drive on years ago. I have boxed and I have purchased TCI frames. TCI can build you a frame any way you want it. Tell them what vehicle , what motor , front end using and rear end you are planning to use ,trans etc., and they will set it on your door. Saves a lot of time but cost a lot more than boxing if you have a good frame. Thanks. BOBBY FORD
Nothing wrong with using your stock frame as long as it's solid (meaning not all stress cracked and bubble gum welded from previous modifications. With 300 hp it would be a good idea to box it and put in an X-member (Dagel's makes a good one or copy their design)' Building a new one is a piece of cake, just some box tubing and a square platform to jig it up. There are a lot of posts about building your own so a search should turn up something. You can get the stock dimensions from Wescott by ordring their catalog or going on line and getting them from their site. Keep us posted on the progress. A stout 4 cyl Model A is a blast so your in for some fun. Frank
I boxed my stock frame. I really dont know whats your budget or even what type of steel and tools you have but, I didnt make my own plates one cuz i didnt have the steel or all the tools to cut it perfect. Rockymountainhotrod.com has plates that fit perfect and they are only about 100 so i did that and it worked out perfect. No t******* or measuring just mock them up and weld.
If the original isn't tweaked or rusted out, box it,at least you know it alredy "fits" with all the rest of the parts of the body.
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