I'm finally getting the chassis laid out and mocked up for my 26-27 roadster. this is a real HAMB oriented build as most of the parts and design influence is directly from this forum. This is my first build so it's taken awhile and I'm tweaking some of the design elements as I go along. The frame is 2x4 tube with the front crossmember from a HAMB member ad and a Model A rear crossmember. What I'm stuck on right now is what x member to go with. I drew up 2 designs one being a double layer of 1x2 tube and the other a bent 1/8" C channel with belled holes. I'll locate the rear axle with some ladder bars and the front with split wishbones. The engine will be a 327 with tri power and a 5 speed with outside running exhaust. Wheels are 35 wires and i'll get some smaller diameter front tires swapped out from what's in the pic. The body mock up is very crude and on an old frame so the ride height is at what ever I could find to hold it up. Anyway, please make comments or suggestions on anything you see in the pics. The rear Z is 10" which may be a little high but I'm using a buggy spring out back. Rear axle will be a Ford 8" and the front axle is a CE 4" drop with a monoleaf spring. I've rambled enough- here's the pics. Thanks -Erik
Thanks Skip. That means a lot coming from you. Here is a shot of the front with the nice tubed crossmember from Motormaniac. Beautiful work that I hope to keep visible. I'm borrowing space at work so I can't mock it up properly and the body mock up is in another building. Hoping to find some workspace soon so I can get it on the road before winter hits. Really hoping that I get a medium low car with a little rake. Wheelbase is 108". A little long but I want a little room to fit everything in and I'm cautioning on the long side.
Looks good to me, I'm running horns on my suicide set up too, there gonna be a kustom job! Good Work, keep going!
I guess I don't understand that front crossmember. Doesn't look lower then a standard repop A front. And where do you put the radiator? I do like the C channel X-member,and your design skills !
You are right about the front crossmember, Eric. I really liked the craftsmanship and wanted to use it but the spring perch is mid tube so I did a little of the "Bleed upsweep" to help make up for it. Crossmembers are not welded in yet but with the 4" drop it should get down enough,(hopefully). Taking a guess of where the springs will settle is the hardest part so I'm looking at a lot of pics and posting here to get advice. The monoleaf and axle and spindles I bought from you a while back. That was for my 28 pick up but I decided to go with the roadster first. I have a Gemmer F1 box and a Vega box and not sure yet which one to use. The Gemmer has such a short output shaft that I'd have to mount it on top of the frame but the Vega I can nest up front. I also have a Hurst style front engine mount that I'm thinking about using. I really want to use the banjo wheel but must get it in just the right location to get in and out of the small interior and not be too bus-like and I'm not a big guy. I spend a lot of time trying to maximize the interior room which is one of the reasons I put a little kink in the rails so I can fit 40 Ford pedals in there. Pedals will probably straddle the steering column and I may drop the floor a little for a little more heel room. The seat bottom will also drop down below the flange so I fit down into the body so when I cut down the windshield posts I'll be out of the airstream. The radiator would sit just inside the crossmember and I may go with a 28 shell if it all fits. I have 35" between the inside of the crossmember and the cowl so there is a little more room there for the radiator and pump driven fan. I really need to get all the pieces together in one place to see if it all fits together as planned but that is a tough one right now. Any more observations or recommendations? Thanks! -Erik
Here is the latest. Making some corner gussets for the rear spring crossmember. Also, starting to add holes and gussets to the front engine mount. I'm getting some C channel bent up and will be cutting some holes in that this weekend. I want to start learning to TIG weld so the gussets seem like a good place to start. -Erik
Here is an update. My friend Dave has a very well supplied shop and took the frame over there to weld up on his 10' table. He's very talented in fabrication and is also a certified welder so he did the assembly welding. After making sure everything was square we welded the crossmembers and kick up. I bought some So Cal ladder bars off the HAMB classifieds and started to get those laid out in the approximate locations. I also had some .125" steel channel bent up for making the X member. The ladder bar cross mount ends up about 4" to 4.5" from the ground. I'm a little concerned about the ground clearance but it seems to be the norm on other chassis I've seen. Any comments? I guess I'll just watch out for those speed bumps.
Update- Is the X member channels being fitted with the So Cal ladder bars in place. A little more tweaking to get them level and then I can weld them in. I'm going to make spring mounts behind the axle when I see how it sits. I want a little rake to it. I also need to notch the frame for rear spring clearance and diagonally cut the ends of the tube and plate them to the rear Z section. "40 pedals are next and then the Vega box for cross steering. Any comments or observations?
Good stuff Erik, looks like your coming along just fine I like you ideas and craftsmanship, keep up the nice work! I'm also working on my frame at the moment for my 27, so that's what caught my eye on this thread. best wishes on the rest of your build! cab
Eric, Glad to see you went with the sheet metal cross member, remember that it is not really an "X" member until you connect the two together and your wish bone/tranny mount is a good start. I would highly suggest that you add some additional metal that goes from the front part of where your side members become parallel with each other and connect it to the large formed tube you have across that your wishbones and tranny will mount to. An X member workes becasue it forms a beam between diagonal corners of the frame rails. As the frame is twisted one corner goes up and the other goes down and if the X member is a good stiff beam it will restrict this movement. Look at the way Henry did the originals, lots of heavy plate and structure. Do it right and your doors won't open when you cross a drive way! If you want a low ride height you should set the frame at the height that you want and build everything to that height and have the ability to add some spacers above your springs to take care of the spring sag when you add the engine and body. You will be surprised how little those buggy springs will sag unless of course you drop in a Hemi! I would also suggest that once our frame is done you clamp a piece of plywood on the bottom and then build every thing so that it is above the plywood, sure makes having a low car easier if nothing is hanging below the frame rails. My roadster is about 2-1/2 inches from the ground to the frame rails and if you're careful you can miss most things. Your doing a really neat build, keep us posted! Rex
Thanks for the replies. Yes, I will connect the center of the channels with plate to tie them together and also protect from broken driveshaft. There will be a trans mount added for the T5. The bottom plate will be a bolt on piece. I'm not making this real low, about 4.5" of clearance to the ladder bar pivot tube in the middle of the chassis. I will have to watch out for speed bumps.
Here is an update. I welded in the X member and ladder bar tube. Also added a little gusset to the kick up. I also opened up the ends and plated inside the rear spring cross member for more spring clearance. I also diagonally cut the ends of the main rails and plated them over. Looks much better. Welding and grinding in 100+ degrees sure is fun! Record temps in the NW. Next is checking the front spring clearance around the horns and getting the body on for some test fitting. I have 40 pedals to put in and start thinking about the cross steer box location. I've been thinking over the steering system and thought that a F1 box with left side steering may be the way to go but I think I'll stick with the Vega cross steer set up. I have a banjo wheel for it and location is rather critical to even think of using the driver's door. A few more gussets, trans mount, X member tie plate, engine mount, wishbone and shock mounts, etc. I need to learn more about rear torque bar mounting and front Panhard bar mounting. Suggestions? I'm also thinking about some tubular braces for seat belt mounting and possibly a short roll bar. Keep it as traditional as possible but that tin body doesn't offer much protection. Critiques welcomed. Thanks! -Erik
Update- dropped the body on and planning for front suspension and steering. I have an old chrome front spring roughly positioned over the CE axle. Looks like I'll have to notch the horns for clearance. Kind of expected I would. Here is the rear crossmember for the spring-behind buggy spring and even with the body sitting flat on the frame there are no clearance issues. I have a couple of old split bones that I'm considering for the front. Can't really tell if there is a caster issue until I get it more complete and sitting on it's springs and tires. If so angle will have to be cut in to the bones Steering is the latest issue. I have a Vega cross steer box and I have 2 F100 boxes for a side steer setup. I'm using a big steering wheel, either banjo Ford or one of my candidates from the early 60's. In any case it will be a big diameter wheel. I'm fighting for every inch in this interior so getting the steering wheel in a good location that is both comfortable to drive and lets me enter and exit the vehicle without too much gyrations. The Vega box mounts much farther forward on the frame and it will take another shaft and U-joint to get there. The F100 box sits on top of the frame and side steers the left wheel. I'm really on the fence on this one. One F100 box has the mounting flange cut down and a series of flathead screws tapped in and I could make a plate that is welded to the frame to mount it. The other is stock and would like to see some solutions for mounting that. I don't want to cut into the frame and besides that would probably make the steering angle too steep. Suggestions are welcomed. Sorry about the fuzzy or dark pics as my camera's flash decided to quit. Some 1940 Ford pedals are on their way and I'll start to figure out placement of those next. Since the interior is so small I'll probably mount clutch and brake pedals on either side of the column. Deuces must seem like a Cadillac to a T owner!
Looks good to me. I think for something as light and small as a 27 roadster, the x-frame is dramatic overkill unless you are running a hemi with 16" slicks, but the added weight will give you a smoother ride.---Brian
Thanks Brian. The channel is 1/8" steel, not very heavy. I don't mind a little overkill as this is my first complete chassis. I've got a hemi and I haven't ruled it out yet. Hmmm...
I bounce back and forth on that one. Supposedly works well and is quite hidden but may be a little out of character for this car. The T5 is not trad but I see some real benefits with that and really hard to see. I may save the Vega for a 32 frame I have and bury it under the motor mount. I did some searching for some install shots with the F100 on top of the frame but can't seem to find any. Not a real focal shot on most pics. Anyone have a good clean solution for the mount?
Looks Killer! Got any side shots along the frame where the body meets? Just want to see how the body fits to the frame.
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