It’s all random thoughts that rattle in my head. We built a boxed ch***is for a 33. It smacked a tree. Being boxed and with a DOM tube X member in the center, it wasn’t feasible to repair it. The boxing on one side and half tbe X bracing would have needed cut out. The same hit on a non boxed frame with rivited X bracing would have been repairable. However, would that type of ch***is handle the big block and stick that was in that 33? Kinda like the difference between fixing a modern fully welded ch***is vs an older ch***is. How much extra bracing/boxing does the average low to mid 300hp street car need? That’s kinda what I wonder Aesthetic wise,I dig a step boxed rail with holes. Extra point for dimple dies being used. How much strength does the dimple die add
How important is it that I get complete weld penetration to the very core of the "thick tapered part" of structural channels and beams?
I'm not following your description, but full weld penetration of what you're welding is very important.
My goofy thought for painting the inside would be use a wand attachment to shoot the inside with epoxy. We used that for cavity wax. Should work for epoxy
As far as protecting the inside of a frame, it's best to plan ahead when boxing. Eastwood (and others) have you covered with products like this: https://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-internal-frame-coating-14oz-aerosol.html Weld-through primer on areas to be welded helps to make sure you won't have any unprotected spots in the frame, and you can also pre-paint areas of the frame and inside of boxing plates that are away from the weld zones for protection. The boxing plates you describe have been available for 10+ years for many common applications, such as these from Wolfes: https://www.wolfesmetalfabrication.com/boxingplates.html I got the solid ones from Wolfes for my Model A because I won't know the placement of my crossmembers until after the frame is boxed. I also like their Easy Weld design which allows a nice fillet weld. There's also a couple of hot rod parts companies that sell weld-in oval access doors for boxed frames. This is one example, can't find the other one I remember: Frame Access Doors – York Speed Shop
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