I need to make a new frame jig and I'm looking for ideas.Right now I use a big metal table that I got from a freinds trailer shop.It's ok I just make spacers to put everything were I want it and tack it in place.Then just conect the dots with 2x3 tube. I was thinking about using large I beams or large rectangle tubes.Then making fixtures to hold everything. Is there any companys that make them? What's in you shop? Pictures or ideas would be appreciated.
We discussed this last year, at http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB1&Number=23084 There aren't any companies that produce frame jigs. In fact, some of the people who use them don't like others to see how they do what they do. Dave http://www.roadsters.com/
Here's mine. Couple of 10' pieces of 6" C-channel and some 2"x2" cross braces. All leveled on jackstands. cross braces
We went a little crazy with ours. 2x6 tubing welded to make a 6' by 14' table. Works great. We will just have to find a place to put it when we're not using it. Clark
I used the steel tubing and connectors they use on the McDonald's outdoor playgrounds.......or use to use....I hear they stopped building 'em, due to lawsuits... Anyway...every corner upright and fourway is held together with set screws.......I can cut a frame in half loosen a few screws and slide.....everything stays lined up...... I can also cut a frame and kick it up and not lose any side to side movement...... Pretty handy for a muiltitude of uses.......here we are mocking up a 53 Caddy motor and tranny......remounting the spring perches and everything stays square....
I used 2 10" I beams with 3" pipe for spreaders. I used "Uni-strut" to make T slot cross members flush with the I beam surface. Electricians use uni-strut to fabricate hangers for their tubing. They make special nuts that fit inside the slot and will tighten at any posision along the slot. They give you T slots similar to the ones in a milling machine table. simple up rights can be bolted on for any width frame. To make an adjustment just loosen some bolts and tap it over to where you want it. Once the rails are clamped in you can still get inside to weld it all up. It worked well but took up too much room.
thank you for all the posts. I am going to have to build a frame jig soon . Hay radshit were whould you go to get those conectors and what size tube(or pipe]do you use for the frame of the jig.So what how big is your shop you can build a monster truck on that thing.What do you use for the arms to attach to the frame.Are they held on with fastners of welded.
I've never built a car frame on a jig, but when I worked in a fabrication shop I made a 10' x 6' table out of 4" box section then laid a good sheet of dead flat 1" steel plate on it, welded down and trued to horizontal. Cut a shallow centre line in with a narrow cut off wheel and then added 12" grid lines each way, just for rough references. Everything else was done with spirit level, angle gauges etc. I used to tack things down to keep 'em still whilst fabbing, then knock them off after and polish the weld away with a buffer. Wish I'd got in at home now
A mate who make ferraris has the same idea a big flat piece of steel all gridlined he bolts in different stations to suit different chassis with bolt in bolt out jigs for suspension pick up points
Here's mine. Copied from picture in "Hotrodders Bible" It has removable cross sections to easily adapt the jigg to different frames.
Some neat frame jigs shown. There are some definite advantages to having an open style of table as vs. a flat steel table. I was fortunate in being able to borrow the local speed shops funny car frame jig and used that to build the 32 frame for my 31 roadster. What made it nice were the leveling screws under each of the six legs. The jig was 16' long and 24" wide. A touch narrow for the 32 frame, but supporting the frame with 2 x 2" x .250 square tubing clamped transversely onto the frame jig worked well. The frame was clamped and/or tacked to the 2 x 2" in several places. The frame was clamped to the jig because I promised not to weld or drill the jig. The speed shop owner wasn't too happy with the guy who'd used it before - he welded to it, didn't clean things up, cut a notch in a couple of areas as well as drilled it and left it out in the rain when he was done. And now wonders why the SS owner isn't too happy with him. Anyhow, notice the raised piece under the very front of the frame. Sitting on a piece of 1 x 2" x .120 wall with 2 x 2" x. 187 wall risers which are tacked to the frame. The 2 x 2" behind it is supporting the engine with some wooden blocks under the pan front. If I did it again, I'd build a jig very similar to what's shown here and I'd also stick with the narrower than most width. I was offered the jig, but turned it down. About a year later I tried to buy it, but the SS owner had decided to keep it. Nice part about the narrow width is it would have made a nice workbench in the shop by simply covering it with some particle board or plywood. Then stripping the wood off when the frame jig was required once again....
Earlier in this thread, I was wrong in saying that there are no frame jigs in production. A helpful lurker told me about the Unijig, which is well-known among the stock car and oval-track communities. The Unijig site can be found at http://www.unijig.com/ Dave http://www.roadsters.com/
gotta make me one of them.. maybe on a big ass hinge and hydraulic rams so I could tilt it up out of the way when Im not using it. that seems to be the only drawback to having one, if you aren't using it all the time it takes up too much space. I've only built a couple frames from scratch and they were both done on a rotisserie, welding is very slow and tedious, gotta weld everything so it pulls equally in all directions,, and ya still gotta have temporary braces everywhere.. The advantage with the rotisserie though is every weld joint is accessible. And you can paint on it too.. and for the amature home builders; don't think you can't build a square level frame without a jig, it can be done. Paul
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