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The Truth about Hydroforming and It’s Myth of Superiority

With the tremendous hype surrounding hydroforming we feel its time to explain the pros and cons of Hydroforming. Hydroforming starts with a pre-bent tube in the basic frame shape needed. Internal hydraulic pressure is then applied to further form the bent tube into the shape of a mold cavity that matches the exterior of the new frame component. Hydroformed components can be produced very inexpensively which explains their popularity with OEM automobile manufacturers. The major drawback
to hydroforming is that the tooling is very expensive. As the demand for frames in the automotive after market is very small compared to the volume an OEM builder needs, the tooling cost must be amor-
tized over an infinately smaller quantity of parts. This alone could add hundreds of dollars to the selling price of a frame. The second problem is the tube must be stretched to flow into the mold cavity thus
decreasing its wall thickness. This also makes some shapes impossible to form. This is why Hydroformed frames look so much like a stock frame, they both suffer from the same manufacturing limitations. Chassis works’ manufacturing method to produce complex aftermarket frames avoids the drawbacks of hydro forming. Laser-cut sheet blanks are formed into shape with a sophisticate CNC controlled forming The FaroArm is used to digitally scan multiple vehicles and create an exact
computer model for development.
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press and then robotically welded together. This process produces very elaborate and vehicle specific
frames which can be built economically in the small aftermarket quantities

Chassis works can accomplish this because we have the most advanced state-of-the-art manufacturing facility building aftermarket
frames and components. Our flexible manufacturing methods were designed specifically to build lower volume sophisticated parts. Look at our chassis products and you will see that they are all very elaborate,
application specific, with a tremendous amount of individual accessories to compliment each other.

The Chassisworks’ design is superior in these key areas:

Chassisworks fabricated subframe is larger and stronger than all other tubular designs. Large 3” x 4” subframe structure at the critical chassis stiffness area from the suspension cross- member rearward, through the firewall mounts. By making our own billet rack-and-pinion assembly, we are able to offer perfect front-suspension geometry at the correct hub-to-hub width. Rack and pinion is placed forward of the axle centerline (front steer) for better oil-pan clearance and rotates to eliminate sharp universal joint angles and improve exhaust clearance. Virtually no bumpsteer in 6” of suspension travel enables predictable handling regardless of the
vehicle’s changing pitch-or roll-state. Broad lower A-arm increases load capacity and stability during braking and cornering. Lower A-arm length reduces track width change and roll center movement during suspension
travel, for smoother transitions entering and exiting turns.
Lower shock mount is located very close to the balljoint, increasing the shock-motion ratio, and allowing use of lighter, lower rate springs
for better suspension control without degrading ride quality.

The g-Machine spindle is taller than OEM spindles which increases camber gain during body roll, keeping tires in better contact with road surface.
Two-inch dropped spindle lowers ride height and center of gravity to improve overall handling. Short/Long Arm Suspension (SLA) layout
is a compact, low-profile suspension design that leaves plenty of room around the engine. Traditional hub-style spindle accepts up to 4” brakes with more wheel choices than Corvette-style spindles. Suspension and Steering Components A broad range of suspension and steering
components enable the system to be custom outfitted to match your performance requirements. Options include: manual or power
rack-and-pinion, Street- or g-Machine control arms, behind-crossmember
or forward-of-rack mounted antiroll bars, fabricated or sculpted spindles, and -3/4”-rotor for street brakes, or 3”- and 4”-rotor for high-performance brakes. Bolt-on installation, perfect geometry, and tailored performance make the g-Machine system an excellent choice for your next
project.
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True Direct-Fit NoFab Installation

Direct-fit installation ensures that all major drivetrain components remain in their exact factory positions. Engine height and set-back are stock, requiring no additional hood clearance or modification to the firewall or transmission tunnel. Two mounting styles of antiroll bars are available. The
standard rear mount antiroll bar has the same forward clearance as the stock Camaro clip. Optional splined-end, forward-mount, antiroll bar attaches under the front frame rails, forward of the rack and pinion to provide approximately two-more inches of forward pan clearance. A hub-to-hub width of 60” matches the original factory dimensions, allowing use of preexisting or factory wheels without the need for spacers. Ride height is approximately -/” to ” below stock and maintains 4-/” of ground clearance below the suspension crossmember. The system accepts factory height (5.5”) tires, with up to an ” tire section width and 5” wheel backspacing. Acceptable sizes include: 75/45-6, 75/40-7, 75/35-8, 75/30-9, and 75/5-0. Note: 967-68 Camaro fenders may limit tire section width to 9.5”. \

Fabricated Subframe with Integrated g-Machine Crossmember
Subframe Design and Construction

The subframe structure is made up of specially-fabricated frame rails, frame horns, and our g-Machine suspension crossmember. Our unique completely enclosed subframe structure is stronger and more rigid
than commonly used open-channel designs. Each frame rail is assembled from four separate, -gauge (.04”) sheet metal panels to create a strong, yet lightweight boxed structure. This assembly procedure enables us to construct a tapering frame rail with uniformed wall thickness throughout the entire structure; not possible by any other manufacturing technique. Rail width remains constant at 3”, but height gradually increases from 3”-tall, underneath the body where clearance is of concern, to 4” at the
suspension crossmember, where strength and stability are highly important. Rail panels are CNC-laser cut and include numerous detailed positioning features. Once the contour bends have been made at our fully-automated press, the panels are assembled using the positioning features.
Similar to a three-dimensional puzzle, the rail panels can only be fit together in the absolute correct shape. The four corner seams are welded with a continuous bead to completely bond the joint. Subframe rails,
suspension crossmember, and various mounts are then assembled and welded in a fixture. The final fixture welding of the sub-assemblies ensures that body, motor, transmission, and bumper mounts are perfectly
positioned for a trouble-free installation. Completed base subframe assemblies are shipped as bare steel with raw corner welds. As an option, welds can be sanded smooth ready for paint or powder coating.
Part Number Description Price 770 Base g-Machine Welded Subframe Assembly, ‘67-69 Camaro, ‘68-74 Nova $395.00
OPTION Sanded Corner Welds 375.00

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