Nerd Rods, 55-59 Truck Frame Project 1956, C4 suspension, 5.3L Auto, Kit Frame Design

[rat_rod_russell]

Ugh, I found that 20 lbs I put on while designing the frame......
But you can see how we get these last few parts in. You might need a friend to help spread the rails out a little to make everything go together easier.




NOTE!!!!! Yes I have big clamps, but all you need is a RATCHET STRAP here to pull the rails together before welding. I was going to use one for the photos but it was in the back of the truck, and it was cold, and I'm a wuss so sue me, lol.





Next up is the 4 bar locators and then we marry the 3 big parts together into a single frame.

Later
-Russell

[rat_rod_russell]

Rear four bar (Dog bone) to frame mount. If your going to run a live axle instead of the Corvette you can swap these out for different control arms, and do a 3 Link, 4 link, truck trailing arms, triangulated 4 bar, watts or pan hard bar system. There's tons of room to install any of them.







Later
-Russell

[rat_rod_russell]

[ChuckDriver]

Looking good!

[GregWeld]

Nice Russell!

[rat_rod_russell]

Thanks

Well its finally a whole frame. I've just got some brackets, gussets and the bottom to finish up and we'll be onto fitting the body. Now that the main frame is together I need to take it off the table to finish up a fuel tank so I can get a gas tank wrapped up and deliver an over due stage 4 TriFive chassis.

[GregWeld]

So how many hours of welding do you have "accounted for"?



Just asking.

[rat_rod_russell]

Originally Posted by GregWeld

So how many hours of welding do you have "accounted for"?

Just asking.

I haven't kept exact count on this one as its the first of the Chevy Truck frames but its taking a lot longer just because of all the photos I've been doing. For every photo I post I delete 5-10. But I was pondering this question a little while back and here's the little bit I timed just to get an idea. The box for the control arms to the frame that I installed just before I put the front on the frame. The one side I photographed the build of took me 7 hours. The second one took 1 hour and 50 minutes and I basically only weld at night to keep people from bothering me so mostly uninterrupted (you answer the girlfriends calls).

I would guess I have 22-25 hours in the frame right now with another 4-10 to finish it all up.

Keep in mind our shop is only 2 guys most of the time with 2 part time guys who help out and do body work on the shop projects. We've been building a TriFive stage 4 chassis, boxing up 6 other frames, run a powder coating business and my father (the other full time guy), he's going in for back surgery next month for a slipped vertebra so take a guess how useful he is right now. I wish I had the time to just bang this frame out but we need to support the customers who have already purchased their own TriFive frames. I will timelaspe the next frame (I have another in a crate to weld up) and clock it at the same time. With luck we'll have a dozen clocks on the set and you can see them all ticking along to get a feel for the time as well.

Later
-Russell

[GregWeld]

Yeah --- I was thinking maybe 60+ hours start to finish. MIG would be way faster… but not as nice. Well that's a debatable statement so I probably shouldn't even type it.

Sorry 'bout your Dad -- back issues suck!

[rat_rod_russell]

Originally Posted by GregWeld

Yeah --- I was thinking maybe 60+ hours start to finish. MIG would be way faster… but not as nice. Well that's a debatable statement so I probably shouldn't even type it.

Sorry 'bout your Dad -- back issues suck!

Thanks, I'm just happy he's not going to be in such pain anymore. Watching the man you looked up to get old and slow down is tough but after the pre surgery physical the doctor described him as "exemplary condition" and I know his tolerance for pain in amazing so it'll be interesting to see how he is after it stops pinching his nerve and he can walk for more than 5 minutes at a time.

MIG has is advantages in certain places as does the TIG but I told the customer I would TIG this whole frame so I am. Ideally for production I'll MIG most of your 90° corners and lots of the heavy plate at the back of the frame. I would say start to finish a first timer would have 50-60 if they didn't have that many clamps, prep time and going back and forth between the video. A shop should be able to bag it out in under 20. I just dropped one of the 3 frames off with a friends shop so we'll see how long it takes him granted he'll be modifying his for a C10.

Later
-Russel