Custom 'bolt In' Gm A-body Chassis

[dav8427]

i'm doing a 'market study' to check interest in a replacement 'bolt in'
pro-touring style chassis for 64-72 gm a-body's.

in general they would consist of; 2x4 11 ga. rect tube frame, custom front
and rear suspension, coil overs on all corners, rack and pinion steering and all suspension pick up points either teflon lined rod ends or moly impregnated nylon bushings.

proto-type is near completion. i would like to 'tool up' and produce these
but need to know if there would be a demand for such a product.

feel free to send any coments or questions directly to me or leave a note
hear. i am tracking this 'study'

thank you, doug anderson

[sinned]

Doug, there is quite a bit of interest in a replacement frame. A few questions I have, since this a scratch build can I assume that you have done your homework and the suspension design has been run through some sort of simulation program? I ask because it appears to be off the shelf style Mustang II control arms. They seem very short and would result in high roll center migration as well as a fairly short FVSA length.

What type of rear suspension are you running, it looks like an attempt at some form of Satchell link, albeit not a very good attempt? I hate to be critical but many of your prospective buyers do not know any better and it wouldn't take long to develop a bad rap for putting out an inferior chassis.

Some advise if you are interested, work on the front end design some more. This a scratch build, might as well do it right the first time. Same with the rear, why not a 3-link and PHB? Put some adjustments in it so the straight line guys can dial in some anti-squat.

There are a lot of folks who would be willing to pay top dollar for a well designed and constructed chassis that would correct all the short comming sof the typical "A" body chassis. Heck, I know of a dozen right now considering having C5 chassis' fitted to thier 'velles. I'm sure you could build a chassis and make a mountain of money for less than a fab shop will charge to retro a C5 chassis....not to mention somebody has buy that C5.

[wickedmotorhead]

.....Ditto

[dav8427]

to anyone who is at all interested in the subject of a 'replacement' chassis
for 64-72 a-bodies, here are a few more pics and specs.

keep up with the replies, i am getting more and more interested in
pursuing the idea of building these.

thank you, doug anderson

[airrj1]

Doug,

Denny brings up some very good points. I have to say first that I am not a perspective cust. just because a replecment frame is outside my budget. However if I were to buy a purpose built frame I would want to follow through and have the top of the line components for the front and rear suspension. Specifically C4 or C5 type front suspension and a well tested rear.

Also, do you know what the bare frame on your prototype weights?

Great Idea. Thanks.

R.J.

[Steve Chryssos]

Doug,
Art Morrison supplies mandrel bent rails for many of the well known chassis companies. (There's really only one other guy in the country with the same capabilities). So you can supply them with a print and they will send back rails that you can use as the foundation for your chassis. It' will save you time and money and hopefully shave some weight when compared to a fully fabbed design.


Another note: I've had this conversation with quite a few people and I still stand behind my final answer:
Manufacturing chassis on a production basis is far more challenging than custom building one frame. Repeatability and quality control can be monumental challenges.

So be careful what you wish for!