Race Chassis Fabrication Classes

#1
Thought I would share what I am doing . I am enrolled in Greenville Tech taking a Race chassis fabrication course. Spent all of the fall semester doing welding projects as a learning process. Now for the spring semester we are building a 1/2 scale NASCAR chassis. We have a master jig, front frame jig, rear frame jig, truck arm cross member jig and a front under engine cross member jig. You build all the small parts and then add them to the master jig where you start with just the frame rails. Currently the frame is complete, the sheet metal is complete and we are finishing up the roll cage and various bars that are part of the complete assembly.

Here are a few picks of what it looks like. It is a faithful 1/2 scale replica. We have plenty of real cars to compare it to. A few things have to be left off as there just isn't a practical way to fit them in the smaller scale. In the first pic you can see the frame hanging on the wall that he takes to the local High Schools trying to generate interest in the program. Plus it is the "go by" to copy.









Sheet Metal,













Beginnings of the roll cage,






Its a lot of fun and quit the challenge as you only have so many parts that come with instructions. The rest you have to just fill in the blank. The frame has sizes and angles. The sheet metal has sizes but you have to adjust slightly to make sure each piece fits your chassis. The roll cage comes with dimensions for tubing cut length and bend angles but they are slightly long so that you can fit them together.

I will have to bring my camera home and load the cage pics this week. We have it down to the last 6 or 8 pieces.

Doug
 
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#2
That is really nice.
I would love to see some coped joints that are weld-ready, and maybe the coping tool you folks are using.
Doug, thanks for taking the time and effort to start this thread.
Steve
 
#3
That is really nice.
I would love to see some coped joints that are weld-ready, and maybe the coping tool you folks are using.
Doug, thanks for taking the time and effort to start this thread.
Steve
Steve I can get some pics of the joints for you and the Mitler Brothers coping tool. As of the moment the entire cage is just tacked in place. We have to build the engine bay bars and tack them in place. Then we have to lay out there location in relation to the square tube frame that supports the firewall. Then we knock the tacks loose and weld in the firewall, then drill the holes for the tubing. And if all went as planned the tubing will lay right back in place penetrating the firewall. I am looking forward to seeing it work out. At the worst we will have to fabricate a new firewall and drill again. We will be doing this this week so I will have more pics soon.

Doug
 
#4
Cool project and quite a learning development. It will serve you well. You're close enough to the NASCAR boys to get a job as a fabricator.

Are you learning to do the sheet metal fab work also? Hmm, I'll have to remember you next time I have to come up with panels and ducts for our car.
 
#5
As a matter of fact we are going to build a full sized front fender next week.

We had a lesson in hanging body panels on a bare chassis with the cage today. Level the chassis, mark the centerline, set the chassis to ride height, place the roof panel. place the deck lid, place the hood, all to the long template, hang the front and rear bumpers with there supports, then hang the suspension, set the wheels where they will be on the track, and then build the rest of the body to fill in the blanks.

The instructor is a past crew chief in the Winston West circuit and in the Regular NASCAR Cup circuit after that. Worked under Larry McReynolds on the Quaker State car. Has logged a lot of hours in the wind tunnel. Tells a lot of stories about just how easy it is to influence the car with the body panels. Very interesting guy to say the least.

He built all the cars that were in the movie, The Days Of Thunder. He said the movie deal was a nightmare.....

Doug
 
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WLB

Active Member
#7
That's really nice. I love to hear of programs like that. One of those "German V4 engines would fit right in there.
 
#8
This is a great program. In the state of South Carolina, if you are 60 or older you can attend any state run Technical College for lab fees only. It cost me $165.00 for the fall semester and $194.00 for the spring semester. I have been welding all my life and have learned so much more through this class.

I took more picture today but forgot to bring the camera home... The day went to hell after lunch anyway... First I cut a notch in my pinky on my right hand with the cut off wheel... Then we laid out the firewall to drill the holes for the bars.... The instructor said the hole saws were in the bottom drawer of the middle red tool box.... We grabbed one and started drilling. Only to find out that he told us wrong and the hole saw was to big... I told him he was in the dog house. He just laughed at that. Soooo... we started on a new firewall and it was a fight from the start. And.... we screwed it up too... Rolled the beds wrong. So in the morning we will start on number 3. We know what we did wrong so the next one will be easy. I did threaten to hang the first one on the wall in the instructors office.

We are still way ahead of the other 3 chassis being built. One hasn't started on the sheet metal yet... The other 2 are working on the sheet metal and it is kicking their butts. We help them when they ask. One borrowed a tool from me today and then left at lunch never to return so I had to go find my tool. I hid the panel he was working on with my tool too. He can find it with out to much trouble.

I will try to remember to bring the camera home tomorrow and load some more pictures. Its pretty impressive looking with all the parts in place.

Doug
 
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#11
Doug, it taught you a valuable lesson or two. #1 measure twice, cut once. #2 You don't loan out your tools. LOL!
Wasn't any problem with the measurements it was the assumption that we had the correct hole saw with out thinking that we should check it...

Rolling the beads wrong was just plain human error... I ran the bead across the panel and there was supposed to be a gap in the middle. My fault.

As far as loaning the tool, it was a kwik scribe and he has borrowed it before but never failed to return it. :shrug:

I don't know what to think about the rest of the guys taking the class. They cant put their phones down and when they leave for lunch, any where between 10:30 and 11:30, they don't come back.... We stay and get things done.

We got all our projects done last semester and built a full chassis for my buddies 71 Blazer. Including a full 3'' stainless exhaust system. All done after the regular lab work that we were assigned. LS3 & 4L65 with a No Limit front suspension and a Porter Built truck arm rear suspension. Fitting the 3'' Exhaust is 10 pounds in a 2 pound sack....

 
#12
Well you always have folks like that, don't want to put in the time or effort to do something. I commend you for going the distance.
And beautiful job on the Blazer. :thumbsup:
 
#13
Thanks EVOL. We try to keep our head down and get it done.
[MENTION=56451]SAT[/MENTION] Here are some pics that you asked for. Joint fitment and the MB Coping tool. Also a shot of the Tube Shark tubing bender. I like my old manual JD Squared better myself...

Just the main hoop started,



Coped joint at 52.5 degrees for the main hoop brace that runs from the lower corner up to the upper opposite corner.



More joint fit, Don't know why the pic is sideways. Just tilt your monitor...









The front engine bay bars tacked in place,







Firewall installed and drilled for the bay bars, You can see the bay bars laying in the floor. That is tomorrows project.







More pics in a day or 2....

Doug
 
#14
Piece of art there. That's the thing with a race car, folks see the outside and many don't realize the beauty and work that is done to the inside. It's the best part of the car.
 
#15
Doug,
Thanks for taking the time and effort to post all these. Outstanding work. There is no substitute for time spent in the shop working. The greatest shop people I have known have cited time in the shop working, and mistakes made, as the biggest contributing factors in reaching their career goals.
So, my list increases.
Detroit Torch
JD Squared bender
DIY tubing notcher/coping jig
 
#17
Yes they do have shrinker/strethers. We have used them on several projects so far.

I take my personal Shrinker/Stretcher in when we are doing something that needs them. The schools are hand operated and mine is a foot operated stand mounted set. Much more productive with mine. I dug around the shop one day and scrounged up enough pieces to make mine 7 or 8 years ago. I had the heads but they were affixed to a bracket that clamped in the bench vise. I got tired of the limited amount of room that the bench mounting had so I looked at pictures and built my stand. Even made my own clevis's for the pull rods. It was a fun little project.

The instructor took pictures and all the measurements off of mine so that they can make 7 of them for the school. He finally has all the parts cut and just needs to assemble them.

Doug
 
#18
We got all the bay bars in today and then finished welding everything that is accessible while it is still in the jig. Once it cooled completely we took it out of the jig and set it on its side so that we can finish welding the bottom half of all the joints and then the bottom of the chassis. We have to finish welding the floor pan solid along the bottom of the firewall and the trans/bell housing tunnel. We have 3 braces that will have to be installed under the fuel cell can and that should wrap up the chassis fab project. Hopefully we can get all that done tomorrow.

The instructor told us that we were the first ones to finish the chassis in less than the allotted amount of time. So he said that he had always wanted to install the fuel cell can in one so that it looked completed instead of the empty rails in the rear. So we got busy and put the fuel cell can in to his specs. He likes it. We like it too.

Now I said "finish the chassis in the allotted amount of time". That means the bare chassis.... No sheet metal and most certainly no cage....

He says that typically half the class wont get the project completed. And I can believe that. All you have to do is look around and see who is working and who is on the phone... One poor guy is serious about getting his done but his partner is MIA most of the time. He tries hard but one soul can only do so much...

Here are some pics after we took it out of the jig and set it on the table. The holes in the firewall didn't turn out tight but after ruining one and then screwing up the second one we weren't going to make a forth... He would have let us if we wanted but we are done...

We are ready to finish welding all the stainless exhaust on the Blazer. Purge and TIG.... Fuuunnnnn..... I love it as I have to do all the TIG welding. Bruce is not well versed with it. All I can tell you is that the 304 Stainless wets oh so nice when you put the heat to it....











Doug
 
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