LocostUSA.com

got my welder going, bought a bottle of gas, but it has the wrong valve for my regulator, so back to the welding shop tomorow.
so this weekend I'm starting my chassis.

but how much tube do I need?

planning on using 1 1/4" or 1 1/2" square 16ga

I bought 168 feet of the 1" 16g and it looks like I'm going to have a fair amount left over. I'd guestimate that you could get by with 140 feet of your main chassis tubing and have enough.

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He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.

Why such large tubing? Most people use the 1" and in rare cases guys use 1-1/4 for the main rails.

I have caculated the weights of the tubing

1" 16guage tubing and 120' of tubing = 91lbs
1-1/4 16 guage and 120' of tubing = 116 lbs + 25lbs over 1"
1-1/2 16 guage and 120' of tubing = 140 lbs + 49lbs over 1"

Unless you are using a BIG heavy engine i would not go with 1-1/2 and prolly not even the 1-1/4.

I'm using 1-1/4 for most of my build and that is because i will be using a IRON block V6, that is Supercharged and i will be racing with it.


Good luck with your build!

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http://kenbuilt79.blogspot.com/

Standard Chasis cutting list
http://www.locost7.info/files/chassis/s ... hassis.xls
and notes
http://www.locost7.info/files/chassis/s ... +Notes.doc
(in metric)
They show (13) 10' legnths of 1" Square tubing, (4) 10 foot legnths of 3/4", and (4) 10' legnths of 3/4"s round.

Files found here....click Chassis...
http://www.locost7.info/mirror/mirror.php

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I'll keep an eye out for you!

To err is human...
I am more human than most.

picked up 1x1 16ga today, looks a little small, but I guess I can add additional bracing if I'm not satisfied.

These cars are LIGHT (well, supposed to be, anyway), and with, for example, a McSorely chassis, you'll find that with 1" tube the frame is VERY strong. It gets its structure from diagonal triangulation of the tubes, and it's much stronger than it needs to be for the weight (most are 1300 lbs. or less - ours will be in the 1100 lb. range). You'll need 3/4" 16 ga. tubing as well, for the center tunnel etc. (not structural members).

The light weight issue is important in brakes, etc. as well. If you use brakes off a 2500 lb. car, you're going to have SERIOUS braking power, so there's no need to use, say, Lincoln Continental units - once you have enough power to lock up all four wheels easily, anything beyond that is wasted (and excess weight).

Have fun!

There are a few accepted, properly-engineered mods for adding torsional stiffness, but don't go adding metal to the frame on a hunch. As zetec7 says, the book frame is more than strong enough for safety.