How to make a clod buster tube frame

[heminutt]

What is the best way to make tube fame for a clod buster

[tnisi]

look through the forum for custom built tuber chassis or look on ckrccrawlers.com or other websites for some suggestions.

[heminutt]

thanks that helped alot

[Mriswith]

What do you want to do with it, comp, scaler ? Are you gonna do it yourself? Can you weld or braze?

Knowing that will help.

Most tube chassis are 3/16 diameter automotive brakeline. Some use solid rod. They're usually steel either brazed or welded depending on the skills of the fabricator.

[heminutt]

I am going to build it my self. I can braze and weld. I will want to comp with it in the future.

[Mriswith]

Since you want to do comps with it, you'll want to go through rules for the minimum dimensions, either super or 2.2 which ever you plan building.

What I do, is look around at all the tuber pics for designs I like ( 1:1, or RC's ) and come up with a rough design. I start the build from the center of the chassis, working my way out. I leave my design rough because once I start brazing things change a little, bends are little different than the original plan. For a comp chassis you'll want a small and as light as you can get away with and still keep strong for the ineveitable tumble down the rocks.

I use all kinds of different steel. My tube work is primarily the standard 3/16 automotive brakeline. I use 1/8 solid mild steel rod to splice or stiffen up the 3/16. I also use it as smaller accent tubing in my scale designs. Once in a awhile I use 1/4 brakeline to sleeve the 3/16. I also use 16 and 22 guage sheet steel. Another bit I use is 1/8 by 1/2 flat stock. I usually use it as frame rails.

Whether you braze or weld is up to your skills with the tools. I braze because I don't have a welder. 4 comp chassis and 2 scale tube chassis plus some other misc work like bumpers and I've never had joint break. So use what ever your most comfortable with.

[heminutt]

Thanks i am going to braze. whant to make super. will use automotive brakeline.

[heminutt]

Whst is a good starting pont to start at. groud up or no.

[Mriswith]

I kinda do mine in a U shape first. Thats lower link mounts, then upper shock mounts. I make sure the belly clearance and ride height are where I want them. Then I do the roof line to connect the front to back. After that it's stiffening up the chassis and adding to the front and rear to make the minimum measurements.

[heminutt]

do you draw it out first for a visual or no

[Mriswith]

It's a half and half kinda thing with me. I like to draw it 1:1 in a side view and top down view. The top down drawing I use just for my frame rails and it's crossmember bracing. The side view I use for the link/trans mount placement, rear roll bar and the front firewall/A-pillar. Once I got the 'driver compartment' roughed in, I just kinda free form build either from some rough sketches or referance pics. After I rough out the center section, I just start building in whatever proportions look good to me by sections like fonr shock mounts, rear cage ect. I usually take a day or 2 break between sections and just stare at it going over the style and how to make the tube fit. I like to build slow by sections that way I don't get too frustrated at the seriously complicated fish mouth angles I always end up cutting. I do a lot of test fitting and mock up. It's all in the prep work. Sometimes it take me hours just to put in the main rear roll bar.

Big things to remember are to get the chassis rails and the rear roll bar in perfect. Almost everything else is pretty much based off of that. If those are off, the rest of the chassis will be out of whack.

Another quick tip, for U shaped pieces, don't bend it in one shot. You can but it's a pain to get the bends at the same radius and have the ends line up where you need. Do a left and right single bend and splice it in the center. You can match the bends perfect by comparing the two and you can adjust width in the center in case the bends didn't go as planned. The 3/16th tubing I get is almost perfectly 1/8" inside diamter. I splice it 1/8" solid rod. It also really stiffens up tubing.

[heminutt]

Thanks that will help me make mine. I am planing on starting it this winter.