Tube chassis - link spacing and mounting ????

[jarheadk5]

Hey all; long-time lurker, first-time poster.



I recently dug my 1990-vintage Clod out of the basement. I had intentions of fabbing an aluminum plate-and-angle chassis for it... then I saw all the tube chassis out there. So now I'm diving into the tube world...

It's gonna be a backyard and park basher; terrain will probably be a little of everything, so I'm not focusing on all-out articulation or travel.

I'm trying to figure out how wide I need to make the bottom portion of the chassis, where the lower suspension links will mount to the chassis. I've figured out they need to angle in toward the chassis for tire clearance, but how close together is enough?

How are y'all mounting your susp. link rodends at the chassis? My first thought was some steel "plate" welded to the tube (I'm using 1/4" brakeline from NAPA) similar to 1:1 trucks, but this seems a little overkill in this application. Any advice? Pics would be great...

[roktoy]

Originally Posted by jarheadk5

I'm trying to figure out how wide I need to make the bottom portion of the chassis, where the lower suspension links will mount to the chassis. I've figured out they need to angle in toward the chassis for tire clearance, but how close together is enough?

I would generally separate mine by about 3 inches and would build my coverall chassis width to be about 6-8 inches at the widest point. I don't care as much for the tiny, skinny chassis look that's not very scale.

Originally Posted by jarheadk5

How are y'all mounting your susp. link rodends at the chassis? My first thought was some steel "plate" welded to the tube (I'm using 1/4" brakeline from NAPA) similar to 1:1 trucks, but this seems a little overkill in this application. Any advice? Pics would be great...

You can use 16 gauge plate tabs (single shear usualy fine). I usually use crosstubes of 3/16" tube with 4-40 rod brazed in or tube tapped straight to 6-32.

For strength, 1/4" aluminum rod links work best. 3/16" brakeline links bend too easy, though 1/4" ones will be a little better (but kinda big to scale).

Post some pics when you start building......

Jay