SS frame off performance build

[Mista M]

make sure your frame table is absolutely square. Wood will shrink/expand a few cm. Especially with spring here.

[SSandman]

Pooge, thanks a lot. I'll PM you after I get done measuring it tomorrow (wont have time after work today).

Mista M, I just made the frame table/platform to set the frame up at ride height with the rear wheels on it to check clearance for the 335's I want to run. I wont be doing anything that requires a jig although after seeing how flimsy these frames are it probably would have been nice to weld it down to a frame table for the boxing and notch. Not that it's necessary but a jig never hurts.

[ProTools4]

once you get the frame chopped the wheel well is 14"s wide w/o a tub! :-)
I love u GM

beware the Ricks tank.
I have done several A-bodies and one B-bodie
NOT ONE OF MY CUSTOMER IS HAPPY with there Rick's tank!!!!
-poor fuel control
-fuel level sender is a joke of jokes
-leaks on a custom fabed tanks is pure B*s*

as for the frame
have u seen the bar that goes straight thru the rear of the frame on the newer full size gm trucks
you can see right thru the pipe and it is seam welded on the inside and outside of each rail
I did that on the wifes A-body
"that rug tied the room together man " The Dude

oh and PM me so I can give you an address to send the ROH's to
No Joke, if you sell them EVER, for what ever reason, I get the first right of refusal

[1994 SS]

I like the direction you're going with the car. Supercharged 396 sounds like a dream setup. The wheels are looking really good too. Subscribed!

[SSandman]

Tad, thanks for the heads up! Going to have to look into that, their tanks aren't cheap...they really shouldn't have those problems. There are other brands of fabbed chevelle tanks I may look into.
I love The Dude quote haha. Something like that would be great, more than likely i'll just weld a bar to two pieces of 1/8th in plate and weld them to the rails. Wish I had more time to do trick stuff like that but at the rate im going with the car I may never get done lol. I get one day a week to work on my car IF it doesn't rain, which it usually does lol. No plan on selling the ROH wheels YET, but in the future I do want to go with 18's to fit some big brakes in this thing so you will be the first to know if I decide to sell them!

I didn't get a whole lot done yesterday, spent most of the day looking for weld thru primer (ended up buying rustoleum cold galvanizing spray...probably wont prevent rust worth a damn but better than nothing) and finding new headgear for my welding helmet that broke the day before. I did manage to finish welding up the 3/16's support strip on one side. Welds were coming out terrible. Mix between wind blowing the shielding gas away, not being able to get a good torch angle from working a few inches away from a tree/in the mud and just rushing to beat the sun going down but it doesn't have to look pretty....still frustrates me though lol I like nice welds.


Here's where you can see I extended the notch a bit closer (as close as I could get the rear body bushing) to fit taller tires with the extended control arms.


the 3/16 strip I used to beef up the rail, plug welded it every few inches then stitched the outside


where it ties to the spring pocket


Did it in 3 pieces then tied them all together at the end




frame at ride height (the wood being ground level) (only 275/50's on it there)



Also just picked up a moroso road race oil pan from a forum member that should clear my 1 3/4 quad 1's. Kickouts and trap doors all around so I wont have to worry about oil control at any event I want to attend be it road racing, autocross or drag racing. Also grabbed a TH400 from our engine builder at work for 100 bucks. He'll be building it up for me when the time comes for the cost of parts only with most of the same stuff he uses in his 8 second delivery sedan. Really happy about that as I had a built th400 in the car before but loaned it to a friend when I had my car apart so he could put it in his race car. He died of cancer the other year and passed the car down to his son...i'd rather see the car running than have my tranny back. It was awesome to be able to get a good deal on another one though as I thought that was going to really screw my budget up.


I'm on my way!!

[SSandman]

End up getting a chance to work on it today. Almost finished the driver side 3/16 strip. Took my time, less wind/no rain and was able to prep it a little better. You can see the difference in the welds.


Boring tedious support work is almost done. Welding the .090 tubing where I see fit should be a bit more fun and a lot less wasteful on gas/wire.

[94MI9C1]

Looking great man, thanks for the pics

[ProTools4]

Make sure your power runs for the welder are short and direct
power voltage sag to the welder makes for nasty welds

also try pre heating the welds with a portable torch
it will falsh off all contaminents and get the metal hot

[SSandman]

Originally Posted by ProTools4

Make sure your power runs for the welder are short and direct
power voltage sag to the welder makes for nasty welds

also try pre heating the welds with a portable torch
it will falsh off all contaminents and get the metal hot

Tad, not much I can do about the first one. The frame is on the side of my house, I am running a 50 ft #8 extension cord for the welder and the outlet for the welder is already a long ways away from my breaker. The welder keeps up great though and I don't notice any problems with voltage drop on even long beads. Would have liked to flash but had no gas for my torch and I am always in a huge rush working on this damn thing...just not enough time in the day LOL I weld with a Miller 175 and a Miller 212 at work, this was the first time using my new 211 for anything other than just welding a few pieces of scrap to make sure it worked. MAde the mistake of trusting the auto-set feature (wanted to try it, never used it before) on the first side I did. Welds were too hot and too much wire speed. Probably would work nice for welding a pipe to a plate or a 90 degree joint but not this. Corrected that on the second side and you can see by the close up the welds were pretty nice. Well, maybe could have used just a slight bit more wire speed but we aren't welding spacecraft stuff here lol I was really mad at the first side though (the ones I posted first here). Not that these strips have to be welded perfect, but I weld up pretty welds at work on other peoples cars and go figure when it comes to mine I do a slop job LOL It's embarrassing. Prep work, taking your time and did I mention prep work are always key though. I should listen to myself sometimes lol

Mike! I still have to send you the close up pics of the notch, I forgot all about that. I will get it though, busy week this week (me and the GF's one year anniversary AND her B day in the same week, plus finals coming up) but you'll get them soon!

[94MI9C1]

Originally Posted by SSandman

Tad, not much I can do about the first one. The frame is on the side of my house, I am running a 50 ft #8 extension cord for the welder and the outlet for the welder is already a long ways away from my breaker. The welder keeps up great though and I don't notice any problems with voltage drop on even long beads. Would have liked to flash but had no gas for my torch and I am always in a huge rush working on this damn thing...just not enough time in the day LOL I weld with a Miller 175 and a Miller 212 at work, this was the first time using my new 211 for anything other than just welding a few pieces of scrap to make sure it worked. MAde the mistake of trusting the auto-set feature (wanted to try it, never used it before) on the first side I did. Welds were too hot and too much wire speed. Probably would work nice for welding a pipe to a plate or a 90 degree joint but not this. Corrected that on the second side and you can see by the close up the welds were pretty nice. Well, maybe could have used just a slight bit more wire speed but we aren't welding spacecraft stuff here lol I was really mad at the first side though (the ones I posted first here). Not that these strips have to be welded perfect, but I weld up pretty welds at work on other peoples cars and go figure when it comes to mine I do a slop job LOL It's embarrassing. Prep work, taking your time and did I mention prep work are always key though. I should listen to myself sometimes lol

Mike! I still have to send you the close up pics of the notch, I forgot all about that. I will get it though, busy week this week (me and the GF's one year anniversary AND her B day in the same week, plus finals coming up) but you'll get them soon!

No worries man, whenever you get the chance.