Just looking for wisdom here. I want to do the right thing...and I don’t have a lot of mula...do I Box my stock frame, and put on all the necessary braces and mounts, or do I purchase a speedway frame that some say is safer and better steel...some even said that I could warp my original frame and mess it up...I am very careful and methodical...I know I could do it... Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Do you have a title which matches the serial number on the stock frame? That may be a major consideration in your decision.
depends on the look I like the look of stock frames I prefer boxing one in a 'jig' however an A frame can be made from tubing (assuming it is the car in your avatar) do you plan on running fenders and boards?
First off how good is your original frame? Is it good and solid? Is it square and straight? If it's good and solid and square I'd box and x member it to suit your tastes and drive line. If the frame is tweaked alittle then I'd fix it and still use it. Put it on a couple saw horses with a straight edge on each end and check for level end to end with the straight edges. Just space one corner up to level ( look for my build your own model a frame, I show how to do that in the thread). Once it's level end to end your ready to box. Just put 1" welds at a time in different places while working both sides at the same time. Example: put a 1" weld on the right front corner then go to the left rear corner for the next weld and so on. Shouldn't have much problem with warping. Also check your straight edges every so often to make sure that it's staying flat.
Title has its own designated # Open fender... Stock frame is in good shape visually, haven’t torn the car apart yet And thank you for the welding tips... Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
you can make a nice A frame from rectangle tubing the tubing can be cut and shaped to resemble the stock A frame curved frame horns the front X members are cheap and the rear can be fabbed plans and dimensions are all over the google sphere ( image from google, not mine)
There is no way that speedway frame is made with higher quality steel than the Henry Ford frame. No fuckin way
Just curious if you already have the A frame and skill to build it the way you want it. Then why would you want to buy another one?
Check out Bob Bleed's 'Aceholes' frames. His shop is called 'Midwest Fabrications'. Google it. You'll be happy you did.
Another vote for boxing the original frame. Clamp the thing down to level sawhorses, install a bunch of temporary crossbraces on the top and bottom flanges (out of the way of the boxing plates), and weld it just like Lostone said. Your frame will be much better quality than any new Chinese steel could ever hope to be.
I'd box an original if I had one. Unless you need to Z it or do some real crazy fab on it. Then I wouldn't do that kind of surgery on an original. Sent from my LG-K373 using Tapatalk
The weak point on Model A frames is the section between the rear motor mount and the center crossmember. It can be especially bad on the drivers side because of the additional weight of the driver and battery location, just under the drivers feet. I have done six Model A's and some have been OK, but one had a dip of over 1/2". As others have suggested, make sure the frame is true in all directions before you box it.
I had a Speedway ‘27 Frame under my ‘32 Ford, with 400 hp. No issues, no flexing, reasonable price. Highly recommended.
Before I did the Speedway frame, I would check with a few builders about having one made. The frame is actually the cheapest part of the whole deal. It's all the parts that bolt on that run the cost up. SPark
I don't know where you are from Paul but as you know, each state has different rules and laws concerning our hobby. I had a frame built by a professional shop, upon completion, before they could deliver it to me a title number had to be stamped into the frame per state laws. Either the original title number or an assigned number by the state. In Oregon anyway, a licensed shop could create a frame and stamp your title numbers into it in all factory locations. This route is not cheap! If you buy a speedway frame or rails or whatever, that option is out the door. You will have no title numbers in the new frame (legally), again I speak for local laws. I have been helping a buddy with his Henry frame that he had to straighten and box. He got creative and landed a couple of steel I beams for free that he leveled and welded studs to. Then he bolted the frame down to them, annealing the frame with a weed burner while he twisted the nuts and leveled the frame. Once leveled he welded in the boxing plates to secure and brace it. I snapped a couple of pictures. That is my beer on the sawhorse. When I said I help, I mean I help drink his beer. He is into this the price of the boxing plates, some propane, the bottle of crown I drank and some micro beers. Point is, there are a lot of ways to accomplish your task, the Speedway route would be the least favorable IMHO.
Don’t know how mane people are restoring model A ‘s anymore but if yours is in good enough shape to use I think you could sell the chassis and running gear for enough to buy a real nice chassis with axles and motor mounts.
What kind of engine are you going with? If its gonna be a flathead I wouldn't even box it. Some may say otherwise. If your going with a model a style frame and yours is good then modify yours. Its been done countless times successfully. If you're going to buy a new frame make a power move and put it on 32 rails.
I read all of the post's on this thread and all I saw was an assumption that Speedway's frame was Chinese steel .Does anyone know for sure if they are made from Chinese steel? Or is that just speculation? I wish someone from Speedway would come on here and clear that up.
I think a company called Hot Shoe Hot Rods was building Speedways frames. Mt.Vernon, MO. Didn’t look Chinese to me..
A boxed Model A frame is a good solid base if you aren't going crazy with horsepower, they tend to crack on the front cross member . Don't weld the cross member in unless you box the frame, they flex and crack. If you strip a Model A frame and set the front horns on the ground and pick up the rear you can twist the frame. They are built to flex on the rough roads. I've built two flathead powered Model A's with out boxing the frames with no problems.
You've got a nice solid car to start with, don't even think about swapping the frame unless you're going to drop in some giant fuck off horsepower engine. You've already ordered (got?) Vern Tardel's new book. Do a lot of reading and noodling around here before you mess up that nice car. I'm all for hot rodding it, hell yeah, just don't rush in.
my step-dad passed last March, and he left me this 327 with a 350 turbo trans...so this is what I have to work with...I want to see his motor on the road...it’s brand new rebuild, never run..,I just “cleaned it up a bit, and changed out the seals... Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I have a Speedway frame for my latest build. I was impressed with the quality of the piece; nice welds and checked out dimensionally. That being said, I had to rework the front spring mount to get the front end low enough with the setup I'm using. I've added a few mounts and brackets, and the steel seems to be just fine and welds well. I have had some bad experience trying to weld Chinese steel before. I used it because I didn't have an original frame of any kind to start with. If I did have a stock frame, I would base my decision on it's condition and the type of car I was building. This is going under a "T" tub I am building out of spare parts leftover from other projects.
I am a tight bastard. So if I got an original frame in repairable condition I use it. Something to keep in mind is that while boxing a frame is totally trad it is not the only answer a frame can also be properly braced and accomplish the same end result. All that said, I am also a fan of exotics, and if I was throwing a lot of meat at one I may just bite the bullet and build a tube chassis.
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