I'm wanting to make up a frame jig to so I can box and z my model a frame what is a good direction to go do I use one big ass hunk of flat plate and just tack the frame to it or is there a better way to do it? Let me see your jigs and hear your ideas the snow is ass deep to a mgs player and the temp is colder than a well diggers ass and I'm getting cagy need some ideas on this thanks Will
Since we are human and have primitive tools, flat and level will be important. This will allow you to use gravity, bubble levels, water levels, transit, angle finders and plumb bobs. I've built 12'x12'x85' box truss that needed to be true to +/- 1/8" on little more than 12 horses sitting on a lumpy floor. With that in mind, ill have a different opinion on this than many over thinkers and non checkers. If I was going to to 1 frame I wouldn't get real invoked in jigging but I would be real diligent on measuring and checking. If I were going to be cranking out 1 a week is have a nice rollover jig that loads and locks the dimensions. Here's my elaborate set up. I did make sure both tables were aligned and level as perfect as humanly possible. The floor is soooo far out the low corner needed shimmed a fuzz over 7/8" and the high corner has ground down fender washer. The rails are controlled width, vertical square and on center in 3 places, and width Via crossmembers in 3 more places.
^ How wide is that table? I'm also getting ready to make a table for fabricating. I am pretty limited on space and am planning on making it 60" x 96". It will have 2"x4", 20" on center across the width and cross braces every 24". For the top I plan on using 4" wide 1/2" plate spaced apart 4". And 3/4" all thread for adjustable legs. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
The steel table is 36x60 with 1" plate. The other one Not really my go to fab table, its more of a layout and catchall table but it was here after I built it for a car body. The wooden table is 62x98 with 1" MDF top. It's built with Douglas fir 2x12s ripped in half and plywood trusses for the legs. It's dead nuts square and stays dead nuts flat with 250lb point load in the center. Will hold over A 500 lb point load in the center on the edges under the leg truss. More than enough for car body or frame. It's on wheels but can also be blocked up pretty easily. I have another table that my Vicky is on, but there's a mountain of shit piled around it right now. Stout enough for the whole car. The nice thing about that one is 2 guys can move it take it apart in less than 20 mins and it stores against the wall in 4"wide x 12 foot floor space. That has 1-1/4" threaded adjusters on the feet.
I met some guys from Rhode Island years ago that bought a '30s era frame machine from an old body shop and converted it to a sturdy fab table. The two side members were 12' X 12" I-beams. They set the beams on some shorter pieces and welded in a few cross pieces then squared and leveled it up. Over the years they had built several cars and trailers and as far as I know it is still in the barn in Coventry. Fab tables don't need to be beautiful, just level and square.
Hello from sunny California. If you are doing just one frame you don't need to go to all that effort. You can just use your garage floor and some square tubing to keep the frame together while modifications take place. You will only get in trouble if you weld too long or too much in one spot. Even with a super jig you will get in trouble. On a Deuce chassis I use a 1" square tubing jig that fits in all the body holes along with three locaters on the bottom and weld slowly. I will see if I can find some photos for you.
i built mine only because i had a bunch of scrap steel laying around, so i built what i could out of the materials. i had a 10' length of 4 x 4 x .250 and 20' of 2 x 4 x .120 i cut the big tube in half and split the long piece into 4 equal parts. welded it all up and wound up with a piece just shy of 5' square. it fits really nice on a rolling steel cart that i found, and i can lay it up against the wall when i'm not using ii.
I'll probably get slammed for this but I built my T roadster frame on this custom made king sized bed frame that someone gave me. Made a few mods like drop in supports and added a couple of legs. Lots of clamping and careful measuring kept deficiencies within 1/8".
I used 2 12" I beams that were 18 foot long for building O/t cars that were unibody just made sure it was square and the top was level , I used scaffold legs for levelers at 3' intervals had a professional welder notch the flange to mount the pipe for them . and it was fixed for 40" wide if i needed to make a temp mount I used a piece of 1/2 plate and tacked it on the edges to the flange , when I was done I listed it in a racing paper and it was sold in a week .
My buddy had some 8" C channel I used to make my table. Bolted it together, and have 3/8 rod with turnbuckles X'ed in the middle to square it. Elevator bolts to level it. Spray black paint around each bolt on the floor so you can tell if it moves. My garage floor is anything but smooth. I lean it up against the wall when I'm not using it. Sorry for the crappy picture. Old camera. long time ago.
im just buildin mine on the garage concrete floor, with stringlines etc etc, i figure the road itll be drivin on aint that bloody level or square. as long as it looks right and measures up to within a millimeter then im happy, those builders lasers are real handy too.
On a one off frame modification, I don't really see a need for a frame jig. I think the first thing you should do is make sure your 80 plus year old frame is not damaged or out of specs. Starting with something that is out of spec will cause a lot of headaches down the road. I would also get the whole frame modification tacked together with small tacks and measure after every tack. You will be amazed how much a weld will move metal. A good place to start. http://www.wescottsauto.com/WebCatalog/Tech/FrameDiagram1928-31.pdf
I have this to weld my frame. Its two 100inch long rails on solid stands built by my father to paint wood. I put them together and chims til they were level in all direction. Then spotweld them together so they dont move around.
My first few frames were actually clamped down to the legs of my engine hoist (cherry picker). I would shim below anything I needed to level it. Went slow, used my level and tape measure after every move, but they always came out level and square.
Mines Wood........Built several cars on this from Model A's to '32's to and Anglia GASSER!!! It attaches to the floor and adjusts on all 4 corners. I second the previous statements about measure, re-measure, and then measure again.
Here is a photo of a frame jig built on the garage floor. You can level the cross tubing with spacers and presto you have a nice jig that is removable and very versatile.
Made mine from 4"x4"x1/4 angle 12' long with same material for cross members and legs. they are 2' outside to outside. I built probably 70 T bucket frames and they were straight. Welded the sides together then had a cross member for the rear kickup and a locator for the front to square it up. It was bolted to the floor.
I'm almost done with this, so I thought I'd post some pics. I have less than $200 dollars in materials in this. The frame is 2x4 and 2x2 tube and the tops are 1/2" plate I found at the scrap yard. Holes are tapped to 1/2-13 thread. I'm not sure how many hours are in it, probably more than 40. 170 holes drilled and tapped. Oh I forgot, it's 4ft x 9ft. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
That's gonna last you a lifetime. Should be able to fab all sorts of stuff on that one as long as the tubes stay straight.
I hope so. I'll probly do something different with the legs eventually but it will do for now. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
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