What brand 32 rails to start with?

I'm wanting to build a 32 chassis and was wondering what every one has started with and why? is there a better rail than others? what do you like most about this brand? after recieving your new rails have you noticed anthing irregular about them? do they need massaging?

I ask these questions because a friend of mine said a certain brand of stamped rails that most know, are not completely perfect out of the box so to speak. Just would like some good real advice before spending the money. Would like to know the different problematic areas and what was done ro correct them before final fitting. Thanks.

 

Wimmers seem to be the brand of choice on the HAMB. We use ASC in our shop because our laser cut boxing plates fit them and our fixture is designed for ASC. They are a little more work but turn out fine.

 

Ill put in a good report for ASC .. yes they do take a little more work but not a lot and they look as good as anything else when they are finished..
Dave

 

Ford made the best, but they are out of production so you'll have to find some good used ones..

 

ASC all the way. Just got another set of them today. I tried a few sets of JW Rod Garage rails and they were very inconsistant. Supposedly the problem they had with the dies is fixed now, but I really don't feel like spending the money to find out, maybe I will one of these times. The original company they got the dies from went out of business and they had TERRIBLE stampings, hopefully they got the problem fixed.

 

I have a new beef with the J.W. rod garage rails. .

Seems that after the are stamped they are now trimming the flanges so that when you FLUSH box the rails it brings it to stock flange width. So, if you set in your plates like we do the flanges are an 1/8" too narrow.....I'll try to get some pictures up.

I have contacted them about doing it the "right" way and they said they would not....I'm looking for a new supplier....

 

I am going to pick up a couple sets of rails from Shadow Rods, I have watched these frames develop from the start, the two piece design might freak out some of you guys, but trust me the contours and shape is dead on to original Fords, only better,... the surface is a ASE class "A" finish, you can buy just rails, a complete frame, or just about any combination in between in a number of configurations. The two piece design works great for shipping as they can be sent UPS, FedX, etc. or they will weld them up and finish them in there fixture and freight them out to you.

If you buy the chassis kit, the "X" member self jigs the frame dead on,... it's quite a cool bit of engineering,.... exciting enough to get this old tight wad off his wallet for two sets.

 

I have ASC under my model A. We just finished a frame for my dads 32 using ASC and they wokred perfect.

 

We just had a frame built and started with the ASC rails and they were nice. The guy doing the work (Steve Panarites) said he likes them and they are consistant and cause no problems to him in his jig or the other pieces he has premade patterns for.

 

I have JW Garage rails on my 32 and ASC on my 34... Like some have said the JW are inconsistant. I would not buy them again. ASC all the way.

 

ASC works for me

 

I bought ASC.

Hopefully I can get over to Kennedy's this summer & get a chassis built.

JH

 

The ASC rails are the closest to stock.

 

That is not nessisarily true.

THey are flat through the reveal where Fords crowned.
THe lower radius is not as tight as stock rails....

J.W.R.G. rails were closer to stock, until they screwed with the flanges...

Other complaints I have on asc is the material is super soft, I call it soft serve because while soft they serve thier purpose.

I also liked the fact the jwrg rails have a stamped c notch.

There are inconsistancies with the Weimer rail, we have had to move holes a couple times, but they WERE the best....

Shadow rods are Nice rails, but they too are not perfect......

 

I haven't worked with them yet, but I have been more impressed with them than any others I have seen,... what do you find imperfect about them ? ( by no means am I questioning your opinion, just want to know what your take on them is, Thanks )

 

Well...

I will preface this by saying I am a dealer for Shadow Rods.
They have done more work and engineering on thier dies than any other company I have dealt with.

Everywhere there is vertical shape in the frame rail, they basically die cut, shape and weld the contours. The front horns as an example, also the rear sweep.

I don't really think they take any more time to "fix" then the rod garage rails.
They are very nice, just not perfect.

 

Just wanted to mention we are very picky....they will work out great, I am sure...

Matt

 

I'd listen to Matt. Go to his web site and look at his work. This guy knows his shit.

And he's an uber great guy too!

Vance

 

mine came from vaphead! thats all i know!

 

We always used ASC too... reworking and trimming the flanges was always a part of the frame build though. right at the rear kick up, the flange was warped a bit so I would re form it with a set of channel locks. I would also go down the rail with a square and tweak it so the top and bottom were parallel. Someone mentioned boxing plates a few posts up... we trimmed the lower flange to 2" and the upper flange to 1-7/8". This way the boxing plate would sit on the bottom flange, and clamp to the top flange. I beveled the corners for weld penetration.

sorry, I guess this turned into a kind of "what I did with frame rails" post... hopefully it will be helpful. Oh, the other thing I did when boxing was backstressing them... putting them outside to outside and pulling them together so that after they were welded, they would end up where they started.

 

wow! thanks guys... this is some real nice advice. I think i'll go ahead on the ASC rails for now and just deal with the stamping imperfections. just a little more work, but since most agree than that must mean something. the rails i had seen just looked like the die was obvioulsy getting worn in certain areas, thats all. but they still seem pretty straight and true, and from the sides that most will admire they look great. thanks again, great thread.

 

ASC, even though mine are still hanging on the wall.

 

On a related topic, I heard that someone sells precut box sides for frames, so you don't have to make the fourth side yourself. Has anyone heard of this or know where to find them?

 

They do sell precut sides. I use 3 piece side plates, I get the front and rears from a local hot rod shop here in Cincinnati, Drop Axle Productions. They have them laser cut and they're just about dead on, $100 from them. I make the center piece myself, just a piece of 6" 1/8" plates about 3ft long.

 

try a set from thunder road rod and custom.preboxed and theyre actually straight.you guys can bang around,redrill holes and porta power all day to make the stamped stuff thats available work,but i wont.

 

ASC have a website? where can I order from?

 

Welder Series boxing plates

These were designed off ASC rails, will either fit inside corner to corner or like we used to do it - sitting on the bottom flange, leaned against the top flange. Ships via FedEx. Don't forget about the body mount holes before you weld the boxing plates on!

I've mentioned it in another thread too, but here it goes again... welding weld nuts in is fine as long as you're ok with possibly having to elongate some body holes to get the bolts to line up. It also means being more spot on with your rail alignment (which isn't necessarily a bad thing!). Near the end of our frame building era, I was welding 3/8" thick plates, about 1-7/8" x 2" under the holes in the rails. This allowed the person who was assembling the car to be comfortable using any body, and all they had to do was drill through the body holes then tap the plate and bingo, perfectly aligned holes. I've heard of other guys doing this as well... I think it's a great idea.

If you're interested, I've got extra backing plates around.

Also, Alliance members get 10% off boxing plates too.

Here's an article on how we mounted the body. The part about the backing plates is at the bottom.
http://www.welderseries.com/32proj/pages/art3.htm

 

We have laser cutting boxing plates for the ASC rails, been using them for years and they fit. PM for price. Made in the good ole USA probably with foreign made steel!

 

But fabricated "square cornered" rails look gay............

 

I would NEVER buy preboxed rails...I add way too many things inside the rails when I build them...and like like said above, "square corned" look queer as can be.