Not every rodder-to-be is going to tackle a ground-up hot rod build that includes fabricating a chassis or frame from scratch-especially a first-timer. Luckily the aftermarket is rife with quality offerings in this respect, and purchasing a perimeter frame or chassis package is an affordable option that goes a long way in our quest for instant gratification with our hot rod projects. Leaving frame and/or chassis engineering and fabrication to a professional is an easy and really cost-effective method for jump-starting a project -especially when compared to the outlay required to purchase a turnkey hot rod.
The subject of this Saturday...
The subject of this Saturday assembly chore is my brand-spankin'-new Street Rod Engineering Model A frame. SRE frame and complete chassis packages are the result of 20-plus years of street rod chassis-fabrication experience, and the company's 2x4x.120 rectangular tube construction will make a fine foundation for my next build-a '29 A pickup.
With this in mind, I decided to turn to a professional to supply me with the foundation for my next hot rod project rather than go through the tribulations of chassis building like I did with my Homebuilt Hot Rod. To this end, I shopped around quite a bit, which was actually a pretty tough job in itself, as there are a lot of quality manufacturers out there making some really nice products. This time around, though, I chose to deal with Tom Pierce of Street Rod Engineering/Bruiser Enterprises over In Lake Havasu City, Arizona. SRE has been fabricating frames, chassis, and IFS systems for 20 years, and I'm familiar with the company's selection, quality, and service. In addition, the fact that the body for this particular build is a product of SRE's affi liate, Bruiser Enterprises, pretty much made for one-stop shopping in the body and chassis department. Plus, I didn't want a standard, off-the-shelf frame for my Model A-I wanted a frame built to my specs, and SRE was more than happy to oblige.
After discussing my needs and wants with Tom, he got right down to business and stitched together a frame assembly that was exactly what I was looking for. A few weeks later, he gave me a shout and told me my frame was ready for pickup (luckily I'm only five hours or so from the shop, so picking up the frame was an option for me). I made the trip out to SRE a few days later, happily snagged my treasure, and beat feet back to the nInland Empire-ready to get to work.
With a high-quality, professionally built frame assembly in hand, and most of the needed accessories on hand as well, I was ready to pre-assemble my newly acquired components into a rolling chassis. So, follow along and see just how quick and easy assembling a hot rod foundation can be when you start out with quality components, SRE's 20-plus years of chassis-fabrication expertise, and a slew of aftermarket components behind you.
SRE happily accepts special-order...
SRE happily accepts special-order requests like mine. With my affinity for slammed hot rods, I requested my frame be Z'd both front and rear. The rear kickup shown here measures 9 inches.
The front section was Z'd...
The front section was Z'd 4 inches, which is the width of the 'rails used in the frame's construction; this should get my pickup right down near the ground, just where I want it.
A Currie Enterprises 9-inch...
A Currie Enterprises 9-inch hot rod rearend assembly equipped with 3.00:1 gears, 28-spline axles, and big brakes will be more than hearty enough to handle whatever driveline I choose to run in the pickup.
Up front, I chose what I think...
Up front, I chose what I think is a great combination of components: a pair of SRE radius rods (though I mistakenly laid out the rears instead of the fronts for this shot), a POSIES Super Slide spring, a Borgeson dropped-tube axle, and a host of Pete & Jake's steering arms, batwings, and hardware.
Since the pickup is destined...
Since the pickup is destined to be old-school style (as all my projects are), I opted for a quartet of Rally America 12-Series Smoothie wheels (16x4s and 16x5.5s) that'll be wrapped in Coker/Firestone bias-ply blackwalls in 4.50/16 and 8.20/16 sizes for the ultimate in traditional big 'n' little style.
Once I dug out and laid out...
Once I dug out and laid out all my needed components so they were handy, I started by rolling the Currie rearend roughly into place.
I started out by splitting...
I started out by splitting my rear spring hangers into two pieces since the rearend was already a completely assembled unit. I then hung them around the axle tubes and tacked 'em back into one piece.
With the spring hangers swingin'...
With the spring hangers swingin' on the tubes, I grabbed the radius rods and set the Heim joints to the center of their threaded length (making sure treated the threads to a helping of antiseize compound) and attached I them to the 'rails up front and the spring hangers at the rear.
I then grabbed my POSIES Super...
I then grabbed my POSIES Super Slide rear spring and hung it from the frame's rear crossmember-making sure its locator pin fit snugly into the predrilled hole in the crossmember so it was correctly centered.
Always working alone requires...
Always working alone requires a bit of finesse. In place of a pair of helping hands, a 2x4 laid across the floor jack aids in lifting the spring and holding it into place while installing the hanger bolts.
I centered the rearend assembly...
I centered the rearend assembly so the backing plates were equal distances from the framerails and attached the spring to the still-unattached spring hangers, using a small bottle jack to set my pinion angle to a 3-degree upward orientation.
I clamped a couple of pieces...
I clamped a couple of pieces of flat plate to the framerails to help accurately center the rearend assembly (a chore I repeated often during the course of assembly).
I began positioning the spring...
I began positioning the spring hanger/radius rod mounts equally on the axle tubes. I repeatedly took measurements from the backing plates to the hangers while making sure the spring shackles ended up in as close to the perfect 10 and 4 o'clock orientation needed for correct spring operation.
I tack-welded the hanger/brackets...
I tack-welded the hanger/brackets to the axle tubes with everything in place and triple-checked my measurements.
I then bolted up my rear wheel/tire...
I then bolted up my rear wheel/tire combo and lowered the chassis to the ground. Now to the front of the frame.
I utilized a Borgeson dropped...
I utilized a Borgeson dropped tube axle, a POSIES Super Slide spring, and Pete & Jake's mounting hardware up front.
Frontend assembly is a straightforward...
Frontend assembly is a straightforward affair. I started out by installing the batwings over the axle and the axle side shackle mounts through the wings and axle (be sure to use a liberal coating of antiseize compound on the shackle mount shafts).
With the axle assembly completed,...
With the axle assembly completed, the next step was to install it into the frame's front crossmember. A floor jack works well for this step and holds the assembly steady while inserting U-bolts and a spring retainer.
I've been hearing it for years,...
I've been hearing it for years, too-don't use hairpins with a tube axle. Maybe so, but I've yet to see an example of the axle damage alluded to by those naysayers in my 35 years of rodding (it's common practice to use a four-bar setup with tube axles to prevent stress-cracking the forged axle ends, as tube axles don't have the torsional flex found in I-beam axles), so I'm going for form over function in this case.
The next step involves the...
The next step involves the spindles and kingpins. Here I used a pair of Pete & Jake's '37-41 Ford units. Keep in mind that there are definite tops and bottoms to the spindles-the large flanges sit atop the axle.
With the spindles mounted,...
With the spindles mounted, the next step (in this case, anyway) is to attach the backing plates (I used F-100 drum brakes) and steering arms to the spindles. The steering arm with two ball joint holes is located on the right side in a cross-steer application.
After the backing plate and...
After the backing plate and steering arm were bolted in place, I then slipped the drum/hub assembly onto the spindle and installed the spindle nut to keep it on. The procedure was then repeated on the left side of the axle.
The steering was the next...
The steering was the next step. I bolted up the Borgeson 525 box I'd chosen to use rather than the Vega box most folks use. The 525 is a bit larger but a sturdier unit than the old standby Vega unit.
The tie rod and draglink were...
The tie rod and draglink were next once the box was in place and tightened up.
The tie rod runs from steering...
The tie rod runs from steering arm to steering arm and the draglink runs from the pitman arm to the right-side steering arm, as shown.