93 Fleetwood Caddy build.

[outhopu 70]

Loving the frame work!!! You are a master of the steal. Them are some GIANT Johnny joints, FTW.

BIG is kind of the theme for this car.

More progress....

Cut the rest of the funky shaped shit out of the inside frame rail and boxed it with 1/4"x4" flat bar.

Not much but it's something. I'm waiting on parts to get here for the front suspension and also the axels for the rearend. Once it all gets here I'll be working on getting that all figured out.

I got started on the outer arches. I'm using up some old stock so I had the joy of grinded rust scale off before welding.

I'm doing 1/8" first then I'll do a pice of 3/16" after I get the press broke piece welded on the mid section.

One ready for tomorrow.

Welded on the other plate.

Then trimmed the top edge flush on both.

The other reason for doing the 1/8" first was to smooth out the step from the factory seam.

[outhopu 70]

I prepped the side frame rails for the press broke sections. There was a hump in the outer rail for body mount clearance that needed to be removed for the plate to sit properly on it.

So I chopped it out. It's hard to tell but you can see the straight edge doesn't sit flush.

Problem solved.

Sides tacked on.

Now I need to get the holes cut in the bottom plate so I can flip it back over and bolt it to the jig and get busy.

While it was upside down I finished trimming the other frame horn flat.

Then I laid out my cut line for the lower edge of the press broke piece.

Clamped a guide in place for the plasma to get a perfect cut.

Opposite side trimmed and test fit.

The ends are at a 45 for better strength at the joint. I also have the back end running across the seam from the 1/8" plate I added to tie into all 3 plates in one pass.

I'm also doing some plug welds down the side to tie into the stock frame.

Since I haven't sand blasted this I've been cleaning any area I need to weld to with a grinder before putting the plates on.

Now for the fun task of boring out all the body mount openings.

I made the new bottom plates to finish smoothing/reshaping the front frame horns. It will now be boxed all the way to the bumper to get rid of the ugly factory bumper brackets.

They will be nice a flat, no more ugly ass humps.

[outhopu 70]

Didn't get much done. Just took some time to assemble the front suspension joints that came the other day.

All the joints being used are from Ballistic Fabrication and are 100% rebuildable and can be adjusted for wear by tightening the threaded end cap. My favorite feature is they don't use the dam snap rings that other joints on the market do.These are far nicer than the super pivots that Suicide Doors sell.

This shows all the pieces.

I'll be using these for the lower control arms in the front suspension. They accept a 3/4" dia. bolt.

These will be used for the upper A arms. These are a slightly smaller joint than I'm using out back for better packaging. These accept a 5/8" dia bolt. and have a 1&1/4" shank. I may enlarge the opening to 3/4" though for added shear strength.

Next to the joint thats being used out back.

[j-roadtatts 1,129]

Lookin' good Homey!!! Thats gonna be one clean and smooth frame when your done.

[sefugi 166]

Lots of time consuming work right there!!! That ought to be one stiff frame when your done.

[CrazyKenKid 64]

did you do this?

http://www.soundsolutionsaudio.com/forum/videos/view-6-2010-camaro-ss-with-hydraulics/

also how is this coming along/

[edouble101 314]

This is a serious build, I love it.

[outhopu 70]

did you do this?

http://www.soundsolutionsaudio.com/forum/videos/view-6-2010-camaro-ss-with-hydraulics/

also how is this coming along/

No I didn't do that ride. I stick to the oldschool style of cars mainly.

I've been slipping on the updates in here, I keep forgeting about this topic.

I started working on the lower A arm mounts tonight.

They need to be opened up to fit the large pivot joints I'm using.

Other side done.

Thats all for now. I've got another project to get done to help speed this along.

I started building a frame hoist to allow me to flip the frame by myself to prevent being held up by not having help when I need it.

I still need to make a cross bar to attach to the bumper mounts to lift from.

Managed to finish the front lift bar and attachment/pivot point.

It will rotate on the chain. I just welded a slug onto the pipe to keep the chain from sliding off.

Now I just need to set the rear up tomorrow and get back on the frame.

[outhopu 70]

I've been busy this week with other stuff so not much to report.

I did get the jigs made for the lower control arm mounts. Now I can cut the bracket off the frame for plating. I'll be doing custom mounts after it's all plated.

These are now all drilled out to 3/4" and the nuts will locate the brackets.

Hopefully I'll get the mounts removed this week and start cutting some plates.

Well the custom axles finally came for the 9". No halfstepping with getting a 25 year old axle shortened and resplined it's all brand new shit for this ride.

Using Ducthman because their process for making the axles doesn't harden them to a point that doesn't allow for needed deflection in our application.

Another plus is they carry quality bearings not import crap.

Went with a 5 on 5" bolt pattern with H.D. 5/8" studs for increased strength.

The bolt I'm holding is the standard 1/2" thread of a stock stud just for comparison.

I'll trim the studs after I get all the parts mocked up.

The parts are stacking up, now I just need to find time to do something with all of them.

I'm back on this since the snows flying now and I'd rather be in the garage.

Removed the lower control arm mounts and smoothed the frame for plating.

I also bored out the body mount holes for the sleaves I'll be welding in.

[outhopu 70]

More progress.

I repaired the body mount that was rotted. Cut out the rust and dropped a 1/8" plate in flush, then bored the opening.

Then I made the plates to cover the cut out section on the bottom of the rails. You can see the plates sitting on the frame horns near the coil pockets. I forgot to get a pic of them tacked on.

Flipped the frame back over after that and bolted it back down to the jig. You can see the plate on the bottom now. I also cut out all the funky shaped metal in the curve of the frame.

Made a new piece to finish boxing the original rails back together before moving on to the plating.

Started to stitch weld the press broke corner on permanetly.

I fill the plug welds the rest of the way when I put the frame on its side.

Didn't get the other side done but did manage to shape the filler piece to give me a head start on tomorrows work.

Finished the other side tongiht.

I moved on to the area before the arches and started plating over the hole left from removing the lower trailing arms mounts.

I'll get the other side done tomorrow.

You can see how there is a small section of the stock frame rail between the press broke section and the middle plate.

I added the strip to tie the reinforcement plates together today.

Now I'll do a plate that will cover all that up.

[outhopu 70]

Didn't get a lot more done due to my garage needing a major cleaning.

I did manage to make the new jig for relocating the upper A arm mounts.

Started by welding a sleeve to the factory ear to set the center line. The threaded rod slides through it for holding the joints.

Once I had everything located I made the jig and removed the factory ears and tossed them in the scrap pile.

The arms will not be using a cross bar anymore. They will have a double shear style bracket and camber/caster will be set using the threaded joints. No more hokey ass shims.

Trimmed the top edge flush on both side rails.

Cut the arch plates and got both outside sections welded on. They still need final trimming.

As I always try to do, the arch and side rail meet at a 45 and both pieces are bevelled for good penetration and joint strength. I also make sure the plates touch.

Then I had a battery explode on my powered C clamp. Sounded like a dam bomb went off. I was standing about 2 feet away, luckily with my back turned to it. It was my own dumb fault. I had the batteries charging and was grinding to close to them without covering them. Won't make that mistake again. :wow:

I added an extra piece of 1/8" plate that extends beyond the seam of the inside plate another 4". This area is the most stressed by the weight of the set up thats why I added this extra strip. I'll get the other side tomorrow then trim everything up.

Welded on the other plate. The 1/8" plate I'm using was painted at one point if anybody was wondering why I have all these different colored sections. I just grind the paint from where I'm welding. It's all getting covered by fresh 3/16" plate so I'm not concerned about how it looks.

Trimmed the top edge of the arches.

Then flipped the frame and did a rough cut with the torch on the lower edge. I'll trim those down tomorrow.

[outhopu 70]

Started working on the front coil pockets.

First step was to find the true center of the coil pocket. I used a top cup for a coilover set up and a length of DOM tube to locate it in the coil opening then squared up the tubing and made some reference marks.

Laid out my cut line and had at it.

I also removed the ugly hump. I'll make a straight edge out of it when plating the outside frame rail.

This is a pic of the passenger side since I forgot to get the before pic of the drivers.

Made a sleeve for the coil pocket to give it a clean look. I'll be doing this the same way I do the body mount openings.

I'll be able to tie it into the stock frame for a bit more strength also.

No more ugly ass opening, just a perfect circle. This will also prevent any chance of a coil hanging up on the stock lip.

It will be trimmed flush after all the plating is completed.

I got back out there and finished the other pocket. Like I said they will get trimmed down later.

Managed to get the bottom of the rear arches ground down.

I'll be reshaping the rear frame horns also and deleting the bumper shocks as well.

The plate is trimmed to the new shape.

Now to get some sleep and do it all again tomorrow.

:burn:

I got started on the inner arches and tail end today.

Started with adding a 2"x2"x3/16" tube to the factory brace. All the joints were coped and bevelled for a tight fit.

I changed the shape of the frame to make things flow nicer. The top plates will meet up with the side plate to box in the gap left by the new shape.

After spending way too long on that piece I made a plate bender up for doing the other side.

I just clamp it to the table slide the plate in and lift the plate until I get the curve needed. This will save me so time on the other plates.

[outhopu 70]

Got back at it and finished fitting the inner arches tonight.

This is why I make oversized plates and final trim them after the are welded on. Now I know that the top plates will touch the side plates with no gaps due to poor plate alignment.

Slow day today just messed around doing a little more cosmetic surgery.

Now you see the ugly hump...

Now you don't...

Also tackled the last gap left from the belly pinch.

Finished reshaping the other coil pocket then got started on plating the outer rails up front.

No heat was used at all to form this piece. It extends all the way to the bumper mount also.

Well that brings everbody up to speed on this build.

[smashedz28 110]

damn, i started reading this topic and was blown away by the system build.. now all this frame work.. shiiiiiit system was cake for you lol, this shit looks hard man, great work ill be tuned in for sure.

[swagger_wagon468 53]

I just spent an hour or two reading this... simply amazing.

[onebadmonte 235]

Awesome work on the frame. I just can't help but feel you're still miles from seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. I am curious to see how you handle the fuel and brake lines as most of the time these run with in the frame rails. None the less, keep up the good work and leave all the worrying to me.

[j-roadtatts 1,129]

The chassis is lookin' SWEET! This car is going to be a work of art!

[CrazyKenKid 64]

wow i never seen the after math of a battery exploding that looks scary good thing you didn't get hurt/ splashed

[outhopu 70]

damn, i started reading this topic and was blown away by the system build.. now all this frame work.. shiiiiiit system was cake for you lol, this shit looks hard man, great work ill be tuned in for sure.

Honestly man it's all hard work and takes dedication to see builds of this size through. I'm just a workaholic so it makes it possible.

I just spent an hour or two reading this... simply amazing.

I wish it only took that long to build.

Awesome work on the frame. I just can't help but feel you're still miles from seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. I am curious to see how you handle the fuel and brake lines as most of the time these run with in the frame rails. None the less, keep up the good work and leave all the worrying to me.

I'm at about 400 hours in the frame right now. It will likely require a total of 2000 hours or more to get it to a rolling chassis. My plan is to have none of the lines running along the frame. They will be hidden in and under neath the body.

The chassis is lookin' SWEET! This car is going to be a work of art!

Thats what I'm going for. This is just a street car to, it will be driven and abused to the fullest.

wow i never seen the after math of a battery exploding that looks scary good thing you didn't get hurt/ splashed

I'm glad i was in my winter gear or I may not have been so lucky. Definetly was a lesson on battery safety.

Thanks for all the compliments guys, glad your enjoying the other aspects of the build outside of the audio stuff.

[outhopu 70]

Got the other outer rail plated.

45ed and bevelled the weld joint same as the others.

To make sure both side were as close to identical in shape as possible I trimmed my original template to match the first plate after it was trimmed to its final shape.

Then I just flipped it over and clamped it to the other side and traced it out and did the final trimming.

After seeing how nice and swoopy the frame is starting to look I couldn't leave this pointed nose on her.

So I cut it off and reshaped it.

[helotaxi 46]

WOW! Just, WOW!

The stereo is one of the cleaner setups that I have seen in a long time.

How much weight do you think that you will have added when its all said and done? Adding a supercharger to compensate?

[Kanaworm$ 292]

Amazing craftmanship sir! Keep up the great work!

[outhopu 70]

WOW! Just, WOW!

The stereo is one of the cleaner setups that I have seen in a long time.

How much weight do you think that you will have added when its all said and done? Adding a supercharger to compensate?

Thanks. I'd guess that when it's all said it will weight about 2,000lbs more. It has a 5.7 V8 which is ample for driving low and slow.

Amazing craftmanship sir! Keep up the great work!

Thanks and I will....

Did some more work on the coil pockets today.

I cut the opening out to accept a donut and then welded it in nice and square.

I also went over the factory welds after welding them in.

Set the cylinders up to check to make sure everything was nice and square both front to back and side to side.

Now I can move forward with plating the top and I'll know where to bore the hole from underneath for the cylinder.

It's starting to come together now.Plated some of the front frame horns.

No heat was used on this plate.

I'm eliminating the little dip in the frame on the passenger side rail. It isn't needed and looks like shit. It will be made to match the drivers side now.

Drivers side required a little heat in one are to get it to lay down right.

I was also able to get one side of the center section plated today. All the plates still need the lower edge trimmed flush to the frame though.

Getting it to lay in these compound curves was not fun but it's worth it for the end result. No more ugly step in the frame anymore.

I'm about due to order more steel already. I've used 10' of 6"x3/16" flat bar a 2'x8' half sheet of 3/16" and dam near used a full 5'x10' sheet of 3/16".

[sefugi 166]

Sorry to hear about that bat, had one a few years ago blow close to me and the noise is enough to make you go check your pants!

Great work on the frame!! can really see it taking shape and tough/strong is not a question anymore...

[Julian 641]

WOW!