John T. Blair wrote:
>
> Phil,
>
> In one of your posts, you inferred that you were going to get a
> local fellow that made race car chassis' to make you a new Brick
> chassis. Have you gotten an estimate yet? You might want to call
> either Terry or Bob and see if they don't have a chassis laying around and
> what they want for it.
Yes, I've gotten an estimate - these guys do fabrication as a side line,
so the job would take at least 6 weeks, but they'll come and pick up
the current frame to use as a model (and rob parts from), build the new
one,
and drop it off at my place for $1400 CDN. (that's unsandblasted,
unpainted)
Terry has a chassis laying around from a southern car that he'll happily
sell to me for $2000 US, but then I need to get it up here to Ontario
from
VA, pay the exchange, fix whatever's wrong with it, and then still be
left
with a 22 year old frame. By the time I had it up here and ready to
use, I
figure I'd be looking at about $4000 CDN.
In an earlier post, you suggested repairing the frame I have - the back
torque boxes are _completely_ gone - the back bumper can be moved up and
down almost a foot. The front boxes aren't nearly as bad, but would
still
need to be replaced. I don't have the facilities (ie: a surface plate),
the tools (MIG or TIG welder), or the experience to do that work.
I've thought about pouring a suface plate, buying a welder, and teaching
myself to do frame work, but there are a lot of X-factors about my
frame,
(it is over 20 years old - I don't know how much rusting or metal
fatigue
has happened on the main rails or other welds etc) and you don't have to
screw up the chassis very much to make for a real pig of a car, and you
don't know how bad it is until it's all together and on the road.
This is the only aspect of the project I'm farming out, and I really
think
it's the way to go. I'll be trying to work out with these frame guys
how
much it would cost to build something lighter and more rigid (I have a
hard
time believing the torsional rigidity of the stock frame is particularly
good
from looking at it) and possibly with some kind of IRS setup. I suspect
I'll
be able to get something pretty trick (and safer) for the same cost as
bringing
up that southern frame.
Thanks for your input,
Phil.
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