1964 Dodge A-100 Hot rod sort of rat rod build thread.

danwalker said:
Getting somewhere now... :popcorn:
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Yep kind of fun seeing it look like something. Started tearing the front apart today. What's funny is earlier I went to actually bolt the sway bar on the rear. LOL oops that won't fit. Talking to one of our customers he said the steel that those sway bars are made out of are not good to cut out a section and weld back together. He suggested possibly torsion bars which sounds interesting.

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Hydratech hydroboost on one of our customers trucks. This just might be the hot ticket. Although I don't need a billet master cyl. because it will all be hidden underneath. They make a unit that is a hot rod universal unit.Most likely have to put an access panel in the floor to fill the brake fluid just like the factory had. Although I have some great ideas in my head to put in a piece of heavy tubing with sealed bearings on both ends to make a pivot and a brake pedal and system. I'm going to put the wilwood 13-in rotors on this thing. I want it to have super good brakes.

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Right now without the unibody cut out this is set in 3 and 1/2 in. I need 6 in if I want as much turning as a regular C5 has. I just don't know about tucking that tire in another two and a half inches from here. Going to have to start chopping and cutting and look at it.

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Well I trimmed the heck out of it and went as thin as I dare go. The door still has to seal on that lip. I have about 4 in of turnout which is not near the 6 in I wanted. I think this is going to work but I think I'm going to take the red car and play with it and see how well it turns at that turning radius. This thing will be shorter and turn better. I would really like to Auto cross this truck someday. It won't be fast at lap times but would still be fun to take it out there. if I end up here 64 and 7/8 is the outside width of the front tires.20230321_153006.jpg

 
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With at the rear is right at 70 in so the front is not going to be quite as narrow as I thought it might be.

 
The other thing I am considering is which box tubing for the frame. 2x4x 1/8 wall is 4.75lbs per foot. 2x4x 3/16 is 6.88 lbs per foot. I have not measured yet but just a guestimate is 40 feet total including cross members. Might end up being a little more.  That is 275 lbs vs 190 lbs or 85 lbs difference. Does not sound like a lot but would like to keep it as light as possible. Plus the roll cage and other gussets throughout this thing will get some beef. My gut is telling me 3/16 but I would like to get some more opinions. 

 
onanysunday said:
The other thing I am considering is which box tubing for the frame. 2x4x 1/8 wall is 4.75lbs per foot. 2x4x 3/16 is 6.88 lbs per foot. I have not measured yet but just a guestimate is 40 feet total including cross members. Might end up being a little more.  That is 275 lbs vs 190 lbs or 85 lbs difference. Does not sound like a lot but would like to keep it as light as possible. Plus the roll cage and other gussets throughout this thing will get some beef. My gut is telling me 3/16 but I would like to get some more opinions. 
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So imo the rectangle tube will only deflect energy in two directions. Given the hp you wish to run my concern would be limiting the twist to the frame. With our sand cars and round tube, energy is deflected in all directions so lighter wall thickness works. With this I would lean towards the heavier wall material. If you were to have structure on top of the frame rails, like a roll cage in front and maybe a cage around motor area, then maybe lighter would work. Cages would limit twist.

I had to repair a hotrod truck once where the hp twisted the frame.

 
richard h said:
So imo the rectangle tube will only deflect energy in two directions. Given the hp you wish to run my concern would be limiting the twist to the frame. With our sand cars and round tube, energy is deflected in all directions so lighter wall thickness works. With this I would lean towards the heavier wall material. If you were to have structure on top of the frame rails, like a roll cage in front and maybe a cage around motor area, then maybe lighter would work. Cages would limit twist.

I had to repair a hotrod truck once where the hp twisted the frame.
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Certainly some very good points. Here is some more info. At the adapters above the cradle it is 26 inches wide. (approx). The interior dimension running along the inside of the unibody frame rails is 33". I will run the box along the existing unibody frame rails. Weld it top and bottom. So there will be lot of strength there. The 3 crossmembers in green get removed. That is where the engine and trans sit. He has this designed for 6 bolts going horizontally through the box tubing which bolts the adapters on. Shown in yellow I will be installing two more bolts vertical. All 8 bolts will have steel sleeves welded in so it can't try crush the box tube. It is a pretty decent angle to make the pieces dropping down from the top of the cradle to the pieces running along the frame. I think this is the key spot that needs a lot of strength. And where I question if 1/8 is strong enough. Those angled pieces will be tricky to make and get the angles right. Not sure yet how to do that.  Then shown in blue will be the roll bar coming down from the top of the cab. That will tie in to the cage inside. I think even with 1/8 wall it would be very strong. One guy in my shop even suggested welding plate to wrap around the unibody rails to the new rails vs just welds. One of my other guys said he did not think it is necessary. 

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.28 shows close up the frame rails of the rampy truck. That is 1/8 wall. Not saying it is right but what they used. 



 
onanysunday said:
Certainly some very good points. Here is some more info. At the adapters above the cradle it is 26 inches wide. (approx). The interior dimension running along the inside of the unibody frame rails is 33". I will run the box along the existing unibody frame rails. Weld it top and bottom. So there will be lot of strength there. The 3 crossmembers in green get removed. That is where the engine and trans sit. He has this designed for 6 bolts going horizontally through the box tubing which bolts the adapters on. Shown in yellow I will be installing two more bolts vertical. All 8 bolts will have steel sleeves welded in so it can't try crush the box tube. It is a pretty decent angle to make the pieces dropping down from the top of the cradle to the pieces running along the frame. I think this is the key spot that needs a lot of strength. And where I question if 1/8 is strong enough. Those angled pieces will be tricky to make and get the angles right. Not sure yet how to do that.  Then shown in blue will be the roll bar coming down from the top of the cab. That will tie in to the cage inside. I think even with 1/8 wall it would be very strong. One guy in my shop even suggested welding plate to wrap around the unibody rails to the new rails vs just welds. One of my other guys said he did not think it is necessary. 

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That cage will help reduce the chance of twisting a lot. Maybe some type of ladder construction, low, maybe 6 to 8 inches above main rails from rear end to cage. Help tie rear area to the upper support of the cage.

 
I have a custom frame under my 52 Chevy truck and it’s 1/8” 2x6 box tubing between the wheels.  2x4 behind the rear wheels and in front of the front wheels.

 
My dads first employee in 1966 is coming down to look at the truck this week. He went on to do great things in fabrication and racing. His buddy is one of the nations top builders of short track race cars and he is coming as well. Will be fun to let them look and give me some guidance!

 
Drove my red car around the block with 4" of turnout. Turns plenty sharp and I think it will be fine. That steering stock at 5 3/8 full lock is very sharp. Could see needing it if the back end is coming around and you need that much angle to turn back the opposite way. Is what it is. I am tucking the tires in by 4". Compromise between function and how it looks. 

 
And that is at 104.5" wheelbase. The truck is 90". So it will turn sharper with the same angle. 

 
onanysunday said:
Drove my red car around the block with 4" of turnout. Turns plenty sharp and I think it will be fine. That steering stock at 5 3/8 full lock is very sharp. Could see needing it if the back end is coming around and you need that much angle to turn back the opposite way. Is what it is. I am tucking the tires in by 4". Compromise between function and how it looks. 
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You will be able to lift the front if you need to turn sharper say in a parking lot.  I think the 4" will be fine for the street.

 
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