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Pzuzu The Isuzu Build (RIP)
- Thread starter Stomis
- Start date
How much does that sucker weigh!
Half inch wall holy shiiaiat! How much did that cost?
ion
1/2 ton status
the cage weighed in at just under 600 lbs. and that's two hoops, two upper cross ins, and a dash bar.
And I got it from a plumbing company who were more concerned about the ID and not the DOM factor or the size, so i paid 300 bucks for 100 feet of it.
And I got it from a plumbing company who were more concerned about the ID and not the DOM factor or the size, so i paid 300 bucks for 100 feet of it.
Stomis
Professional Amateur
Measured for some **** today and got my materials worked out. Gonna run 2x4 for the long flat center stretch under the center of the truck and 2x3 for the rise in the front and back and the front and back straight stretches.
Looks like Im gonna need about 40 ft of tube with crossmembers.
Also my body mounts will be pimply integrated into the outriggers for the sliders.
Looks like Im gonna need about 40 ft of tube with crossmembers.
Also my body mounts will be pimply integrated into the outriggers for the sliders.
Stomis
Professional Amateur
I have no intention of caging the truck. It will get aussie style rub bars on the fenders but no full internal or external. I want the frame to be nice a strong, dont want to have a chance of bending it on recovery. I plan on doing some very beefy crossmember work.
5 welded in and 2 removable.
The front frame cap/radiator crossmember 2x3, center brace 2x4 (formerly the torsion bar crossmember), rear upper link crossmember 2x2, rear brace 1.5in tube, and rear frame cap 2x3 will all be welded in and the center brace will be 45 braced to the frame
Trans crossmember and engine crossmember will both be semi lightweight in comparison and bolt in.
Stomis
Professional Amateur
Got alot done today.
Started by cutting and jigging the flat center section of the frame at the correct width. The back and center of the frame are 35-1/2in wide on the inside stock and come down to 26-1/4in wide up front. I wanted to replicate this to keep drastic changes to a minimum where I didnt want to make them.
I was worried about how to keep everything level and square. After a little brainstorming I decided to use a piece of 2x8 1/4 wall as sorta like a mini welding table. It worked pretty good and made everything true up nicely.
There was only one crossmember on this length of frame on the stocker. Its the torsion bar crossmember. I new I wanted to put something here for bracing and as a good place to mount a belly pan later on.
I laid some 2x3 1/8th wall I had laying around with the long side down. I did it like that to provide exhaust and driveshaft clearance.
Here was my first bead Ive laid down since I fabbed my rear bumper for this truck. Felt good to be building something again.
Since this was the only crossmember on this stretch of frame I wanted it to be strong and support the twist of the rails while Im fabbing everything else. I had a bag of 90* gussets from kurt. Something I always like to have on hand as you can use them all over the place.
How you will see this crossmember from under the truck once the frame is in. I left the corners open as I figure it will be a water trap.
Then I moved onto the taper towards the front of the vehicle. I really scratched my head at how to get these angles correct since I dont have a large angle finder. What I wound up doing was cutting the pieces of the frame to the correct length and then making a jig that I tacked on the cross jig that was still tacked in the frame.
Since I took my time with everything it was all super square. I probably spent an extra hour total after my cuts getting the pieces even within a 32nd of an inch.
Another shot of the jig here. This jig alleviate my fear of setting the tapered width unevenly. The way it is they are 100% dead even.
Like an idiot I wound up putting a tack on something with a gap way to hot and pulled one side about a 1/16th of an inch over the 3 ft section. Its really not a big deal but I wasnt happy with taking all that time to make the jig and leaving it like that so I cut the side back loose, corrected it and re-welded it, but slower lol.
Dark shot of the frame how I left off for the night. The front cross jig and angle jib are both cut off the frame. The tbar crossmember was easily doing the job the front jig was as I hoped. I left the rear jig in until I get the rear rise and crossmember in tomorrow, then Ill remove that.
I half welded the angled butt joints just so the frame is solid. As you can see I threw a temporary support in the front to keep things solid during welding.
Tomorrow Ill finish weld those joints. Fish plating will all come at the end when I buy some wide bar stock.
I have a lot of 2x4 left over. My plan is to make both of the rises front and rear in the frame with it tomorrow. Then Ill make the "legs" that extend over the axles in 2x3 for the sake of clearance.
Its coming out really good and Im super happy with the tolerances Im building the thing to. When I started after reading about some chassis fab on pirate I read that 1/8-1/4 deviation is professional acceptable from front to back. I figured if I was under 1/16th pre welded I would be golden.
Im super excited to have the frame done front to back and start putting solid front axle brackets on
Started by cutting and jigging the flat center section of the frame at the correct width. The back and center of the frame are 35-1/2in wide on the inside stock and come down to 26-1/4in wide up front. I wanted to replicate this to keep drastic changes to a minimum where I didnt want to make them.
I was worried about how to keep everything level and square. After a little brainstorming I decided to use a piece of 2x8 1/4 wall as sorta like a mini welding table. It worked pretty good and made everything true up nicely.
There was only one crossmember on this length of frame on the stocker. Its the torsion bar crossmember. I new I wanted to put something here for bracing and as a good place to mount a belly pan later on.
I laid some 2x3 1/8th wall I had laying around with the long side down. I did it like that to provide exhaust and driveshaft clearance.
Here was my first bead Ive laid down since I fabbed my rear bumper for this truck. Felt good to be building something again.
Since this was the only crossmember on this stretch of frame I wanted it to be strong and support the twist of the rails while Im fabbing everything else. I had a bag of 90* gussets from kurt. Something I always like to have on hand as you can use them all over the place.
How you will see this crossmember from under the truck once the frame is in. I left the corners open as I figure it will be a water trap.
Then I moved onto the taper towards the front of the vehicle. I really scratched my head at how to get these angles correct since I dont have a large angle finder. What I wound up doing was cutting the pieces of the frame to the correct length and then making a jig that I tacked on the cross jig that was still tacked in the frame.
Since I took my time with everything it was all super square. I probably spent an extra hour total after my cuts getting the pieces even within a 32nd of an inch.
Another shot of the jig here. This jig alleviate my fear of setting the tapered width unevenly. The way it is they are 100% dead even.
Like an idiot I wound up putting a tack on something with a gap way to hot and pulled one side about a 1/16th of an inch over the 3 ft section. Its really not a big deal but I wasnt happy with taking all that time to make the jig and leaving it like that so I cut the side back loose, corrected it and re-welded it, but slower lol.
Dark shot of the frame how I left off for the night. The front cross jig and angle jib are both cut off the frame. The tbar crossmember was easily doing the job the front jig was as I hoped. I left the rear jig in until I get the rear rise and crossmember in tomorrow, then Ill remove that.
I half welded the angled butt joints just so the frame is solid. As you can see I threw a temporary support in the front to keep things solid during welding.
Tomorrow Ill finish weld those joints. Fish plating will all come at the end when I buy some wide bar stock.
I have a lot of 2x4 left over. My plan is to make both of the rises front and rear in the frame with it tomorrow. Then Ill make the "legs" that extend over the axles in 2x3 for the sake of clearance.
Its coming out really good and Im super happy with the tolerances Im building the thing to. When I started after reading about some chassis fab on pirate I read that 1/8-1/4 deviation is professional acceptable from front to back. I figured if I was under 1/16th pre welded I would be golden.
Im super excited to have the frame done front to back and start putting solid front axle brackets on
Stomis
Professional Amateur
More pics of the progress today. Didnt get a whole lot done as I ran out of wire on the second bead and wound up going out to lunch with Laura when I went to lowes for wire.
I got the rear risers cut and welded and the front angled pieces fully welded in.
Jigging in the rear frame risers. Wound up being really easy after a few minutes of brainstorming. I cant stress how much Im loving my jawhorse btw. Not working on the ground is great.
Tacked in really solid. Then made a temporary crossmember out of some heavy exhaust pipe I had left over from the exhaust on the truck.
Fully welded in very very slowly. Was worried about this pulling, didnt move at all.
I didnt double angle cut anything on this frame simply because I didnt have set angles to work off of. So that resulted in this.
Which I solved.
Finished for the day. Gotta buy some 2x3 this week for the flat parts over the rear axle. And a piece of tube/pipe for the upper link crossmember.
What gives you guys dont like fab heavy updates??
I got the rear risers cut and welded and the front angled pieces fully welded in.
Jigging in the rear frame risers. Wound up being really easy after a few minutes of brainstorming. I cant stress how much Im loving my jawhorse btw. Not working on the ground is great.
Tacked in really solid. Then made a temporary crossmember out of some heavy exhaust pipe I had left over from the exhaust on the truck.
Fully welded in very very slowly. Was worried about this pulling, didnt move at all.
I didnt double angle cut anything on this frame simply because I didnt have set angles to work off of. So that resulted in this.
Which I solved.
Finished for the day. Gotta buy some 2x3 this week for the flat parts over the rear axle. And a piece of tube/pipe for the upper link crossmember.
What gives you guys dont like fab heavy updates??
this is cool. I haven't much else to say about it. 
I've read a couple threads a long time ago that didn't take too kindly to building a frame the way you're doing it because of the seam welds, weight, lack of bent material. But, I still think your method is going to be plenty strong. Seems to me it'll be at least as strong as a stock frame. Are you going to sleeve any holes you drill in it?
I've read a couple threads a long time ago that didn't take too kindly to building a frame the way you're doing it because of the seam welds, weight, lack of bent material. But, I still think your method is going to be plenty strong. Seems to me it'll be at least as strong as a stock frame. Are you going to sleeve any holes you drill in it?
Stomis
Professional Amateur
this is cool. I haven't much else to say about it.
The steering box area will be super beefy and any holes I drill for that through the tube will be sleeved.
As far as the butt welds in the frame go I dont think any of them would break without some serious flogging/jumps/shocks on the frame but all seams will be fish plated inside and out which distributes the weld over such a large surface area that any strength issues become irrelevant.
The material Im using is an inch taller than the stock frame and probably a hair thicker than stock. All crossmembers will be way better than stock though.
Speaking of drilling holes where you going to do any to light'n things up at all?
Stomis
Professional Amateur
No plans.
Its really not heavy. Its still missing 1/2 of it but I can still pick it up myself with my jawhorse attached. Ill be sure to weigh it some how when the frame itself is complete.
Im not concerned. The trucks got 4.56s in it with a stick and 33s. And in the semi not so distant future its getting a buick super charged 3.8.
Its really not heavy. Its still missing 1/2 of it but I can still pick it up myself with my jawhorse attached. Ill be sure to weigh it some how when the frame itself is complete.
Im not concerned. The trucks got 4.56s in it with a stick and 33s. And in the semi not so distant future its getting a buick super charged 3.8.
I can't wait.
spongeidys
1/2 ton status
what is your reasoning for doing it this way over tube? or did i miss that part? hah
Probably replicate the frame a bit better?
Interesting work man.
Interesting work man.
Stomis
Professional Amateur
I really am not a fan of round tube frames. I hate the concept of all the bends and everything you mount on them needing a radius put in the bracket just for the sake of saving some weight.
And yes Im building it to replicate the stock frame in all the ways that are "good". Whats not good Im going to be changing. Ive already changed what I have done from 2x3 to 2x4 in order to have more height in the frame for tucking the drivetrain up into.
Although Ill be sacrificing an inch of belly clearance like this Ill be gaining a flat belly or Im hoping its enough I should say.
I'm loving it myself. it's something I'd never even considered attempting before, so it's very cool to see the process.
Great work, you are a fabmaster. And I see a jawhorse in there! Cool! How much were the jaw inserts? Everytime I weld in mine I melt the rubber ones more 
Stomis
Professional Amateur
Great work, you are a fabmaster. And I see a jawhorse in there! Cool! How much were the jaw inserts? Everytime I weld in mine I melt the rubber ones more
The inserts came with the welding arm package. I think it was something like $80 for the add-on kit.
I spoke with kurt today about my upper link mount and crossmember. I gotta call my metal supplier again tomorrow. He said the only thing round he had was sch. 40 pipe. Kurt recommended I use HREW which is what I have always read to use when DOM isnt necessary but I was under the misinformation it was the same thing.
Stomis
Professional Amateur
Just found out they are doing some sort of electrical meter work at work tomorrow. I get the morning off paid so Im going to buy a stick of DOM for my crossmember.
Also found out its gonna rain this weekend so no camping which means Ill be finishing the back of the frame and possibly starting the front this weekend
Also found out its gonna rain this weekend so no camping which means Ill be finishing the back of the frame and possibly starting the front this weekend
