New DLM Chassis Builders

[BTExpress]

Afrer seeing Ross Bailes win at Screven on Saturday night, in a new Double Nickle Race car built by Benji Hicks and seeing others like Ricky Weiss (Sniper Chassis), Cory Hedgec*ck (BMF Race Cars), and Austin Kirkpatrick with his AK Racecars attempt to break into the DLM chassis wars, do you think they will be sucessful in the world of Rockets and Longhorns or will they cater to the Crate car teams? Seems to be tough place to get a foothold into . MB Customs, Black Diamond and Capital all seem to be doing well on the regional level. Not sure about old timers Barry Wright and Mastersbuilt?

[dirtcrazy4u]

Rocket has had there house car for probably 20 + years. Horn has had a top team represent there brand for a long time. The problem today is the chassis builders out there don't want to offer teams a deal to come on board. I also think most are happy doing what there doing, crate care, repairs and clips. Bwrc tries but the team usually ends up getting parked early in the year.

[fastford]

if there good at fabricating , they can build either one of the top brands , or just maybe , a combination of the two ,,,,,

[FlatTire]

How many of those new brands are copies?

Black Diamond is the biggest offender.

[MasterSbilt_Racer]

How many of those new brands are copies?

Black Diamond is the biggest offender.

How do you define copy? I mean the geometry isn't a ton different comparing any of them. We have like 2 different lower control arm mounting point widths. Control arm lengths are fairly similar. They aren't a lot different from the original tube chassis cars. The whole front end could be improved tremendously. Everyone is just polishing the same turd.

[TwistedNate01]

How do you define copy? I mean the geometry isn't a ton different comparing any of them. We have like 2 different lower control arm mounting point widths. Control arm lengths are fairly similar. They aren't a lot different from the original tube chassis cars. The whole front end could be improved tremendously. Everyone is just polishing the same turd.Tell em mastersbilt! ;)

[slmcrewchief99]

The BMF car is a copy of a black diamond. Right down to the tabs for the side panels. Every chassis out there is a copy of something else. What difference does it make.

[ImCryn2]

There is more to copying a chassis than the general public realizes. There are different types of materials and thicknesses used in certain places to get the chassis to react a certain way. All tubing of the same size is not the same and you don't know what that tubing is without either expensive non destructive testing, or cutting it apart. Pickup points are important, but what the chassis does between those points is just as important. I've witnessed one late model team struggle early in the year cut out one bar with a sawzall and their whole season turned around. One of the top modified builders is known to sleeve some key areas of the car to allow it to flex and it can be seen by the powdercoat being wore off in the area where it moves. There is definitely a science to chassis building that not every builder understands.

[Punisher88]

I drive a CVR, which is a pretty small time chassis builder, but I can assure you the design if the chassis is original. I had a 2015 car first that I had alot of success with, and working with Chip is so easy, I put together a new 22 last year and won the first race out. I do alot of bodies and sheet metal work for guys in the area and I can't find any similarities at all to any of the xr1, black diamond, or horn cars I've put together. I love when guys ask what it's a copy of and show them that it's not even close to a copy and the look on they're face.

[MasterSbilt_Racer]

There is more to copying a chassis than the general public realizes. There are different types of materials and thicknesses used in certain places to get the chassis to react a certain way. All tubing of the same size is not the same and you don't know what that tubing is without either expensive non destructive testing, or cutting it apart. Pickup points are important, but what the chassis does between those points is just as important. I've witnessed one late model team struggle early in the year cut out one bar with a sawzall and their whole season turned around. One of the top modified builders is known to sleeve some key areas of the car to allow it to flex and it can be seen by the powdercoat being wore off in the area where it moves. There is definitely a science to chassis building that not every builder understands.

What the chassis shouldn't do between the pickup points is be a non-tuneable, dominate spring. That's where dirt racing has some bad science. The spring rate should be high enough to not really be a factor.

There are sonic checkers good enough to determine the thickness of a chassis without cutting it up. At that point stiffness should be the same, regardless of material, as long as we are not talking about a seamed tube. The loads on each chassis member should be far enough away from the yield point that they all act the same, regardless of material used. All steels are basically the same modulus of elasticity.

Where science is needed is keeping your process consistent from car to car when you build a bunch. You need to be mindful of what stresses get introduced during welding. Notching to fit tubes together needs to be consistent. Joint angles need to be consistent. If you are using a seamed tube, orientation of that seam needs to be consistent.

[EvelB7]

One of the major chassis builders currently 'stresses' the chassis to get repeatable numbers. Not only can they tell how one car compares to another, they keep track and can pull it down to see that it stays consistent through 'x' amount of races. In the long run, more cars, more data, and they will be able to not only provide a better product they will also understand why one car runs better at certain tracks than others...

[ZERO25]

Is Longhorn the only chassis with cnc'ed bent tubes? Basically, the whole car comes in a box and then welded on the jig!

Hoffman(Elite Chassis) has been doing it for years!

[zyoung25]

Is Longhorn the only chassis with cnc'ed bent tubes? Basically, the whole car comes in a box and then welded on the jig!

Hoffman(Elite Chassis) has been doing it for years!

Remember the new zero car Bronson was supposed to get? It was a pile tubes. Sweets shop was closed by then, and Scott wouldn't touch any of it. So basically, Kyle bought a box of useless tubing. I think Tad Posposil ending up buying after a bunch of time passed though.

[Raceready]

Remember the new zero car Bronson was supposed to get? It was a pile tubes. Sweets shop was closed by then, and Scott wouldn't touch any of it. So basically, Kyle bought a box of useless tubing. I think Tad Posposil ending up buying after a bunch of time passed though.Some how or another somebody got ripped on off on that deal ?

[dirtcrazy4u]

Add another question mark to SBR if that surprises anyone I'd be surprised.

[zyoung25]

Some how or another somebody got ripped on off on that deal ?

I can't remember all of the details exactly. I remember Bronson paid for 2 new cars and only got parts for one or something like that. So basically, when Kyle asked about getting his other one after a couple months passed, he found out he wasn't getting his other new car.

[foxfire2dirtracing]

Zyyoung
Your info on the Bloomer/Bronson deal is far from the truth.

[Jking24]

Is Longhorn the only chassis with cnc'ed bent tubes? Basically, the whole car comes in a box and then welded on the jig!Hoffman(Elite Chassis) has been doing it for years! rocket has been using cnc bender/ notcher for well over a decade. Don't know when they started but I can tell you it's been their since my first personal dealings with them in 2012

[zyoung25]

Zyyoung
Your info on the Bloomer/Bronson deal is far from the truth.

Well tell us then. I said I didn't remember all of the details. 

[foxfire2dirtracing]

I am not the 4m historian- but your statement was/is incorrect-I e will leave it at that- I don’t want the drama! Long story short: Kyle thought he was getting Bloomer’s personal race cars and got po’ed when he found out he wasn’t. He and his rich uncle at Brandon Ford didn’t like the bloomer situation and bailed out. Bronson (unless amends have been made) has a very strong dislike for the aliens in Mooresburg-certain spaceships we’re not for sale.

[ready2rd]

Fox im no historian as well but what i do know is a large deposit was made to scott to build 2 cars ,Scott blew a lot of the money or used it to fill another hole or debt ,those words came directly from the one who paid the deposit .he received one car and parts and pieces of the other car and lost a friend and a well financed customer .

[foxfire2dirtracing]

I don’t doubt that a bit-bloomer has burned many bridges. I have known him since he moved to Tennessee from California- nothing the past 10 years surprises me. But I will add: It wasn’t always this way.

[ready2rd]

Fox you are correct he has ruined his career he has burned so many bridges with back surgery or no back surgery he is done nobody can or will trust him.

[Raceready]

Fox im no historian as well but what i do know is a large deposit was made to scott to build 2 cars ,Scott blew a lot of the money or used it to fill another hole or debt ,those words came directly from the one who paid the deposit .he received one car and parts and pieces of the other car and lost a friend and a well financed customer .Another case of "WHITE LINE FEVER " ? ?

[Josh Bayko]

Bloomer has demons he’s never been able to keep down. Incredible driver, largely dysfunctional human being. The way his driving career is ending is kinda sad, but sadly, it was probably always going to happen like this.

[txl9t]

BMF= Black Diamond Savage= LonghornDouble Nickel= LonghornSniper= Basically a Bloomquist from what I've seen. I seen that Cody Overton is building cars too, that's also a Longhorn copy by the looks of things. I think you see all these "new" Chassis brands come out because some Chassis Companies are so busy its hard to get a new car when you want it.