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What are somethings to look out for when buying a used dirt late model. What are some of the signs that a chassis is worn out or the welds are stressed. Is there any way of telling if the frame is straight without putting it on jig. Is there any places that is a common area for problems. General how old of a chassis can a person get a still be competitive in crate classes and steel head. Looking for tips on how to pick out a good quality chassis.
Use your eyes. If it looks bent it probably is. Sight down tubes (top rail on right, bottom rails, tail square with the rest of the frame, sits on jack stands, etc.
Talk to the mfg of the chassis you are looking at for things to check. Good updates, big changes, where to look for numbers, setup info, available updates, etc.
Check for cracks at all welded tube joints. Cracked paint at welds indicates cracked tubes underneath it. Harder to tell under powder coat but still shows sometimes. Look at lift arm/pull bar mounting areas for cracks.
I didn't look at age nearly as much as I looked at condition. Would rather have a 5 year old car I could afford that wasn't run very many nights and was updatable than a year old car that ran 50 times that takes all my money and has been run to death. We had some old cars that were barely raced and were good cars. Had some that only had a season on them and hated them. Look for wear on 4 bar mounts to see if they've been run a lot/worn holes. Look for mismatched paint on bars that were replaced.
Remember that just because something is replaced it isn't a bad thing if it's done correctly.
Take somebody with you that knows the style/mfg of the chassis you are looking at and listen to their advice. Take your won expert along, don't rely on the seller. Look hard at the bolt on parts. Birdcages, correct straight spindles, good rack, legal fuel cell, etc. If it's a good frame but everything bolted to it to sell it is junk you're not getting much. The frame is the cheapest part of the deal.
I was never afraid of a car that needed a new tail or front clip if the cage area was square and solid. Seen a lot of guys throw a car to the side because it needed a front stub. Not that big of a deal to replace them. Not for some but if you have the ability or connections to repair and fabricate you can save a lot of money sometimes.
Good luck!
SPark
Call the chassis manufacturer with the chassis ID, they can hopefully give you more information about the specific car as well as verify the year/model. I have heard multiple horror stories of guys selling 07's as a 10, or copies as real ones...
Thanks for the answers.
look for repair welds on upper a frame mounts to give an idea of how stressed its been also
past experience i would check welds on top of roll cage and behind driver, tend to crack diagonally from rf to lr , grt ,warrior ,rocket had them all do it, also if car has a offset x in center of car look for a bend in the straight part of the x where it offsets, seen a couple rockets and brc cars bent there.