Parallel frame rails?

[Welder89]

I've been wondering, is there any chassis being made today with the main frame rails that run parallel to one another? The more I look at the longhorn cars online (from what little pictures there are of different views of the chassis) they seems I be the same distance apart at the front as they do in the rear. Could anyone fill me in on this? I'm just curious about the design is all..

[Austin34471]

They are close. Most cars have the left side NOT straight with the jig because it ties into the 2x2 square tube the Jbar slider mounts too. The longhorn mounting system is different so the main rail runs straighter. The angle of the main rails has nothing to do with the speed. As long as all the suspension points are where they need to be and it is structural sound, then the the main rails could zig zag down the length of the chassis

[Welder89]

That's what I was thinking, in order to run them parallel you would have to configure the jar bar mount differently. Also if you straighten the left side you would have to watch for driveshaft clearance because it would be even closer to the (not a nice word)(not a nice word)(not a nice word)(not a nice word)pit. Thanks for the input. I'm always interested in how these cars are designed.

[Kromulous]

I think the Chassis design itself has alot more to do with handling than people may think. Bloomquist whole premise of building his own chassis was that he did not think the craftsmanship was up to snuff.

These Chassis see alot of flex, and poor welding, or poor materials, and / or a basic bad design can influence a car to handle poorly. Plus the safety factor, thats alone

One of these days when i get slow, i am gonna model a chassis in 3D Uni-graphics and get a friend of mine to run thru some analysis software and see how much stress is one of these chassis.

[Welder89]

I noticed this Docol R8 tubing is coming on strong in the DLM game. Ive heard of several chassis builders using it throughout the car in certain areas, and for the entire chassis too.

[MasterSbilt_Racer]

I noticed this Docol R8 tubing is coming on strong in the DLM game. Ive heard of several chassis builders using it throughout the car in certain areas, and for the entire chassis too.

Yes. It is the new fad. The manufacturing tolerances are more of the gain than the material itself. And, it is actually a seam welded tube. It has more ductility than chrome moly.

IMO, good quality DOM is really all you need. And much cheaper.

[Kromulous]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlBw2pgADhg

Several videos there about that new tubing, seems great.