WHO HAS INSTALLED BACK HALF KIT

I know that the back half kit's come with compleete instructions,I do have some welding skills and fabrication skills just wondering if anyone has done a back half them selves that has had mediocre skills, now i would be doing this with a guy who builds trailers for a living,but i'm curious to know if there has to be any particular weld joints and or weld rod, or can it be just mig welded in?? I also am verry positive about things so no negative comments, be compleetly realistic, because if you realy think about it someone know's a guy who shocked them by doin it himself, or meybe it was you who shocked someone else .....Whatcha got?????...........JT557................

Mig weld for everything. Probably have to add a cage for rigidity. Just keep everything square. Do it on a flat level floor. Measure twice, cut once.

And your kit probably wont come with instructions.

Heres the best instructions your gonna find, But they are general, not specific to vehicle application
http://autoweldchassis.com/Instruct.ivnu

S&W has chassis specific kits.

AK wrote:Mig weld for everything. Probably have to add a cage for rigidity. Just keep everything square. Do it on a flat level floor. Measure twice, cut once.

And your kit probably wont come with instructions.

Heres the best instructions your gonna find, But they are general, not specific to vehicle application
http://autoweldchassis.com/Instruct.ivnu

YES there will also be a 10 point cage that will be installed if not a 12 point I will figure that out as we go!! I'm not let's say to ignorant but opinions are a usefull tool if delivered in a positive manner.. but i will call S&W and ask about the instructions even though the catalog say's it comes with compleete instructions, just like you said measure twice cut once (see the example) I will always be sure of what i'm doing before i make any moves it's kinda like a chess game always look a few moves ahead before you f**K yourself but thanx AK you've always been helpful to me......JT557...........

I back halfed my Fairlane 10 years ago. No kit!...I used 2x3 tube and mitered the corners. ...This time I am buying a round tube front half and building my own round tube back half. I am not a welder! I can tack things together and have a buddy weld it for me. good luck with your build!

And don't forget to Measure Measure Measure Measure Measure before cutting or welding

.........OH! Did I say Measure Measure Measure .

I have done several on different types of cars. Mig weld definitely works the best especially when welding to the original stuff. Best tool I ever got to help was a laser level. I got one that sends out both a flat level line as well as a vertical plumb line. set it up so it gives you a level reference under the car and a center line down the middle. Most important get the new main crossmember in square and level then work from there.

dkp

plasma cutter is your friend...............

If you don't have a Tig welder then Mig is your only other choice since stick welding & gas welding isn't legal & won't pass tech.

If you don't have a chassis jig, working off the shop/garage floor with jack stands usually can still get the job done. But you just need to be a lot more careful when working without a jig & make sure the car doesn't move any vs any center/cross lines drawn on the floor. Plus working without a jig means you really have to double/triple & diagonally check all your measurements before fully welding anything.

The up-side to a "kit" is if you don't have all the required tools/skills to create your own back-half from scratch, then going the kit route will usually get the job done. But the down-side is that no generic one size fits all cage "kit" on the market can ever fit the body shell as closely/tightly as what is possible when bending up your own individual cage to fit a given car. With a kit you have to make do with whatever bar angles you are shipped. This can sometimes cause problems if (for whatever reason) you might have to move/change/fudge a pre bent bar's placement around some.

If the finished back-half car will also be sitting lower to the ground when finished, (and/or have a lot bigger rear tire OD) be ready to also have to change/adjust/modify the angle the engine/trans sits in the car so that all the assorted driveline angles are at the correct operating angle for the car's intended use (street-highway vs street-strip vs strip only) when the car is finished. And if you do end up having to change the engine/trans angles be ready to also have to modify/replace some or all of the trans tunnel & possibly part of the driver compartment floor.

It always pays to think ahead when modifying a car's chassis because changing/modifying any "one" thing can effect 5 - 10 other associated things down the road as the build progresses.

Also it pays to never be a cheap bastard when it comes to adjustable rear coil over shock & rod-end choices for any car that will see decent power numbers and/or strip use. Get the best parts from the start so you wont have to buy them later after the "cheap" crap fails.

Tack weld everything, do not solid weld anything. You will change your mind several times doing this project, if it's your first time. Its a bunch easier to remove a part tacked than solid completely welded.

DILLIGASDAVE wrote:If you don't have a Tig welder then Mig is your only other choice since stick welding & gas welding isn't legal & won't pass tech.

If you don't have a chassis jig, working off the shop/garage floor with jack stands usually can still get the job done. But you just need to be a lot more careful when working without a jig & make sure the car doesn't move any vs any center/cross lines drawn on the floor. Plus working without a jig means you really have to double/triple & diagonally check all your measurements before fully welding anything.

The up-side to a "kit" is if you don't have all the required tools/skills to create your own back-half from scratch, then going the kit route will usually get the job done. But the down-side is that no generic one size fits all cage "kit" on the market can ever fit the body shell as closely/tightly as what is possible when bending up your own individual cage to fit a given car. With a kit you have to make do with whatever bar angles you are shipped. This can sometimes cause problems if (for whatever reason) you might have to move/change/fudge a pre bent bar's placement around some.

If the finished back-half car will also be sitting lower to the ground when finished, (and/or have a lot bigger rear tire OD) be ready to also have to change/adjust/modify the angle the engine/trans sits in the car so that all the assorted driveline angles are at the correct operating angle for the car's intended use (street-highway vs street-strip vs strip only) when the car is finished. And if you do end up having to change the engine/trans angles be ready to also have to modify/replace some or all of the trans tunnel & possibly part of the driver compartment floor.

It always pays to think ahead when modifying a car's chassis because changing/modifying any "one" thing can effect 5 - 10 other associated things down the road as the build progresses.

Also it pays to never be a cheap bastard when it comes to adjustable rear coil over shock & rod-end choices for any car that will see decent power numbers and/or strip use. Get the best parts from the start so you wont have to buy them later after the "cheap" crap fails.

Thanx dude that's alot of information that is so useful , and yes i do understand about looking ahead , stuff could srew me later, got it ! Now thinking about it before i start .. I kinda want to make the rearend (9in) length a universal length so i can put a 10.5 tire with ofset rim for the outlaw class , and a i think it's a 23.5 tire with ofset rim for a different class .... so i'm not limited to just 1 class ..... can that be attained?????

IDT-572 wrote:Tack weld everything, do not solid weld anything. You will change your mind several times doing this project, if it's your first time. Its a bunch easier to remove a part tacked than solid completely welded.

yes you are correct , usually i'll use a c clamp to hold everything togeather first then double check everthing befor i even tac it in place.good advice thanx for your input......JT557..........

bosshoss wrote:I have done several on different types of cars. Mig weld definitely works the best especially when welding to the original stuff. Best tool I ever got to help was a laser level. I got one that sends out both a flat level line as well as a vertical plumb line. set it up so it gives you a level reference under the car and a center line down the middle. Most important get the new main crossmember in square and level then work from there.

dkp

That makes compleete sence the crossmember gives you a starting point and a level srait point to continue to keep everything square thanx bud that gives me a focal point for this,,, you'r awsome.........JT557.........

I am not usually one for mixing companys when doing big projects, but a friend of mine recently bought a cage kit from wolfr racecraft and it fits really nice and tight. just a thought

http://www.wolferacecraft.com/

I found on my fox body that nothing was close to square on the factory parts. the car sat crooked the rear end was not square with the front end and so on. I'm sure there more then one way to skin a cat, but if you can make the as square as possable the build will go togather faster. I can send you several pictures of my car through out the back half build. I just bought the jegster chassis kit and threw away the instructions. i

I was asking these questions a month ago, and decided to just buy some 2x3 tube and go for it, this is for a mud drag truck, as mentioned check every measurement lots and make sure everything is level and plumb, I also tacked eveything and had a more experienced welder weld everything up, not quite done yet but making progress, I am happy with how it looks, now I just hope it will hook and go straight>


https://2img.net/h/i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii55/touchngo2/Picture065.jpg[url][/url

https://2img.net/h/i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii55/touchngo2/Picture066.jpg[url][/url]

Steve

fixed

thanks Frank, I don't know why I can never get the pics to work right

Steve

X2 what Mr. Cartwright said, tack weld everything first. And when you do go to do the final welds, don't make long passes and try to weld a one joint all at once. Short passes and move to another area. A lot of heat in one area will pull it so far out of square and level, it will make you go crazy.