Tubular chassis builder

[twack]

if your serious and got the money upfront i would contact bulfab hes 'Vassil' on here

[dogwhistle]

Originally Posted by twack

if your serious and got the money upfront i would contact bulfab hes 'Vassil' on here

I'll find him and contact him for sure, thanks!
I also contacted the fab team that did the green 240 drift car at MAP's show and he estimated roughly 6K give or take for taking the shell and adding in a tubular skeleton throughout allowing all the stock stamped metal to still serve as mounts and shaping, yet have the rigidity needed to not worry about strut rust, floor pan damage/repair, etc. The issue I felt with going with that option was simply the feeling that cars or at least street cars weren't their biggest markey/forte along with a long time frame which didn't bother me however.

Originally Posted by Shane@DBPerformance

I hope you have extremely deep pockets.

Originally Posted by SlowWhite

I asked once what it would take to turn my car into a rwd and the figure I got was $45k

Originally Posted by typeRA

keep in mind half the battle is getting through a nhra inspector/ cert (like I was), and the big RACECRAFT tag tacked onto the main hoop is pretty much a 30 second ordeal to get your sticker

for the purposes around our region, you're paying more for brand recognition and the associated credibility that comes with it, rather than top-notch work speaking for itself. This is in no way to say that any of the area fabricators don't produce exceptional work, but if you're looking for the least headache, especially at Brainerd, go with a big name.

If I ever took my '56 to someone, it would be to Kurt at http://www.autokraft.org/gallery/anderson/

this guy does the work, stands by it, and will line up next to you on bracket days

I am l looking to actually keep the AWD and just keep the basic features. I know that since the sub frames exist, it'd be more handing the person a rusted out DSM shell, along with the well known pre done sub frames (unless they requested their own in an effort of similicity, and going from there. The car would continue to be driven on a regular basis (currently everyday, but doesn't have to stay that way by any means.) I would mainly be interested in something light, stiff, safe, and resistant to the usual corrosion and abuse that most DSM's suffer from. I understand finding a rust free DSM and transferring all the parts over would cost me at least 3K minimum for the kind of shell I'd want. Since I don't plan on drag racing, nor any major changes in my setup, I'd like to keep it simple. Cosmetically and electronically speaking, I have my connections and have tons of room to play there. It's simply the measuring, welding, and logistics of tubular that I cannot perform and the only reason I am not confident in doing this entirely solo.

[s1ngletracker]

Originally Posted by dogwhistle

I'll find him and contact him for sure, thanks!
I also contacted the fab team that did the green 240 drift car at MAP's show and he estimated roughly 6K give or take for taking the shell and adding in a tubular skeleton throughout allowing all the stock stamped metal to still serve as mounts and shaping, yet have the rigidity needed to not worry about strut rust, floor pan damage/repair, etc. The issue I felt with going with that option was simply the feeling that cars or at least street cars weren't their biggest markey/forte along with a long time frame which didn't bother me however.

Are you sure he wasn't just quoting you on a tubular front suspension/structure and/or roll cage? That seems awfully cheap. You do realize that once you remove the unibody, you have little to no positional references right? This is a massive undertaking to do it right and get all the pickup points dimensionally the same.

If all you want is something rust free, just find another pristine running/driving DSM from down south or something. It will cost you less and be far less hassle and you'll get what you're expecting.

Originally Posted by dogwhistle

IThe car would continue to be driven on a regular basis (currently everyday, but doesn't have to stay that way by any means.) I would mainly be interested in something light, stiff, safe, and resistant to the usual corrosion and abuse that most DSM's suffer from.

I don't think you realize what this would actually be... a stripped out, loud, harsh, rough, bare bones race car. Even trying to fit all your creature comforts back in there would be ludicrous and difficult. You would NOT want to daily drive it.

Are you sure this is what you really want? I'm seconding Nate on this.

[blackawdtsi]

Eric's car (green 240) was far more than $6k to tube chassis.

I agree with single. I don't think you know what you're asking for. My caged and back-halved 1g was ridiculous. Just getting in and out of it sucked hard. Too loud for the street, absolutely zero creature comforts and #becauseracecar problems left and right.

My 10pt caged / not back-halved 1g was ok on the street but not even close to something I would want to DD. Again, did have #becauseracecar issues because of a billet stall on the freeway. In all honesty, the only time I took it out was when I knew for sure something special was out. I'd scout first with my DD.