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1934 Ford - All Independent And PolishedSAC Builds A Kugel IFS And IRS '34 Ford Chassis From the February, 2009 issue of Custom Classic Trucks By D. Brian Smith
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Building a world-class '33-34 Ford chassis from the ground up is best left to the experts. We needed an undercarriage that was up to the 427ci stroker, Hilborn EFI-topped Ford engine that would power the CCT/Smith Men '34 Ford roadster pickup. SAC Hot Rod Products in Orange, California, has built numerous chassis for multiple America's Most Beautiful Roadster winners, in addition to providing chassis for past and present Ridler contenders and winners. Realizing this, we met with SAC owner Roy Davenport and talked about our plans for the topless truck. After much contemplation, we (Dan B. Smith and CCT's feature editor) decided to go with a fully independent, Kugel Komponents- equipped '34 Ford chassis, which would be built by SAC Hot Rod Products. When we found out from Roy that the 2005 Ridler-winning 36 Impression, designed and created by Foose Design, rides on a SAC frame, we were confident we made a great choice. While photographing SAC's technicians fabricating the chassis for this tech story, we learned a great deal about the proper way to build a high-tech foundation for a very fast vintage Ford truck. At the risk of getting in trouble with CCT magazine's production department, we've run as many photos and gone into as much detail as we dare. Follow along in words and photos to find out how the experts produce an outstanding street rod/truck chassis.  If the '34 Ford roadster pickup...  If the '34 Ford roadster pickup CCT/Smith Men project truck ends up looking as good as George Trosley's illustration, we'll be ecstatic.  If the '34 Ford roadster pickup...  If the '34 Ford roadster pickup CCT/Smith Men project truck ends up looking as good as George Trosley's illustration, we'll be ecstatic.  With the chassis exemplifying...  With the chassis exemplifying outstanding industrial art and engineering, it's almost a shame the body, fenders, hood, and bed are not made out of Plexiglas!  After positioning one of the...  After positioning one of the framerails in the frame jig on the horizontal plane and securing it with C-clamps, Herb heliarc tack-welded the framerail to the frame jig.  Before he could weld the boxing...  Before he could weld the boxing strips, he checked that the framerail top and bottom were square and the correct width. To account for the width of the boxing strips, the gauge is 1 13/16-inches wide.  Where the framerail needed...  Where the framerail needed truing, Herb used a frame-flange tool on the top and bottom to achieve a 90-degree angle the entire length.  After marking the correct...  After marking the correct width of the framerail with a marker, SAC's technician grinded the metal to a uniform height. He also smoothed the surface for welding.  The ASC framerails come pre-drilled...  The ASC framerails come pre-drilled with all the holes for installing the fenders, body, and running boards to the frame. By holding the appropriate-size nuts in place with their corresponding bolts, Herb welded the nuts within the framerail.  Since the front boxing strip...  Since the front boxing strip will be bearing the weight of the engine, SAC welds a reinforcing boxing doubler on the underside of the front boxing strips. The doubler is 12 inches long. To approximate where the engine mount will be welded to the frame, the center of the doubler is located 28 inches back from the front of the framerail.  Using the MIG welder, Herb...  Using the MIG welder, Herb tack-welded the center boxing strip into place. A production welder, the MIG welder is used for this application. It produces a great deal of welding material, allowing the welder to quickly tack-weld the strips into place.  He tack-welded the doubler-enhanced...  He tack-welded the doubler-enhanced front boxing strip next.  For the seam welds between...  For the seam welds between the boxing strips, the MIG welder was used once again.  Before laying down the heliarc...  Before laying down the heliarc TIG bead welds, SAC's fabricator ground smooth the tack-welds.  Once the bead welds were finished,...  Once the bead welds were finished, a 24 grit-sanding wheel was employed to begin smoothing the bead welds. Then a 60-grit wheel was utilized on the electric grinder.  After grinding smooth the...  After grinding smooth the welded surfaces, Herb marked the sections of the framerail that experienced weld porosity.  He used the heliarc TIG welder...  He used the heliarc TIG welder to fill the marked low spots in the framerail.  After grinding the filled...  After grinding the filled high spots with a 60-grit wheel, Herb used the red Scotchbrite pad on his grinder to produce the desired finish on the bare metal framerail.  Before tack-welding the framerails...  Before tack-welding the framerails into the frame jig, Herb confirmed with a level that the framerails and the frame jig were perfectly level. In the background, you can see that C-clamps held the framerails into position.  Advanced Tube Engineering...  Advanced Tube Engineering in Huntington Beach, CA, supplies SAC with pre-bent center crossmember tubes. However, the tubes aren't pre-cut. Using a pipe-cutting fixture and the bandsaw, SAC cut the center crossmember tubes to the correct length.  To distinguish driver-side...  To distinguish driver-side center crossmember tubes from passenger-side tubes, Advanced Tube Engineering uses yellow paint for the driver-side and red for the passenger-side.  To achieve the desired finish...  To achieve the desired finish for the crossmember tubes, they're first run through a belt sander, then a grinder. Before going in the belt sander or grinder, WD-40 was wiped on the tubes to remove the grease that Advanced Tube Engineering uses when bending the tubes.  Within the center crossmember...  Within the center crossmember jig, Herb tack-welded the tubes together with short vertical tubes that SAC has pre-cut in volume on-hand for this occasion.  After removing the center...  After removing the center crossmember from the crossmember jig, Herb tack-welded and finish-welded the center crossmember into the framerails. Since the frame jig is a rotisserie, it can be positioned at any angle, enabling SAC's technicians to produce complete, uniform welds.  To test for proper fitment...  To test for proper fitment in the '33-34 chassis, SAC positioned a small-block Ford engine, Tremec bellhouse, and Tremec TKO transmission.  Roy used a T-square and determined...  Roy used a T-square and determined that the top center crossmember would hit the top of the Tremec TKO trans case.  To get around the fitment...  To get around the fitment dilemma, Herb welded a center hoop section into the crossmember tube.  SAC first bolted a Ford trans...  SAC first bolted a Ford trans mount in place. After installing a Chevy trans mount, they realized the Chevy mount fit better. OK, so there will be a GM component in this all Ford drivetrain.  This overhead photo shows...  This overhead photo shows that the engine mounts have been tack-welded into place. In addition, the trans crossmember and custom crossmember tube that hoops over the trans case have been fully welded into place.  After finishing the weld on...  After finishing the weld on the engine mounts, Herb and Roy removed the engine/trans from the frame. Herb took the frame out of the frame jig and put it upside down on two sawhorses. Here, he confirmed that the measurement from the front of the Kugel front crossmember is 10.5 inches from the center of the front hole in the framerail. He marked that position and . . .  . . . flipped the frame right-side...  . . . flipped the frame right-side up on the sawhorses, before marking the center point of the front crossmember on the top of both framerails. Since the Kugel front crossmember is 3 inches wide, the center is 1.5 inches back from the front of the crossmember, or 12 inches from the center of the front hole in the framerails.
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