tossing around the idea of doing it in 4130 chromoly underbracing and a 4 point strut bar. just trying to determine the size need i can get 3/4 and 1 inch and would really like to do 1x2 oe 1x1 1/2 rect. tube depending on cost. anyone have imput on what size to use. oh and all the round tube is either .065 or .083 wall and the square is .065. also may do stainless plate at the mounting points. any imput is appreciated

 

i will be doing my own underbracing this winter while the car is off the road. haven't decided on material though. keep us posted, i wont be able to get to the steel yard to shop around and i don't buy things often without touching them. just how i am so if i go first purchasing i'll let you know what i go with.

i'm looking for oval stock btw.

i like being different even though noone will ever see it.

 

Oval stock is not made and the only way to make it would be to crush tubeing and then you are breaking down the side walls and weaking it. Stainless is to soft and carbon steel is strong but with no weight savings. Cromoly is close to the weight of carbon but is stronger so you can get away with thinner side walls so your in turn saving weight. Titanium would be great but there you have cost and then having to weld in a atmospheric bubble and per and post heat to maintain the structural strength would be very hard at home and fitting it all in under the car

 

I would suggest that you reference the ones that are already out there, AutoExe has a very extensive line of undercar bracing, Beat Rush, GTSpec, etc... Thats if you still feel the drive to create your own,...

Good Luck with the build

 

I plan on using designs that are out there and combining them together that's were the rectangular tube came into play is based off the auto exe line just courious to know what material they use and wall thickness I know the spec they require on roll cages and things of that nature and it cost is minimal because of where I work or I wouldn't be looking into doing it if there was no savings in the end plus I need a project for winter

 

I would think 0.083 is a bit thick IMO. We use that stuff in race car frames, this is just for under bracing, not for a main frame member. I would go with 0.065 or perhaps even thinner. If you have any engineering analysis background, you can do formulas on it to determine the strength of a design and make it stronger messing with different approaches without resorting to thicker wall material.

 

Called today and in 1" and 3/4 I can get .035 .047 and .058 and in the 1x2 only in .065 so I may go thiner and use 3/4 also for clearence issues with being lowered