chassis flexed out

[twister21]

I have heard people say that their chassis is flexed out. What is the signs or symptoms of this?

[pinionangle]

I would think, Loss of forward bite with your setup spot on, difficultly achieving the percentages while the car is on scales, things like that.

Bigbird?

[billetbirdcage]

I often hear this but I'm not actually sure if I really ever seen it (kind of like Bigfoot, thought I did when I was a kid - but not sure now that i'm older).

If the car is continuously cracking in various places every week or couple of weeks might be a sign. Usually I think people look for an excuss and blame the car.

Most of all changes I've seen in a car comes from a wreck, it either makes them better or worse. They can go from always tight to neutral or vice versa.

[MasterSbilt_Racer]

I often hear this but I'm not actually sure if I really ever seen it (kind of like Bigfoot, thought I did when I was a kid - but not sure now that i'm older).

If the car is continuously cracking in various places every week or couple of weeks might be a sign. Usually I think people look for an excuss and blame the car.

Most of all changes I've seen in a car comes from a wreck, it either makes them better or worse. They can go from always tight to neutral or vice versa.

So you agree with me that a car can be wrecked hard, repaired CORRECTLY on a jig, and then be better or junk? Some people have a hard time believing this.

[rocket36]

So you agree with me that a car can be wrecked hard, repaired CORRECTLY on a jig, and then be better or junk? Some people have a hard time believing this.

Yes.
There is one car that I know of that has qualified & run very strong in the past two years Dream & World events that has been clipped front & rear. That car is now favoured by the driver so much that it is saved purely for the big races. That chassis would have around 100 nights on it now.

Both Moyer's & Babb's guys have told me that their recent rayburns were only good for 10-12 shows then they would struggle. Look at Babb on the summernationals this year - came off the WoO tour to join up for a couple of races & was lucky to manage a top ten finish (which for a guy that won more than half of last years series races, isn't too good). He went away, missed a couple of nights, came back and opened a can whoop-a$$ on everyone for a couple of nights straight. Apparently they went back to Rayburn's and put together a new car or two ('06 models or something). Apparently the '07 cars were not as popular with the guys that have run Rayburns for years.

[billetbirdcage]

So you agree with me that a car can be wrecked hard, repaired CORRECTLY on a jig, and then be better or junk? Some people have a hard time believing this.

I really think that after about 6 to 10 races that cutting off the front clip and putting a new one on is the way to go. I've seen several of these that needed clips after that many races and the cars then got much much better and started dominating races after a new clip was installed.

[billetbirdcage]

Yes.
There is one car that I know of that has qualified & run very strong in the past two years Dream & World events that has been clipped front & rear. That car is now favoured by the driver so much that it is saved purely for the big races. That chassis would have around 100 nights on it now.

Both Moyer's & Babb's guys have told me that their recent rayburns were only good for 10-12 shows then they would struggle. Look at Babb on the summernationals this year - came off the WoO tour to join up for a couple of races & was lucky to manage a top ten finish (which for a guy that won more than half of last years series races, isn't too good). He went away, missed a couple of nights, came back and opened a can whoop-a$$ on everyone for a couple of nights straight. Apparently they went back to Rayburn's and put together a new car or two ('06 models or something). Apparently the '07 cars were not as popular with the guys that have run Rayburns for years.

Remember back when Aukland was winning all the big shows, well he was in a new car every time we won one of those. He would run the new car one race before to sort it out and make sure no problems, then take it to a big show and win. When I say car, I'm talking a new frames and they were Rayburns. He said after about 6-8 races the car weren't as good as he'd replae the frame. Just what I was told.

Master's are suppost to be replaced every 50 to 55 races, told by master. A ploy to sell more frames? or any truth? I don't know!

I believe Babb went back to the 04 design not the 06 but not alot of difference between those two.

[Driver X]

I don't know if this is true or not(a theory one guy had), that putting a front clip actually stress relieves the car and some people get their cars cut on the jig and have them reweld too.

[MasterSbilt_Racer]

I really think that after about 6 to 10 races that cutting off the front clip and putting a new one on is the way to go. I've seen several of these that needed clips after that many races and the cars then got much much better and started dominating races after a new clip was installed.

I have had them get better and had them get worse. I've not been able to convince many people when they got worse. They just think it is an excuse.

[rbrc00]

i think he was wanting to know what are the signs that a chassis is fatigued.as a chassis builder the signs we look for are alot of stress cracks around the welds and when you are chasing the setups on the car from week to week.by that i mean if the setup you had last week was loose and the next week it's even worse and you tighten the car up over the week then for the most part it is fatigued.thats just what we go by.

[Lizardracing]

It's hard to beleive for me someone hasent' already done some stress testing.

A person could place a new car on four equal height blocks at the most outer corners. remove oneblock and start adding weight untill the chassis flexed a certain amount. compute this to math to give you rotational torque, a value in which to compare. Race said chassis a given amount of nights like 50 or something and repeat the test and look for differences. One might also do this on a frame machine where forces could be applied in several axis and lateral as well as rotational could be measured and repeated.

It might be crud, be I'll bet a lot would be learned. Personally I don't believe a chassis "wears out" or "flexes out" as it does bend(distort) in the same place because of design flaws(maybe not a flaw as much as intentional) where undo stresses are being placed. This cause's inbrittlement. While I don't build chassis's, it hasent stopped many people.

[profab00]

I build my own mods and we had one real sweet chassis that flexed out so much we was welding the cross member in the chassis every two weeks, problem was she was so fast we didn't mind welding it back up. But when she was broke at the crossmember, she was slow. I agree that a change in a clip makes a difference in the way the car handles sometimes, but most of the time it remains the same. I am told Black Sunshine has two chassis that have ran in over a hundred features each and these two cars still are raced.

[Oracr]

Have 2 04 rayburns. 1 I've had to put the back on a "kansas jack" twice to fix issues it had with the wall. that car has never been clipped. The car got tighter each time I staightened it but remains my favorite as the forward bite is tremendous and I have to free it up witch is in my opinion better than the latter.

The other car we clipped front and back and have never gotten it to get up on the bars and move forward as well again since. Probably a ton of human error involved on our part but that is our experience so far.

[powerslide]

I am told Black Sunshine has two chassis that have ran in over a hundred features each and these two cars still are raced.


i feel the same way if i have a car thats winning a bunch of races im not gonna sell that dude til it quits winning races(or i destory it) ive never understood why someone would do that

ex. had a guy that was always just a 5th place guy won one race when none of the "big" dogs showed up. beginning of this year he went on a terror winning like 6-7 outta 10 then a usmts guy offered to buy the car and he sold it... bought the exact same kind of dw-11 didnt win a race since. guy that bought the car continued the terror guy A had started... you tell me?

birdhead "youknowwho" always talked about the car he had the year before i helped him that was awesome outta the trailer no matter where he went and he sold it then he went to arizona and drove it after a mediocre season and was kicking himself for selling it because it was still the same feeling carsorry for the rant just one of those things that gets under my skin