chassis table??

getting ready to build a chassis table.
wondering if 3x3 1/8th inch is strong enough?
will have 6 legs and be a rectangle.
should i step up to 4x4 or 3x3 with 3/16th wall.
will just be a perimeter with adjustable cross memebrs for suspension placement.

Thanks for any info.
building a overhead crane for placement and removal of vehicle

just dont forget to post pics while your building it...

Dave Maxwell wrote:wondering if 3x3 1/8th inch is strong enough?............should i step up to 4x4 or 3x3 with 3/16th wall.

I don't know, I think either "H" beam, "I" beam, or "C" channel is a better choice for chassis jig/table frame material than box tubing is because it's easier to C-clamp or bolt assorted chassis jig supports/holders/hardware in place on the H, I, & C material. But box tubing is probably just a effective as the beam/channel material if your intending to tack weld all the assorted chassis jig supports/holders/hardware in place instead of bolting/clamping in place. If you go with box tubing 4 x 4 at least 3/16 thick is probably something to think about.

No matter the material used, if it's going to be a wide perimeter style jig table (say wide enough to reach rocker panel to rocker panel) you might think about welding in solid some of the middle crossmembers (vs making them adjustable) to make the jig/table a lot more rigid. Only make the crossmembers located in the general area of a car's front & rear suspension adjustable for the car's wheelbase. An alternative design to the perimeter style chassis jig/table is a narrower jig that's only as wide as the width of what the average full chassis car's main frame rails might be. The narrow design takes up less shop room when not in use, & takes less material to build so it costs a little less money to build.

I built mine out of C-channel, & made it a wide perimeter style. It has six adjustable legs to level the jig & has 4 caster wheels to roll it around the shop when the six adjusters are removed.

thanks for the info.
I had planned on puting one solid cross member in the middle. mis typed that one. i got the square tube idea from one i saw. it had tube cross members with channel welded on the ends for sliding. I wondered about the narrower ones. I have been looking at chassis sights and such, and saw those too.
would you mind posting a pic of yours or maybe emailing one.
thanks.

Dave,

here are a couple of pics i found of some different style chassis tables ........it might help you out

there is a nice one on rad rides by troy web site. but for some reason there site is down.
thank you everyone for the ideas and photos

The first pic Nick posted is considered a perimeter surface plate style jig/table. The positive thing about them is they are probably the most accurate style jig to work from since the solid plate of steel gives you 4 sides & 4 corners that are straight/square (and never change) to measure from. Their down side is since they are a solid plate you have the least access to get to the bottom side welds before knocking the chassis loose from the table to finish the rest of the welds. Plus it's harder to C-clamp hardware to this style setup, leaving you with either tacking welding or bolting hardware down. And they do take up a lot more floor space when not being used.

Jason's first pic is what I would consider in the narrow jig group. Their good points are they give you the most access to bottom side welds, and they have the greatest adaptability since you clamp/bolt/tack weld wide outriggers wherever you need them to support the outer cage areas and-or body sections. Their down side is only the narrow placed beams (themselves) are the perfect "never changing" point to measure from. The accuracy of the added wide outriggers as a measuring point can change each time you move them & clamp/bolt/tack weld them down again.

An open perimeter style jig/table like mine is kind of a cross between the two styles mentioned. It has a wide/long stance with 4 sides/corners that are straight/square (and never change) to measure from similar to a surface plate setup. And it gives you some increased access to bottom side welds similar to a narrow jig setup (although not as much). Their down side is like a surface plate they do chew up a lot more floor space when not being used.


Here's mine without any hardware/supports/holders installed & just sitting on the wheels (6 leg/adjusters not installed)......





Any well built jig style should get the job done. Which style is "best" just depends on personal preference I guess.

great points as always Dave.

Thanks for all the great ideas. I am scared to price the material.

Now that i have the shop cleaned, i decided its time to have one. I will probably go with a perimeter style to eliminate the outrigger variance.
the area will definately be large. Maybe i can use it to do sheet metal layout and stuff. I like the wheel idea.
i have 1 1/2 inch bolts for adjusters.
figured if i thread them in the bottom, they should be strong enough. I have access to 2 inch diameter bolts if you think i should step up.
I assume you just jack it up and remove adjusters and install wheels when moving is needed.

what do you guys use to get the chassis off the jig?
i see alot of shops with fork lifts, but that isnt cost effective nor do i have the door clearance.
thinking about building an overhead like a buddy of mine has for his garage. at this time i still have to have buddies come over to lift the cab and such.
just want to have a solid plan before I purchase materials. Have to get a big enough load for the trucking company to deliver.

Thanks guys for everything.

Don't forget these examples of chassis jigs/tables for idea reference too.......

https://www.429-460.com/chassis-tech-f3/2010-ts-mustang-in-the-works-t3508.htm?sid=3132b48a3f5271b522be5aaf05ff4c0e

https://www.429-460.com/proven-builds-f4/chuck-s-1970-mustang-the-rebuild-t1653-45.htm?sid=3132b48a3f5271b522be5aaf05ff4c0e


I have a cable/pulley setup hung off of a shop roof I beam over the jig to raise/lower a body shell. A setup to raise/lower a body on/off the chassis shouldn't really need to be too super heavy duty since the average full chassis car/truck body (roof & rear quarters) shouldn't really be too heavy after a bunch of the inner structure is cut out. Of course a "pro street" full chassis car/truck body is bound to weigh more if a lot of the inner body structure is left intact when a full interior is desired. Just need to choose the correct cable size for the intended weight range of the bodies.


As far as getting a car on/off the jig goes, I got a forklift thinking it was the best way to do this. But even with fork extenders & the forks adjusted way apart I found a forklift just isn't the most stable way to get a car on/off the table. Now instead of a forklift I get a car off the jig by raising the car up-off the jig a little with a floor jack just enough to slide two beams (wider than the jig) under the chassis & support them with tall jack stands. Then I set the jig down on it's wheels & roll it out from under the supported car. Doing it this way isn't hard to do since my jig doesn't sit real super high off the ground like some tables are setup.


As far as the leg's level adjusters go, 1-1/2" or 2" OD thread for the adjusters (themselves) might be a little overkill if your going to be using 6 legs/adjusters. My adjusters sound tiny in comparison at only a 5/8" OD fine thread. Now the actual 6 support legs themselves might need to be in the 1-1/2" to 3" range (if square/round tube is used). The size tube (OD/SQ) will kinda depend on how high off the ground you intend to build the jig/table.

I like the idea of raising the car off the jig and wheeling jig out from under it. that is great.
Maybe i will scale my adjusters down a little. wasn't sure on what to use. i work at a company that builds 400 ton mining dump trucks. so i have access to whatever size needed.
Hopefully get started building it next week. still moving stuff around. Only have a 1500 square foot shop, so organizing is a must.
Did just look at a new house tonight on 5 acres though. Have to have 5 acres plus to have an outbuilding larger than 1600 square around here.
Hopefully in the next 2 years will get moved and be able to build my 4000 square building i have drawn up.

Want a seperate paint booth instead of building a plastic room when needed.

Thanks again.
You are always a great help

here is what i think i am going with.
the one used on this build. I cant post a picture, because it is streaming media
http://www.radrides.com/proj.htm

click on the 62 bubble top build.
it didnt go directly to the page i wanted it to.

well finally priced the material to build my table. 4x4 3/16th. 164 per 20 foot piece. Got a price through work. They are letting me use the account. Ordering 100 foot next week to get started and some extra. Thanks everyone for the info.
Dave

I've been drawing up plans to build one myself for the past 6 months. I'm going to use "I" beams with slides that will lock in place with two jam bolts from the bottom. I also added a pointer to use with a tape added to the side of the beam. I'm still working on it to refine the final design and make it really user friendly.

Dave that table @ RadRides looks nice.
If we weren't 170 miles apart I would give you enough 6" C-channel to build a table out of.
The stuff is used but in good shape.
My employer gave me a bunch several years ago. We have built 3 car trailers and I still have a bunch more.
It's too nice to cut up for scrap but that may happen eventually.

mike

Doug Rahn wrote:I'm going to use "I" beams with slides that will lock in place with two jam bolts from the bottom.

The "H" & wide "I" beams do generally offer the greatest ability to C-clamp (or your slide clamp) stuff in place, next would be the C-channel laid flat like what mine is made of. But Dave's choice of 4x4 box tubing should work fine too since as mentioned most any material will work OK if the choice is to tack weld stuff in place on the jig vs clamping. It all can get the job done.

thanks for the offer of material. I will be making multiple clamps for the 4x4 that will have fixtures or clampiing tabs on them. Rubber backed plates for gripping power.