[H2Os50]

I'm in the process of building a '50 Chevy pickup street rod. I've got the IFS in, starting on the triangulated 4-bar & bags for the rear end and I'm looking at a new crossmember for the transmission (700R4).

All of these installations require that I box the frame on both sides of the areas where I will be welding in the new frame pieces.

My question is to box the entire frame or just box the areas where the new suspension and crossmember sections will be added.

The company I got the IFS and crossmenber from advises only to box where needed. This will allow the frame to flex. (This truck will be a driver, but still needs to look good). All of the custom frame I see, pics from other projects posted, etc. all show fully boxed frames. Should I not box the frame completely, or is it just a matter of personal preference? If Idon't box the frame completely, there will be only a couple of small sections that don't require boxed sections after the suspension and x-member additions.

Thanks,

H2Os50

[Deuce]

They LOOK better boxed..........

But the access is better unboxed......

[Lonestar]

The answer lies in just how much power are you planning and do you plan on dragging? If you are planning a lot of power and are planning on using it, you would be better off boxing the whole thing. If your building a daily driver with moderate power and are not going too beat the living daylights out of it you don't have any need to box the entire frame (that is as long as the original is not stressed already).

[OneMoreTime]

Well if as you say there is only a small unboxed area left then I woudl go ahead and box the entire frame..You can save a bit of weight and it looks good to cut circle holes in the boxing plate..this also allows access to run lines inside the frame rails..just leave the areas solid where you need to attach crossmembers..

Makes the frame stiffer which is a good thing..IMHO

OMT

[H2Os50]

Thanks,

I had originally planned to box the entire frame, then got all of the advice not to box from a rod shop here. I'll be running about 450HP, so it gets boxed. Just need to do a little pre-planning for wires brake, fuel lines, etc.

Thanks again.

[trees]

You better weld in all the nut plates where anything is bolted thru the top, bottom or side of the frame. I am a proponent of boxing as necessary and even then, nut plates are required. Other words, it take about as much work planning and prepping as boxing.

Trees

[willys36@aol.com]

You can safely cut large (1" shy of the adjoining flange on each side) holes in the boxing plates w/o affecting strength at all. This gives the access needed.

[deuce_454]

i would box it all the way...

boxing doesn't increase strength immensely... 25% or so.. but it will increase the rigidity of your frame many thousand times (increase the moment of inertia) it will make your frame much less flexible around a longitudinal axis and make for a much better handling car.. it will also require that you are a little more careful mounting your IFS as the stress will increase since the frame stops flexing...

but it will add about 20 pounds to the weight of the car and make for a much better handling automobile... box it!