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Building a Modern 1932 Ford Deuce RoadsterWhat's Under a 21st-Century Deuce From the February, 2009 issue of Rod & Custom By Drew Hardin Photography by Drew Hardin
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 Framerail construction differs...  Framerail construction differs from shop to shop. At TCI, the rails are formed by welding four long sheets of steel together to make the boxed structure. This results in a more rigid frame than welding boxing plates to a C-shaped stamped rail, though the welded corners dont have the traditional round shape of a stamped rail.  The finished rails are...  The finished rails are placed in a fixture, or jig, where the crossmembers will be welded in place. The fixture keeps the rails from moving during the long process of measuring, fitting, and welding the crossmembers so that none of the parts will be out of alignment.  Welding crossmembers involves...  Welding crossmembers involves taking a lot of measurements from reference points on the frame and jig, checking the members for fit, measuring again, and then tack-welding the members in place. Once all the crossmembers are on and the fabricators are satisfied with their placement, the final welding will take place. 4 This particular 32 chassis will receive TCIs new X-shaped center crossmember. The X-member is made from 3/4x2-inch tubing, which is a bit thinner than the typical 1x2-inch tubing used in other crossmembers (and in TCIs previous K-shaped crossmember). But the X-member design makes the support area stronger, and the thinner tubing allows a 2-1/2-inch exhaust to easily pass through the member rather than go below it, as is the case with the K-member.  Because this car will be receiving...  Because this car will be receiving a potent big-block motor, its owner opted for a Pro 4-Link rear suspension rather than TCIs standard four-link system. The Pro 4-Link uses this additional crossmember (with a built-in driveshaft loop) to both buttress the rearend and provide a mounting point for the adjustable link brackets. Here, you see the crossmember in its unfinished form. Jesus Chuy Rodarte and Jorge Tesada are roughing out where the member will go in the frame. It will be finished and welded into the frame later.  TCI uses Model A front crossmembers...  TCI uses Model A front crossmembers when setting up 32 chassis for solid-axle front suspension be-cause the A piece allows the frontend to sit an inch lower. When its welded in place, the crossmember will be tipped backward just a bit to build 6 degrees of caster into the suspension.  At this point the frame comes...  At this point the frame comes off the welding fixture and moves to a stand where accessories will be attached. A manual transmission will go into this 32, so the X-member had to be modified to make room for the brake and clutch bracket.  The finished brake and clutch...  The finished brake and clutch assembly, with the brackets, cylinders, and pedals in place, looked like this when the frame left the fabrication shop. Thats a Roll Control visible behind the brake cylinder.  When it comes time to attach...  When it comes time to attach the engine and transmission mounting brackets to the frame, TCI mocks up the powertrain combo using parts from this inventory of engine blocks and tranny cases. The fabricators set the mock-up into the frame to ensure the brackets are located properly.  The engineers at TCI know...  The engineers at TCI know a car has to cool properly for it to be driveable, so they are careful to leave the right amount of room between the radiator and the front of the engine. They measure the distance between the radiator mount tabs (on the crossmember) and the front of the block and then set the proper distance, taking into account details like what kind of radiator will be used and whether a long or short water pump will be mounted on the engine.  After the engine mount brackets...  After the engine mount brackets were in place, this triangular bracket for the Vega steering box was tack-welded on next to the driver-side bracket. Front shock mount tabs were also added at this time.  Those of you with sharp eyes...  Those of you with sharp eyes probably spotted the brake lines running along the frame and front crossmember a couple of photos ago. The brake-line plumbing was going on while the other frame accessories were being attached.  This is the finished frame,...  This is the finished frame, ready for suspension assembly. In fact, a 9-inch is already sitting under the rear.  A complete chassis leaves...  A complete chassis leaves TCI with the front and rear axles and suspension fully assembled. TCIs rear axle of choice is the Ford 9-inch, though the company can also outfit a chassis with an assortment of rear-axle options, including Jaguar and Corvette IRS. Currie Enterprises supplies TCI with 9-inch housings, centersections, and axleshafts. During the planning process, TCI will ask prospective customers how dressy (or not) they want their 9-inch.  Among the rearend options...  Among the rearend options offered by TCI is a choice of gear ratios, traction aids, and axleshaft thickness. This customer chose a 3.00:1 axle ratio to go with his five-speed tranny, had a posi unit put in the pumpkin, and opted for 31-spline axles. Note the four-link brackets on the housing.  Rear brakes are another choice...  Rear brakes are another choice for the customer. Drums are the standard issue; discs are optional. Once the brakes are in place, the rear axle is complete and ready to set under the frame.  For the frontend, TCIs...  For the frontend, TCIs Elias Guardado built a full-dress package with a chromed I-beam axle, chromed monoleaf transverse spring, and chromed shock absorbers. Tubular axles, painted finishes, and multi-leaf-spring packs are other options.  As with the rear axle, brake...  As with the rear axle, brake options are available up front, too. In keeping with the rest of the frontends dressy theme but also with a nod toward the cars eventual power, the customer chose Wilwood disc brakes with chromed calipers and competition-style brake pads.  Once the front and rear axles...  Once the front and rear axles were together, it was time to complete the frame assembly. TCIs crew tackled the Pro 4-Link rear first, connecting the rods between the crossmember brackets and the axlehousing.  The rearend also received...  The rearend also received a Panhard bar, which runs diagonally between the axle and the frame to limit the axles side-to-side movement. The Panhard bars length is adjustable to work with several different rearend setups. Here, TCIs James Crosby checks the bars fit.  This is TCIs tidy rear...  This is TCIs tidy rear sway-bar assembly. A torsion bar was inserted in the polished housing that bolted to the rear crossmember. Connecting arms will run under the crossmember and link the axle to the bar.  The inboard bolt on the sway-bar...  The inboard bolt on the sway-bar housing served as the upper mount point for the rear coilovers. Once the coilovers were in place, the rearend was complete and it was time to move to the front.  This cars dropped-axle...  This cars dropped-axle front suspension was matched with a crossover steering system. The Vega steering box was bolted to the frame, and then the chromed pitman arm was attached to the box.  TCIs Warren Brogie and...  TCIs Warren Brogie and George Oka moved the pre-assembled front axle into place. Notice how many of the bright pieces, like the shocks and the tie rod, were covered to protect them during the assembly process.  A pair of U-bolt holds the...  A pair of U-bolt holds the monoleaf spring to the crossmember.  When these cars were built...  When these cars were built at the factory, locating the front axle was done via a wishbone-shaped link that ran from the front axle to a center point under the frame. Rodders have been messing with that design for years, and hairpin radius rods like these are one of the more traditional axle locaters. They attach to batwing brackets on the axle and then run back to a mount tab on the frame.  The shock absorbers were bolted...  The shock absorbers were bolted to their tabs on the frame.  Next came the steering linkage....  Next came the steering linkage. The tie rod was already in place, having been mounted to steering arms when the front axle was assembled. Here, the drag link is bolted between the passenger-side steering arm and the pitman arm.  As a finishing touch, spreader...  As a finishing touch, spreader bars were bolted to the front and rear frame horns.  Heres the finished frame,...  Heres the finished frame, ready to be crated up for shipping. Its a thing of beauty, isnt it? Too bad most of the engineering will be invisible when the car is completed. When a customer orders a complete frame from TCI, the company says to plan on a four- to six-week build schedule and allow a week for shipping.  Just in case you thought we...  Just in case you thought we were kidding about the crate comment, check out this chassis on its way out the door. To make sure the frames arent damaged during transit, TCI builds a protective cradle for each one. They don't make 'em like they used to. Thank goodness. Today's chassis are a world apart from the flexible flyers that the factories used to rivet together. Modern welding techniques, painstaking craftsmanship, and sturdy sheet and tubular steel all contribute to form a foundation for todays Deuce thats more solid than Henry could ever have imagined. As it should be. Compare the hard, skinny tires produced in the '30s with contemporary radial gumballs. Or the output of an early flathead versus what even the tamest crate engine can generate. The performance parameters of today's rods put a huge amount of stress on a chassis and could quickly pretzel a 70-year-old frame. Yet at the same time, a rod chassis has to retain some prewar-era characteristics, or those old-fashioned bodies (or reproductions of the same) wont bolt to them. A Deuce rail, no matter how high-tech its construction, still has to look like a Deuce rail, with its distinctive arched reveal in the frame's side. How does the modern chassis builder juggle these needs? To find out, we spent several days at Total Cost Involved Engineering (TCI) watching a 32 frame go from raw steel to rolling chassis.
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Total Cost Involved
1416 W. Brooks St., Dept. SRM
Ontario
CA
91762
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