It takes 326 Pieces of Steel to Manufacturing our Bare Chassis from the Special 1.5" x 4" Tubing, Pattern Cut & Formed pieces of Sheet Metal or the Special Brackets for mounting all the componentsThe most important issue about chassis is that both safety and handling are controlled by the chassis design. If the chassis flexes, then you have to go to heavy springs not stabilizer bars to achieve any decent handling. There is a price to using stiff springs. It gives you a very harsh ride that even makes you think you are going faster than you really are but it also gives you vibrations that tire you out very quickly. Normally you would want to get out and walk around every hour that you drive it. When you hit even a small bump on the road you definitely feel it. Think about this; when you hit a bump on the road using stiff springs, your entire car gets bounced up in the air not just the suspension taking the bump. Race cars today want to use as light a springs as they can get by with and rely on using stabilizer bars to control the lean. Remember if the chassis flexes you can not use the stabilizer bars to control the lean because it would twist both the frame & the body.
The simplest and most basic type of automobile frame is the ladder type, which consists of two frame rails that are connected by two or more crossmembers. Most cars use ladder frames because they're easy to build and offer good beaming stiffness. Unfortunately, they have poor torsional stiffness so your car will suffer from body creaks and groans and a multitude of vibrations that are caused by the suspension flexing the frame.
Very Good Information - Chassis Basics - by Kit Car Magazine |
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Where is the safety in the original frame design? The steel frame rails are way below the height of the front bumper of most cars. Ask yourself this: what would happen if someone hit me from the side?
We have also seen several photo's of the original car going around a corner on three wheels. The inside front tire was off the ground. When the frame flexes, this is what will happen.
This is also the basic frame design for most other Cobra Kit Cars today using either rectangular tubing or round tubing |
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West Coast prides ourselves in producing the safest Component car available today. For more information ask for our 40+ page brochure (including pricing) on West Coast dream machines by contacting us by phone at
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