Homemade crossmember

[buddylee]

Was wondering if anyone has built their own front crossmember?
I appreciate all the high end custom made units but was wondering if someone took the time and effort to recreate own themselves

[PGSigns]

I have thought about it some as a way to get some weight off the nose to improve the balance on the truck. What I figured based previous work building drag cars was it was going to take about 100 hours to build the fixture and the first one out the jig for fit up. Would be using stock replacement tubular arms. I just could not justify the time and cost for maybe 50 pounds and 2 inches of drop before the cross member hit the ground. If you have the skills and the machines to pull it off I say give it a try.
Jimmy

[dec010974]

I have thought about this also. I know the suspension gurus will tell you the are a lot of variables that need to be involved but I thinks it's very doable. @ PGSigns, to some, a few more inches is everything. No pun intended.

[PGSigns]

It is very doable with the right skills and equipment. Keeping the camber gain to a minimum and making sure the bump steer is not a problem and you will be good. I do understand that 2 more inches can be everything.
Jimmy

[BR3W CITY]

You can do one from box tubing/rectangle tube, but by the time all is said and done, your still paying the big $ for tubular arms, and potentially not even end up with a 15lb weight reduction(aside from the arms).

Going to a thinner wall round tube, or going chromoly is a large leap in learning curve...and to build something efficiently light (and safe) will involve more bench engineering than most are comfortable with. By that time, folks are considering going to a full tubular front rail. You can see the big weightloss #'s, but it starts to become a project in drag-car territory.

What was your reason for considering it? Weight, height, wanting a non-standard suspension or steering system?

Folks have done pancaked crossmembers and lightened crossmembers at home, to work towards those goals.

[buddylee]

I guess I'm looking at a different crossmember because the factory one is big and cumbersome. Just thinking maybe a box tubing setup. Then will add tubular arms. Just looking outside the box
I can buy a kit and bolt it in ( not a knock) just want to be different.

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by buddylee

I can buy a kit and bolt it in ( not a knock) just want to be different.

Sometimes being different requires more effort than its worth. If you have to ask how to do it, you probably don't posses the skills to do it correctly.

[New_70'C10]

IMO it depends on what your reasoning for building it is. If it's simply to cut weight then it should be a straight forward task as you can simply emulate the stock build with a much lighter material and design. If it's for handling reasons then you may run into more difficult calculations and fitment issues.

If you've got the drive to see it through there's no reason you can't build it yourself; everyone has a first.

[buddylee]

I just want to say I did it myself. I want something different

[BR3W CITY]

Don't take it the wrong way, but unless you have a specific reason to pick that project, I wouldn't put it that high on my list. I'm not sure what your skill level is or what kind of equipment you have available.

If you've been down the road of medium duty fab (loadbearing stuff, suspension stuff etc), then its like any other project. Measure, plan, cut weld. (If you have someone who has that experience to help, its within reach if you're willing to tackle it. )

If not, then I'd look at another fab project first, before building the thing that holds your motor and front suspension. I've seen too many wonky frame/crossmember/subframe builds to be comfortable with that idea.

[andrewmp6]

Unless you want it to lay frame or dropped super low i would leave your crossmember alone.

[orngsikL]

I thought about doing it. But it's so much easier to buy it and be done. Rather than do it wrong a few times and waste time and money. There's more to it than just welding some tubing together.

You can always pancake your stock xmbr.

[6DoF]

Originally Posted by orngsikL

I thought about doing it. But it's so much easier to buy it and be done.

where's the fun in that! you gota remember sometimes it's more about the build then the truck.

[buddylee]

Originally Posted by 6DoF

where's the fun in that! you gota remember sometimes it's more about the build then the truck.

My thoughts exactly

[andrewmp6]

Go nuts and build a whole frame for it.

[dec010974]

Go nuts and build a whole frame for it.

Andrewmp6, we are gonna build a frame and a cross member. Lol. Porterbuilt had to start from somewhere. I came into this hobby in 2009. Some of you have been doing this, Hot rod thing, a lot longer than I have. I say, "go for it". Use those brain cells. You can use a stock cross member as a reference point. I'm sure some of the gurus with some form of prior experience, will chime in. I could be wrong, but what else is there to think about other than a mounting point for the control arms, drivetrain/engine mounts, steering, ground clearance, and stability of the frame.

[mr48chev]

This one of those things where if folks don't have prior knowledge of your skills as far as far as fabrication goes they are going to be fairly skeptical.

Ask yourself:

Are you a capable welder who can weld a critical chassis part so that it will not only be presentable but safe to drive on the roads with the rest of us when you are done?

Do you have the design skills to design a crossmember that will not only fit but work so that the truck can be properly aligned and sit right?

Most likely you will have to build a jig to use to build the crossember as it will be a real bear to get it right going freestyle on the middle of the welding table.

Then we get to the business of not only are your skills up to the task but is your shop equipment or the equipment available to you and the help available to you up to it? This isn't a project that you can knock out with a cutting torch, Lincoln Tombstone welder and half inch drill in a few hours as it will take a lot of hours of planning and access to some really accurate equipment as far as cutting and drilling goes.

[andrewmp6]

PBfab use to make a weld in dropmember that was a little bit cheaper.Or http://www.flatout-engineering.com/index.html has a weld in crossmember that uses c4 corvette suspension.