Why not use a performance chassis in your performance car,

                                    instead of the ladder style frame of old?

 

 

     The 4” round tube frame that the English company used for their roadster was behind times even then. Especially when compared to the GT 40 of the same time period. This is evident by examining twisted and warped original round  tube frame roadsters.

     R U Car Crafters is on of only a handful of replica producers who offer a backbone design chassis, which automotive engineers often prefer for torsionial/structural rigidity. This chassis will handle high horsepower big block engines.

 

THE ADVANTAGES OF A BACKBONE STYLE CHASSIS

     1. The superior backbone chassis is less prone to promote stress cracking of the body due to its greater structural rigidity.

     2. The handling characteristics of the suspension are enhanced by the chassis not flexing and allowing the front and rear suspensions to work in conjunction with each other.

     3. This provides a far superior ride quality without rattles and squeaks.

     4. Greater durability, especially for a car that is to be driven and more especially for one that is to be raced.

     5. Safety. Safety. Safety.

     6. With the backbone chassis design you can keep the weight down by using lighter tubing because the backbone section is adding the strength that can not be duplicated with large heavy tubing. We use 2 x 3 x 120 wall main frame rails. This gives an overall chassis weight comparable to a ladder style frame.

     An example of a ladder frame twisting is when a pickup truck is parked on an uneven surface the cab and bed do not line up. Watch the gap between the door and the top of the dash while driving ladder frame kits. This gap is

constantly changing as you go around turns, in and out of driveways and over rough sections of road. This is due to the fact that the ladder frame is twisting and the body is trying to absorb it. A body can not be mounted to a ladder style frame and remain unstressed. And, you do not want your body to be part of the structural rigidity of the chassis.

     In 1984 Chevy changed their Corvette to a backbone style chassis instead of the ladder frame they had used from its inception. Visit with a Corvette owner and discuss the stress crack problems the pre 1984 Vettes had, especially the big block cars.

                                                     RUCC’s Backbone Chassis

Notice the tubes making up the transmission tunnel that are bracing the rear frame uprights to the cowl hoop and the tubes bracing the front suspension crossmember area to the cowl hoop. We add shear panels to some of these tubes to make up the floor and firewall. Notice the bracing to keep the cowl hoop from being able to just push over in a side impact.