Notching rear frame rails

[akrapovic]

Just looking for a ball park figure on how much it would cost to notch the rear frame rails on my 69 camaro. I'm looking to run 18x12 wheels with 335s if it matters.

[Vegas69]

Mini tub is around 50 hours so 2500-3000.....

[akrapovic]

Thanks for the quick reply Todd. Luckily the tubs are already done by the previous owner. Just need to mod the frame rails.

[tgvettes]

Can you post some pictures of what have been done. Notching frame rails you usually need to do when you tub it so I don't get how it has been tubbed but the frame rails not notched.

Tonny

[akrapovic]

Previous owner needed height no width for taller tire. My goals are different.

[awr68]

I'm confused? If the car was 'mini'tubbed' in the past....then the frame rails have been notched...if they were widdened more than .75" or so.

They may have been modded to be taller...but to fit a 335 in there you need to widen them 2.75"-3" and notch the frame rails.

[akrapovic]

Well, sounds like i'm going to have to measure. I mocked it up with a z06 rim to see if i had room. Only issue I found was due to the frame rails not being notched. Tubs had plenty of room. I could easily be wrong though.

[JRouche]

Im thinking I dont know what notched frame rails are. When I think of they are notched, I picture a vertical notch in the frame which wont do anything for side to side clearance. I think of a frame being narrowed as just that, narrowed. But notching is in the vertical shift I thought.

What is a notched frame rail? JR

[DRJDVM's '69]

Alot of frame rails start to kick out laterally as you get to the rear of the car....in other words they dont run parallel with the wheel opening....so the outer wheel opening to inside edge of the tub is alittle smaller in the rear. Not a big deal until you try and stuff a big tire in there. Then it can often be the limiting width. So alot of guys take a piece out of the frame and make the frame alittle more narrow in that area, so you have more side-to-side width to get the tire in there....

Does that make sense? I have pix but not via a link...

[Probird]

You can check out my recent mini tub on my nova. Click on the link and then look at the ones entitled frame notch. That should give you an idea of what your frame should look like.
http://s948.photobucket.com/albums/ad323/probird_2009/70%20nova%20build/

[simbad's68]

Here's a pic of a notched fram rail. If you look at the long line on the tub, you will notice where the frame is notched. If you need more pice, let me know. Hope this helps.

[GregWeld]

Notched in hot rodding (to me) is - if you can imagine a C "opening" is notched in the bottom of the frame so the frame doesn't interfere with the axle when the chassis is dropped down low...

Narrowing or PINCHING, to me, is to make it narrower -- in the hot rodding sense. "Pinching" usually is done on '32 rails to fit the narrower '29 cowl... so if a guy told me he pinched his frame - that's what would come to mind.... if he narrowed it - and mentioned the rear end - I'd think he's running "pro street" style... and if someone told me they notched their frame - I would imagine them running airbags or the car sitting real low without being "Z'd" (another term of frame mods).

I think - at least to me - that maybe explains why people aren't or weren't sure what you were asking about???

That -- or I've been reading way too many hot rod magazines... :rofl:

[JRouche]

Thats how Ive come to think of the various terms also. Maybe I read too many magazines :) JR


Notched in hot rodding (to me) is - if you can imagine a C "opening" is notched in the bottom of the frame so the frame doesn't interfere with the axle when the chassis is dropped down low...

Narrowing or PINCHING, to me, is to make it narrower -- in the hot rodding sense. "Pinching" usually is done on '32 rails to fit the narrower '29 cowl... so if a guy told me he pinched his frame - that's what would come to mind.... if he narrowed it - and mentioned the rear end - I'd think he's running "pro street" style... and if someone told me they notched their frame - I would imagine them running airbags or the car sitting real low without being "Z'd" (another term of frame mods).

I think - at least to me - that maybe explains why people aren't or weren't sure what you were asking about???

That -- or I've been reading way too many hot rod magazines... :rofl:

[GregWeld]

Okay - that's good JR -- I thought maybe I was living in a vacuum... OLO