arick Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 Here's something that may interest you. Several years ago I was boxing an 8th scale Deuce chassis and adding my own custom cross members. I had a heck of a time keeping the frame rails lined up and stiff and when the job was finished it was out of alignment. About the same time, I saw photo's of a chassis jig done by a modeller named "Magoo" and he let me copy and redesign his jig. I took the idea to a machinist friend and he created a CAD model. From there he ran it through a CNC machine and in a couple of hours I had my jig. As you can see from the photos, the uprights are fully adjustable vertically and horizontally and they can be placed anywhere, at any angle on the base. The clamps that attach to the uprights are also fully adjustable. The photo's show an 8th scale Deuce frame in the jig but it has also been used for a Pocher chassis and a round tube chassis. The jig will be used when I install the TDR IFS/IRS and custom cross members in my Deuce chassis. If you want to keep your chassis stiff and in perfect alignment while adding cross members, roll bars etc, this is the only way to go. This particular jig is machined from aluminum but it, or a variation of it, could also be done in wood or plastic. If anyone wants to build their own, I'd be happy to provide more photos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manic Mechanic Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 That is very cool i might have to no ... scratch that i will have to steal that idea! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragnut Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 Am in for more photos send them to me can't wait and thanks awesome idea steve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbwelda Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 that looks like something you could make 10 copies of and sell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arick Posted November 24, 2009 Author Share Posted November 24, 2009 For those that are interested, I'll post some more pictures and dimensions soon. I'm not into putting this thing into production, but I'm happy to provide information so you can build your own, or a variation of it. More later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arick Posted November 28, 2009 Author Share Posted November 28, 2009 The table for the chassis jig is a piece of 1/2" thick 23 3/4" X 12 1/2" aluminum plate. We drilled and tapped 465 holes in it. There are eight L shaped uprights, each is 4" tall with a 2". The uprights are slotted vertically and horizontally. This makes them adjustable on the table and it also allows the seat in which the chassis sits to be adjustable. We also made a series of adjustable clamps for the uprights. We went a bit overboard with this chassis jig but its something anybody can build. Build it like this one, downsize it, modify it or build it in wood or plastic. If you are into doing custom chassis work in any medium, you need something like this to prevent warpage. Feel free to copy this design and I'll be here if you have any questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LDO Posted November 29, 2009 Share Posted November 29, 2009 FYI- The main plate can be had as a "sub plate" that some machinists bolt on to a mill table for more options in work holding. I've seen a few on ebay, but they are not cheap. However, a used sub plate could very likely cost less than a made-to-order chassis jig plate. I even have a small one for my Sherline mill. I was thinking about making the L-brackets and trying your idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arick Posted November 29, 2009 Author Share Posted November 29, 2009 Cool! I went all out on mine and it was a bit expensive. I'm not interested in producing this item for sale, but if you or anyone else can create a version of it that works and is priced right for our members, then everybody wins, especially if you were to do it for large and small scale venues. I say "go for it"! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrandpaMcGurk Posted November 29, 2009 Share Posted November 29, 2009 Thanks for the post Rick........I'm sure there will be a lot of guys appreciating it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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