Spring pocket kit

[chevynut]

Is there any reason a guy would build his own rather than buying a kit? I know Robert built his own, but the kits are cheap. How long does it typically take to install one? I've been asked to build a gasser frame for a 55 Chevy.

[567chevys]

Well the kit I installed in my buddys car was $239.00 which is a lot of $ for couple of simple parts.

Took my guy 3-4 Hours to cut off the stuff off including the supports for the bellhousing and to weld all the parts on .

Would take much more time if the body was still mounted .

Here is a Kit and pictures of the frame

Sid

[chevynut]

Seriously? Only 3-4 hours to cut the frame and weld all the parts on?

I found the same kit on Ebay for $199. I couldn't build it for that.

[MP&C]

Actually, I didn't build one, just modified the hell out of it! ;) One of the biggest things I would change is to extend the pocket farther forward for nothing else but to have something to plug weld from the sides of the frame in front of the notch.

[Rick_L]

The Williams pockets are formed from 1/4" steel plate. But you could cut and weld them from flat pieces. They also fit very nice, at least in a 2 piece frame. The width needs to be fairly precise, as you need enough room inside the pocket for the spring bushing - but not have the pocket so side that you have to cut away part or all of the vertical wall of the frame.

I think it would take the average guy 3-4 hours just to cut, form, and weld the pieces for the kit, maybe longer (includes the time to turn the bushings on a lathe). On the other hand, you could build multiple kits much more quickly.

I'd guess that I had 5-6 hours of cutting and welding to put the pieces in/on the frame. It would be much quicker the second time.

I see no reason for extra welds.

[chevynut]

Thanks Rick, I was thinking more on the order of 6 hours with all the cutting, fitting, welding, grinding, and assembly. Maybe it could be done faster with my plasma cutter and a MIG welder instead of TIG.

I'm assuming the pocket is narrower than the frame rail so it just has to fit in the frame rail and not attach to the sides of it. I'm not sure I see the benefit of the additional $115 for the Williams kit. Does it really help to be 1/4" steel? Seems like 3/16" or even 1/8" would be plenty heavy. Here's a kit for only $199.99.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1955-1956-1957-CHEVY-Chevrolet-REAR-SPRING-RELOCATE-POCKET-KIT-/310092577389?pt=Vintage_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessorie s&hash=item4832f53a6d&vxp=mtr

[chevynut]

Just looked at Williams' instruction sheet. It says "1 & 2 piece frame vary spring bolt location, that’s why there’s two holes to choose from". That's wrong. The difference is between the 55-56 and the 57 frames. The bolts are higher on the 57 frames (both seamless and 2-piece). Seems like with all the years of work on frames he would know that. ;)

ALso, he says to remove the front and rear spring mounts first. Wouldn't it be better to use the front spring mount to locate the spring pocket accurately? If you remove it, you have a big hole in the frame and no alignment features. Seems like the mounts would provide great alignment with a long 1/2" rod through them both.

[567chevys]

Ya 3-4 Hours here , Remember I have a big shop set up for this kind of stuff , big plasma , and Mig . Plus we have over head cranes that make it very easy for one guy to flip the frame over .
You are right if someone did this at Home it would be 6-7 Hour job with the body off the frame and maybe 10-12 if you had to do it on your back :cry:

[Rick_L]

You are correct on leaving the front spring mount in place. You use it as a jig to locate the pocket. In fact you should use a long 1/2" bar through BOTH original spring mounts so that you don't "twist" the pockets.

With the 1/4" walls of the EW pocket, you remove virtually all of the bottom side of the frame rail, within about 1/32" of the vertical wall. No need to mark and maintain center. There's a small gap to weld but you can plug weld the sides of the pocket to the vertical walls of the frame. I guess you could do that with the 3/16" pocket, but the gap would be a little bigger. I don't see the 1/4" needed at all for structure, just for convenience. In fact 1/8" would work if adequately welded.

As always, there's often different ways to do something correctly.