All Tube Chassis F150 Prerunner

[Firefighter26]

ok well I want to build my extra cab F150 that I have and latily I have been really think about junking the frame and building an all tube Chassis and I just want to see what some of you guys think about that, weather its a good idea or bad Idea, so for anyone out there let me know what your thoughts are on it.

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[Dezertpilot]

Pros-Blingggggggggg!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cons-Expensive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Firefighter26]

lol good point. thanks bro

[ErikShallbetter]

Good Idea...

[Firefighter26]

Wow that is really nice. thats pretty much what I want to do except my F150 is a 85 Cab and I still want to run the Ibeam front suspenion.

[dezerts10]

whos is that?

[ErikShallbetter]

It's my prerunner thats been put on the back burner to make time for pro-lite and pro-2 builds.

[bajafoolin']

F150 is a 85 Cab and I still want to run the Ibeam front suspenion.

I just started the same projectbut a few model years later. Its mine and my partner's first attempt so designing has taken about 3 months. We finally have the motor and two midrails located on the jig table.

Expense is a large factor, but if you have already committed to going "all out" on your pre-runner project a tube chassis is logical. Material is the only added expense if you are doing all the work yourself.

Initially we were going to keep the frame but as we started designing we realized that designing/engineering around a bulky factory frame becomes very difficult. We want a clean and unique look so tube chassis was easy decision.

The trouble with designing a one-off tube chassis without alot of experience is the thought process. We have designed EVERYTHING on paper. Not to say we won't make changes as we go, but we don't want anything to look like an afterthought.

Sometimes it feels like we are overthinking but with our limited brain capacity that ain't possible.

Once more progress is made I'd be happy to provide pics.

[Firefighter26]

Yeah I would imagine that you would have to do a lot of thinking and planning on a project like this. I really would like to see what you have done sofar plus as we all know getting to look at someone elses ideas and getting to ask them how they did it and what they would have done different really really helps.....so keep me posted Bajafoolin on your progress and maybe if I am lucky I can come see it.

[bajafoolin']

The hardest part is building the bottom of the chassis, the part that is replacing the factory frame. We sat and scrutinzed the stock frame for a while before we decided to scrap it. Just thinking about and talking about the pros and cons of the stock frame (and what you can do to it) got us a long way. But the stock frame limits your build, I'd say its the difference between building a pre-runner and a race truck. Not to say there aren't some awesome race trucks with stock frames but its a different mindset.

We took on this project due to its difficulty. Keeping the frame would have made it hard to incorporate everything into a a well engineered, clean looking truck. Building a tube chassis with custom body is too out of the box. A ford cab on our chassis is a challenge and will be an accomplishment. Its our first real build from the ground up so we want to learn as much as possible.

The decision you have to make is not 'Is a tube chassis a good idea for my truck?'
the decision is 'Do I want to push myself and make the effort?'