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This first page follows contains all the tubes in stage 1 of the chassis plans.  The plans are designed around 1.625" diameter tubing but I am using 1.50" diameter tubing to show the difference in tubing size is so small it really doesn't matter.  Unless noted everything is 1.50 x .120 wall DOM and I am doing no conversions with the cut lengths listed in the plans.

First up were the lower frame rails.  These are a bit shorter than the ones on my current 4 seater due to being optimized for an automatic transmission.  My 4 seater chassis started with a Toyota 5 speed which was much taller than the current TF904 that I eventually swapped in.

The first two pieces of tube are positioned on my chassis jig and tipped outward roughly 23 degrees. as with any angle listed in the plans, consistency is more important than accuracy.  Make the second one match the first, even if the bends or angles are not exactly what is called out in the prints.

The sheet on the jig allowed me to line up the two lower frame rails front to rear.  Once I was happy with their position I went ahead and tack welded them to the jig.

The lower cross members will also serve as link mounts so it is a good place to go overkill. I decided to use some .250 wall DOM for their construction.  I am holding off on the lower front cross member for now until I mock up the motor.

Next up are the front frame rails which jog inward to allow clearance for the front shocks.

At this point I needed to notch the lower frame rails to accept the front frame rails.  I did this by placing my tube notcher on the tubing, set it parallel to the ground and then sighted down the tube so the notcher was also parallel to the straight portion of the lower frame rail.

The front frame rails were then leveled on some jack stands and tacked into place followed by the front cross member.

My tube positioners came in handy here.

Making sure the front cross member was still level.

I do all of the small tubes with a drill press/tubing notcher.  For the larger pieces like the side rails I again turned to my "floating" tube notcher/half inch drill combo.  Having two notchers means I don' have to take down the drill press setup.  Here I secured the side rails to my tubing bender frame, set the angle then sighted down the tubing to get the notch inline with the side rail.

The side rails attached to the chassis. You'll notice I did not tack in a front lower cross member yet, that needs to go in after the drive train is located.  I also plan on moving the rear lower cross member back to where the lower frame rails kick upwards.

Rear bridge added and the open ends capped off.  This completes the sub-frame of the chassis.  It is very similar to my original design from 2004 except I left the inner area wide open so you can decide if you want boat sides or not, seats mounted high or low, etc.  Both the Hellraiser 2 Pickup chassis and Hellraiser 2 Buggy chassis utilize this same sub-frame.