STREETROD 101: Hot Rod Frame and Chassis Construction

The most informative, 4-1/2 hour hot rod “how to” video ever produced!

So, you’re thinking about building or rebuilding your dream hot rod. Maybe you’ve already purchased some great frame and chassis plans and instructions.  Now that you have all that great information there’s just one thing missing — you actually want to see just how an experienced builder goes about each step of the build. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a really great video is worth a million!

Thanks to hot rod builder par excellence, Bob Hamilton, your prayers have been answered. Get ready to spend literally half a day with Bob as he welcomes you into his shop, lets you look over his shoulder while he builds a hot rod chassis and shares with you one-on-one his accumulated knowledge from decades of hot rod building — the right way.

What’s even better, though, is that everything Bob teaches you in this breakthrough video you can do in your own garage with tools you already have or that are well within the reach of the everyday budget builder. Heck, Bob even tells you how to get it done if you don’t have certain tools. Bob’s objective is to provide you with the information you need to be able to build a Street Rod that will be economic, safe, fun and pleasing in appearance.

The StreetRod 101 DVD follows step-by-step the construction of a perimeter-type frame for a 1928 Ford roadster pickup with an extended cab. However, the techniques illustrated can be used in the construction of virtually any hot rod or street rod chassis, whether it be for a 1927 Model T, a Model A, a ’23 T-Bucket or even a ’32 Ford.

Professional instructor and hot rod builder Bob Hamilton takes you from raw steel tubing to a completed roller chassis in this detailed 4-1/2 hour DVD.

Sit back and follow along as you learn from Bob’s years of hot rod building experience. Here are some of the things you’ll learn about hot rod chassis building in this 4 1/2 hour video:

• How to set up an easy, economic chassis-building table
• How to lay out your chassis dimensions, depending on your body and your engine
• The importance of establishing a “reference point” on your frame rails and putting in temporary studs for one-man measuring
• Importance of rail-to-rail cuts (so you don’t get confused)
• Using angle iron to align frame rails for uniform work
• How to curve your frame rails to the contour of your body using an inexpensive cut-off/grinder and simple puller to make it an easy one-man job
• How to make all your frame contouring cuts the same depth
• How to make angle cuts in rounded edge tubing so that the blade won’t walk off the edge
• How to properly bevel cuts for best weld penetration and strength
• How to correct mistakes in your cutting or welding (hey, it’s part of hot rodding — Bob shows you how to fix it, suck it up and move along)
• The many important uses of angle iron, flat bar and c-clamps in your chassis construction — to save you time and trouble
• How to adapt what Bob illustrates to your own style of hot rod build
• How to properly square the frame
• How to chamfer tubing for welding angled joints and make sure they’re square
• The trick of building frame rails in pairs to ensure proper fit
• How to avoid the dreaded “multiple error concept” that can throw your entire frame out of alignment
• The secret to avoiding days of weld cleaning/grinding when you finish your chassis
• Building a transmission cross member that also strengthens the frame
• Where to get your “almost free” transmission for mock-up
• Learn how to construct a modified K-member
• How to build a fixture to set frame height and level to ensure proper rear end installation
• How to properly set your pinion angle
• How to center your rear end 
• Using frame reference pins to square the rear axle
• Installing rear coil-overs at the proper angle, allowing for overall weight and frame drop
• Getting proper clearance for coils from rear axle
• How to make your own shock absorber brackets
• The magic of using reciprocal angles to set rear coil-over position
• How to protect chrome and aluminum when welding
• How to gusset brackets for added stability
• Avoid worry about shear forces on coil-over bolts by “encapsulating” your brackets
• How to avoid rear coil-over shock binding
• The theory of building a chassis with as many adjustments as possible
• The trick of using cardboard to mock up radius rods and pivot points to test movement
• Trick for ensuring you use the correct brackets for rod ends
• See how to make a unique jig and fixture for making your own rod ends using grade 8 bolts and tubing
• How to properly tap your radius rods and/or panhard bars using a home-constructed tap guide bushing
• Discover how to make clamps to hold tubing in your vise better than the vise’s tubing clamp (if it has one) so that you can avoid deep gouge marks in your tubing
• A great lesson on how to properly tap threads 
• See how to make your own rear radius rod brackets and make the front one stronger and cleaner looking
• Allowing for paint clearance in your brackets
• How to construct a rear panhard bar
• The technique of building a boxed front crossmember
• How to standardize on common material sizes to make your fabrication quicker and easier
• An innovative fixture to easily line up your spring perch bolt brackets
• How to make your own spring retaining brackets
• How to set up spindles and steering arms and how to build your own steering arms
• The Ackerman steering principle
• How to taper your steering arms for a nice, finished look
• How to build Model-A type front frame horns to really enhance your chassis appearance
• How to make your own “Poor Man’s Flame Cutter” that will save you hundreds of dollars and hours of time
• The cheap and easy cutting barrel to go along with your flame cutter to keep your shop clean and prevent fires
• Build a super-clean looking spreader bar and license plate mount, with a hidden trailer tie-down as a bonus
• Make your own spring pivots using a special bracket to ensure proper weld alignment 
• How to properly use a hole saw
• The best starting caster for your front suspension
• Understanding the critical height of spring-on-top-of-axle perches
• How to set the critically important scrub line (both front and rear) during your chassis construction for safe driving later and which is the better of two ways of measuring scrub line
• Determining the correct length for your tie rod and how to build it
• Building bat wing radius rod brackets
• How to fit radius rod brackets when they go on the s-curve of a dropped tube front axle
• How to make sure your tie rod doesn’t hit a radius rod bracket
• How to make up for the inadequacies of your plywood chassis construction table and weight builds up on your chassis
• Learn to make fixtures to adjust and mount your radius rod brackets to your front axle and chassis
• How to easily make wishbone or hairpin radius rods and a simple bending fixture for making them
• Discover a fixture for ensuring your radius rods are welded straight and proper
• Build your own front shock brackets
• Learn how to set proper shock absorber length and angle
• Build your own engine and transmission mounts 
• Discover the easy way to established true distributor to firewall clearance
• The easiest way to position your engine during chassis construction
• How to “hide” a Vega steering box
• The right way to cut out a firewall so that you can actually change your automatic transmission if the time comes
• Make the right template for floor clearance of your transmission
• Build a unique exhaust system that features adjustable glasspack mufflers just by unbolting and reversing them
• Learn the easiest way to cut exhaust tubing
• How to set proper muffler clearance to avoid hot floorboards
• How to use mandrel bends to fabricate your own exhaust system
• Build your own rear exhaust supports
• Building radiator mounts and support brackets, plus some comments on choosing the right radiator style
• How to mount the grille shell to the radiator and how to “fill the gaps” to make it look better
• Using elastomeric cushioning to reduce undue radiator vibration and potential fractures
• How to add an overflow tank that doesn’t look like an afterthought
• Everything you ever wanted to know about Deuce grille shells and radiators
• Where and how to mount headlights and turn signals and how to conceal the wires
• Mounting frame-through brake lines 
• How to engineer your driveline
• How to cut and shorten a driveshaft at home without a lathe and save big bucks
• How to ensure your driveshaft is properly aligned and in-phase
• Overview of brake and master pedal assemblies, including power booster
• The importance of brake pedal ratio and what works best on hot rods
• Plus, a world of jigs, fixtures, tips and tricks that will have you enjoying and learning from this DVD over and over and over!

Wow, that looks like a lot of information — and that’s why it takes this huge 4-1/2 hour DVD package to cover it all!

Now, here’s a real treat! Some may wonder what to expect of the DVD in terms of production values and quality, having been burned by bad DVDs in the past. Others may wonder what the final product for which the chassis is being built looks like. Therefore, we’re happy to present below a nice little 6 minute, 44 second video you can view online where you get to meet Bob Hamilton as he gives you a “tour” of the finished 1928 Ford Model A roadster pickup that was built on the frame and suspension that are the subject of the 4-1/2 hour DVD.(None of this content is duplicated in the DVD you will receive). You should also note that the “tour” of the car video here doesn’t include any closeup frame and chassis video shots, while the StreetRod 101: Hot Rod Frame and Chassis Construction DVD includes loads of closeup detail so that you can easily duplicate what Bob shows you. So, sit back and enjoy — and then click that “Buy Now!” button below to get started with your own frame and chassis building.

Of course, the embedded video above isn’t nearly as sharp and clear as the DVD you’ll get but it gives you a pretty good idea just how good it really is. What you will really appreciate and find valuable in this incomparable DVD is the fact that Bob Hamilton is no prima donna builder. Bob takes the time to show you how to correct mistakes, because as he says, “they’re part of street rod building — you just suck it up, fix them and move along.”

Quite honestly, this is the most clear, informative, motivating and inspiring hot rod building video I have ever seen. We’ve tried to cover the vast volume of knowledge you’ll receive and you’ll be glad to know it’s an incredible bargain!

You get all of this promptly delivered to your mailbox on a high quality, four and one-half hour DVD that you will use regularly and treasure for a lifetime for only $24.95, plus only $4 shipping and handling ($7 international). But, if you’re not one of the fortunate hot rodders who also owns Bob’s other great DVDs, read on for an even better offer.

Here’s your even better offer. You can get this new DVD set along with one of the other two great StreetRod 101 DVD sets, Fiberglass Body Modifications or Fiberglass Body Work and Paint for only $44.95, plus just $5 shipping (international shipping, only $10 for both). That’s a $7.95 savings over the individual order plus shipping price.

Or, for the best deal get all 3 DVD sets for just $63.95, plus $6 shipping ($14 international). That’s a big $16.90 savings over the individual order and shipping costs!

Just pick the deal you want to take advantage of below and click on the appropriate “Sign Up” button below for your choice to securely purchase through PayPal and your DVDs will be promptly on their way to you.

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