Frame boxing tips and tricks

[@papawwashere6664]

I really miss this guy. His instructional videos are remarkable. May he rest in peace.

[@DavesKustoms]

Great stuff here. When I box up a factory frame, i like to set the boxing plate inside the frame rails. not leaving a lip or flange as shown here, but flushing it with the lip of the rail. i'll bevel both pieces to gain some weld surface area, but this method is stronger. its similar to how a header is installed over a door opening or window opening in a house. the header sits on top of the wall stud rather than in between. any force applied will direct itself to the boxing plate rather than just the weld.

[@larryhollinger1891]

Great information. Thanks. Getting ready to tear down my 48 GMC and your video has a wealth of knowledge.

[@juanbarturen2726]

Steve, You are still helping us. God Bless You.

[@Geeds69]

THANK YOU!!! the problem of boxing the frame and bolting things on (steering box for me) was a big obstacle that I just could not figure out, looked at MANY youtube videos and pictures of frames but you just gave me the answer. Thats what I needed to continue on with a stalled project. Edit: the part with centering the nuts with the beveled bolts was a thing of beauty.

[@MrModmustang]

Sweet trick with the tapered bolt. Thanks for sharing.

[@idahofabricator8710]

Rick right now I’m using my old iPhone till I can afford to get a nice camera. thank you my wife appreciates that she does a great job of videoing

[@BobGunderson-hm6yy]

Good ideas from a skilled craftsman, thanks.

[@adam42a]

Thank you! Now I won't have to ask too many more questions!

[@DesertRatFabrication]

Hey Steven, great video, good job explaining, i really liked welding the nut using the flat head bolt, i will definitely use that

[@Bigskyguy56]

Thanks for sharing your project & the valuable TIPS.

[@JDelta777]

Your effort is much appreciated, thanks!

[@MJMOPARS]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience.

[@genetaylor7421]

Many Thanks for sharing this video and taking the time to answer all the questions. This will help me greatly in my C10 frame boxing project. God bless you.

[@rafatrill]

This is some great information thanks for the advice. Great video

[@AndysDogHouse]

Hi Stephen. Nice tips. Thanks for sharing.👍👍

[@billcampana3471]

Great ideas. Thank you for sharing.

[@dannysteele4013]

Thanks for sharing 🤗

[@HoveyFarms]

Just bought a welder because of your videos!

[@xtheunknown8727]

Nice video; thanks! Did you also bevel the frame edges so you had a full V shape to weld on the boxing plate? You are a terrific teacher! Love watching your builds.

[@TheRoadhammer379]

What do you think? The guy does not seem like the type to do half ass work. 2 minutes in and he literally says "bevel the edge".

[@kails1941]

Thanks a lot for this helpful tips and tricks. Greetings from Germany

[@matthewc3617]

Great tips. Thank you. I've fought with that hot rolled mill scale and it is a bear to remove sometimes.

[@robinwendt5527]

Love it keep up the tips!

[@lionsconstruction6165]

Excellent thank you very much

[@frankhagar4651]

Thanks for sharing your tricks, nice work

[@garylambert3929]

Great information Steve.

[@idahofabricator8710]

I’m glad it was helpful Gary, I hope your build is coming along great.

[@harryloibl5183]

I like your explanation thank you, I have an a model chassis, I was thinking of doing the frame . The chassis needs to be welded by a tradesman it’s the rule here in Australia, that’s ok , I’ll tack weld in brackets etc but it’s the rear end as people say I need to z the rear for a lower look , as a hobbiest this is the area I’m unsure about so if you have done this before and have any ideas I would appreciate any input thanks Harry

[@idahofabricator8710]

Thanks for the question Harry it’s too bad I don’t live in Australia I could do a quick walk about and we could work on that together, there’s a company called Paul Horton welder series check out their webpage they’re based in Canada and they make a step notch kit that I think would be exactly what you need, it sells for $99 US I checked and they do ship outside of the US and Canada.

[@jeremydeaderick1324]

Can I box in the frame on my 77 Chevy c20 truck with the trucks wheels on the ground? Basically without having to remove anything . Also do you think I need to ? It has a 600hp and 600 torque big block

[@HoveyFarms]

Kinda funny, sitting at work. I work on the pickle line

[@AdrianBilladeau]

I am about to start the boxing process on my 1969 Chevelle. I just bought another frame so it will be super easy to access everything. Your video was super helpful, thank you. I will for sure be using these tips and tricks. I was also planning on buying a bracing kit to further help out stiffining up the chassis. Do you think that the bracing kits you can pick up from Summit are wotth it? Any other advice or pointers are welcome. Again thanks for the video!

[@idahofabricator8710]

They might be worth it if their vehicle specific already sized and ready for your frame I bought 3/16 pickled and oiled sheet steel from the steel supplier and used cardboard to make templates on the frame and transferred them to my plate steel

[@AdrianBilladeau]

@@idahofabricator8710 That was my original plan but yesterday I found that summit has a kit for GM A body frames. The kit I believe is only for the center portion of the frame though. So I will still need to get some steel plates and finish out from the rear axel back.

[@idahofabricator8710]

@@AdrianBilladeau I did not know they made those for that that’s cool that would be the way to go

[@hectormontano6957]

I'm planning on boxing in my stock frame on my 51 chevy truck but the bottom is wider than the top ,would you suggest trim bottom to match the top to make it more square don't know if youhad to do that with your frame.

[@spiderchata1]

I just found ur channel,Great info .where did you buy the rear end pan hard bar..I like how it crosses under driveshaft..

[@idahofabricator8710]

Thanks for the comment that bar that goes under the driveshaft it’s called a diagonal link I found out later that’s more for racing applications like quarter-mile racing and I plan on doing more street driving my truck so I changed over to a panhard bar I did a video on it I don’t remember the number of the video but if you scroll through my videos you’ll find it and I explain in detail why I think it’s better

[@doitall1201]

Damn you a bad ass dude thank you

[@douglasnicholas4164]

great videos, what is the distance you used between the tubing on your cross member?

[@dougneves5404]

Hi Steven, your videos are awesome. Such a down to earth presentation. Roughly what angle did you bevel the frame boxing joint pieces?

[@idahofabricator8710]

Just enough of a bevel to get full penetration maybe 45°

[@rickvance6186]

What vid camera do you use, the videos are great

[@dwainbabcock6752]

Hi Steve awesome tips and trick 👍 what 4 link kit did you use ?

[@idahofabricator8710]

Thanks Dwain, I got the 4 link from Total Cost Involved.

[@mgarc1960]

Can I use other then Pickled Steel, if so, how would I prep it for welding.

[@idahofabricator8710]

Good question Miguel I use silicon carbide sanding discs that I get at Harbor freight they work awesome they’ll take the mill scale off and get you ready for welding

[@IanWingNutt]

I have a question. Once boxed, how do you treat the inside from rust? I have a new frame sitting in the side lines that I plan on going through and cleaning up and boxing fully (its partly boxed already.). I am just not sure what to do once fully boxed for coating the inside from rust. BTW thank you ... I got a TON out of this video and several others as well. Thank you.

[@idahofabricator8710]

I used epoxy primer for the most part on the inside of the frame and weld through primer on the edge where I welded the boxing plate.

[@IanWingNutt]

@@idahofabricator8710 Thanks for the fast reply. So are you painting prior to welding? Wouldnt the heat from the weld burn the primer on the inside off? I am not as worried about the outside as I plan to have it powdercoated when finished.

[@idahofabricator8710]

Ian Cook No you don’t have to worry about the weld through primer is designed to form a protective layer after welding

[@IanWingNutt]

@@idahofabricator8710 Thanks ... got some great tips ... thanks for sharing. Hope mine turns out as nice as yours.

[@tombender3952]

Nice videos. How did you handle the top nut behind the tci bracket with boxing the frame

[@idahofabricator8710]

Sharp eye Tom I bought some grade 8 fine thread steel lock nuts and I welded them on the inside of the bracket.

[@tombender3952]

@@idahofabricator8710 Thanks, i am building a 39 chev pickup and just finished boxing the frame i used a hole saw behind the bracket to allow for the nut so will weld them on the bracket. I also used the tci front end with coil-overs. Like you work

[@rickvance6186]

Where are you located in Idaho

[@idahofabricator8710]

I’m located in Rathdrum Idaho , 14 miles away from Coeur d’Alene

[@kenwaldrop9138]

Did you make your own boxing pieces or purchase them? If purchased, where did you get them? Thanks in advanced.

[@idahofabricator8710]

Ken I went to my steel distributor in Spokane they have an outlet in Coeur d’Alene Idaho and I got 3/16 plate steel pickle and oiled ( without mill scale) and I had them shear them 7 inches wide by about 6 feet in length. I clamped onto the frame rails marked them with a sharpie ground them down close and then welded them on.

[@kenwaldrop9138]

Thanks. I’ve seen precut metal for boxing but none for the’53

[@vik5145]

What thickness plate do you use? I am going to box a power wagon.... Is thicker the better or should it be the same thickness as that of the frame? Thanks

[@idahofabricator8710]

Thanks for the comment Vik i’d use 3/16 plate it should be available pickled and oiled so that would come without any mill scale, paints better, welds better and really not any more expensive than hot rolled steel. I would keep boxing plate the same thickness as the frame that way everything is uniform as far as stress, plus the increase in strength by boxing it in is huge. 3/16 thick is a pretty common frame thickness.

[@adam42a]

What did you use to radius your boxing plates? I am trying to get mine done now.

[@idahofabricator8710]

Adam after I welded the boxing plates on and ground down the welds that left me with a sharp corner. I used my 4 1/2 inch angle grinder with a 80 grit flap wheel and rounded the edge, after I got it pretty close with the angle grinder I come back with a large 12 inch flat file, if you angle the file and use long strokes down the frame You end up with a very straight rounded frame rail. It’s hard to get an edge straight with an angle grinder but the file works awesome. I hope I explained that OK let me know maybe I can do a video on it

[@adam42a]

@@idahofabricator8710 Steve Thank you! A video would be great if you have the time. Cheers!

[@JamesDoylesGarage]

I have an important question if any one can answer. I was told that welding a nut into my frame is not good because the nut gets brittle because of the heat. Any one have advice or experience on this? Thank you :)

[@idahofabricator8710]

I’ve never had a problem with nuts getting brittle from welding, I’ve always used grade 5 or 8 nuts depending on the application. I have seen stainless steel fasteners get brittle from hot and cold cycles like exhaust bolts, so I never use them for that, I just use the stainless for non-structural stuff.

[@JamesDoylesGarage]

@@idahofabricator8710 Thank you so much. I love to learn :)

[@christopherhebson3523]

When you boxed your frame did you cut the bottom edge of the frame to match the upper. I don't want to cut the frame if I can avoid it.

[@idahofabricator8710]

Thanks for comment Christopher most of the frame the top and bottom is the same there were just two areas where the frame was different , at the very back in the front by the front crossmember so those two I had to cut a small sliver out of the lower frame rails so it matched the upper.