We Built a Car Frame out of Aluminum!

We team up with MTH Fabrication to build the lightest hotrod car frame that we can!
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0:00 Coming up
1:48 Building a custom frame with MTH Fabrication
5:44 Make it square
7:49 Frame mockup
10:38 Connect it all together
11:33 Mounting BMS & gearbox
13:48 Ready to weld
16:58 Back home
18:40 Weld it up
21:54 Stripping the front & rear subframes
23:54 Creating cardboard templates
25:14 Rust removal with Krud Kutter
26:25 So shiny!
27:24 Subframe mounted
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411 Darling Rd, Canfield, ON Canada N0A 1C0
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[@actschp1]

If you have access to a powder coating oven and can use it long enough to do the whole process, you could anneal the whole frame. It would normalize all the welded areas and make that frame as tough as a steel frame, provided, of course, you don't weld on it after you anneal it. An annealed aluminium structure can last as long, or longer, than a steel frame. Great work though. I really love all the projects you get to do.

[@punk46664]

How long would you bake it for?

[@barrystephenson1744]

Love your stuff Deboss. I'm a Canadian living in the UK and for a couple of years I worked at a shop that transplanting Leaf powertrains into classic cars so I know the ins and outs. But, a Safety Warning. Pics of the battery pack (at 11:13 for example) clearly show the service plug still installed on the top of the pack. This is a major no-no. With the plug in there is real potential of high voltage at the outputs (shown taped up with masking tape). Yes, there are contactors in the pack that should isolate the outputs but they can be a bit dodgy (ask me how I know) and you can't rely on them for safety. The service plug should be the last thing to be go in once everything else is connected. Please be safe and keep up the good work.

[@dlby3]

Vince is the man for real. Welding is a skill. I can't wait to see the rest of this build

[@kylebernard7755]

100 percent

[@Watchyn_Yarwood]

Yes he is! You took the words right out of my mouth!

[@ShaunHensley]

All I think is cracks.

[@roostingthe6520]

Badass project! Tons of man hours! I'm a welder for a living that mostly does spool gun alum. Any reason you choose not to use a spool gun on some of the places that it could've been used?

[@TASTYTREATSPLS]

Love how you show what you're doing and add some commentary where needed. Lots of channels suffer from exposition dumps. Y'all nail it.

[@DEBOSSGARAGE]

Thank you. That's Aaron the editor

[@wobblysauce]

Knows the process and adds it where it is needed.

[@Hard_Right]

@@DEBOSSGARAGEAaron is a killer editor! i watch A LOT of youtube channels and this channel has some of the best editing i've seen

[@richardallen1629]

Thx for saying what you said about negative comments. People need reminding every now and then, welders more than most. You are getting it done and sharing all the hard bits, so thanks for that.

[@gearwolf9170]

Vince did a phenomenal job laying those beads. Aluminum is not easy to weld on. He nailed it nice job!

[@evanboubouka3031]

That frame is an absolute work of art! Such a shame it will mostly be hidden!

[@holski77]

Not everything about an EV is positive. Exactly half the things are positive, and half the things are negative.

[@idabble5880]

😂

[@UncleManuel]

That................. was a very cheeky joke! Nice! 😂😁🤟

[@bobstitzenberger1834]

At last, a positive post.

[@richardj163]

Maybe not exactly… Some EV Enthusiasts aren’t very neutral, some aren’t well grounded so it’s difficult to know the true potential of an EV.

[@Grimm-Gaming]

​@@bobstitzenberger1834sure positive post and some negative comments but i prefer Staying grounded.

[@matthewb8229]

Every automotive person, guy or gal, needs a Vince in their friend circle.

[@__WJK__]

The projects, the skills & outside-the-box mentality at DBG are on a whole other level & loving every minutes of it. Can hardly wait for the day when DBG decides to take on the challenge of fitting a CRD & AT into a ‘99 Wrangler.

[@kylebernard7755]

Mike your shop and employees are amazing. Highest quality with a smile and a laugh or two.

[@DEBOSSGARAGE]

They did it in budget and timely manner as well. I highly recommend them

[@sambojones8681]

My welding sucks, this frame looks fantastic! Good job Vince.

[@JoeRocket-sf6qs]

Tapping gaskets or templates from paper or gasket material is a very old machinists trick. I personally think Vince’s welding looks awesome,you finally found a good one.😁that frame looks great.

[@v8motors.]

MTH Fab did a great job on that frame. All of you did.👍😎

[@toyomatt84]

Hey Vince, you killed it, bud. I'd be elated with that level of craftsmanship.

[@imwteach]

Great work and cogratulations on A using aluminum and B going electric, just what hot rodding is all about!

[@mikelaidmanchevyboy6763]

Omg Rich & Vince, plus the fab shop has done a fantastic job with a one of a kind build!!!!! You all should be so so proud and happy with the outcome that has happened!!!! Keep up the amazing work!!

[@ianmckay1780]

I just wish I was on the other side of the pond so I could get vince to teach me how to weld properly like he does. Not least teach me how to tig weld (never done it). As always fascinating video, full of information and skill, wish I had half of your skills! Was an Agricultural Engineer 40 yrs ago but that is half a lifetime ago, so I have had to developed different skill sets today. and now I'm retired with no shop, not enough tools and no car to work on as have various medical conditions after a lifetime of work. Thanks for everything and just seen the latest Edison Motors Video, boy are they one hell of a bunch of guys!!! Thanks from UK.

[@brendanmurphy1816]

Looks fantastic but Vince didn't weld on a fishplate with his name on it ! Love the concept, great vision and work!

[@rustyhauler6477]

Projects are one small victory at a time. I had a white board of small tasks crossed off and it kept me going. That and loud music. Great videos Rich, keep them coming.

[@MTBD80]

Chrysler Prowler frame was all aluminum man! I remember seeing that frame hanging on a wall somewhere long ago, was super cool. That was one of the points of that car!

[@Viperman200221]

Love the DG plates on the frame!

[@CarswithNash]

The frame looks great Rich.👍

[@donnajean3346]

looks great !!! nice welding Vince

[@northvegassailrabbit3642]

This is one of my favorite builds and it looks awesome. Thanks.

[@minnesotatomcat]

Vince is a damn trooper, people can talk all the shit they want, not many of them would have spent 40+ hours doing the best possible job they could outside of their normal jobs.

[@danssmokintreasures]

Great video and Vince killed it, very good job.

[@BILLSCHMIDT49]

What an amazing achievement guys. 👍👍👍

[@xtc31]

Welding looks nuts. Great job

[@xozindustries7451]

Vince you’re the man, great job. Cool project, I’m glad you went in this direction for the frame

[@ShipHighInTransit]

You guys are great, Vince is a wizard with the welder, these projects you guys tackle are fantastic in their complexity and they all get done. The best thing is your attitude, keep going, little wins, nothing is too hard.

[@DDescalchuk57]

The fact someone makes a negative comment while watching the success of other people completely blows my mind. I mean we know it’s pure jealousy 99.9% of the time the other .1% is from people who are managers who know nothing about the work they’re managing, or they’re engineers who also don’t know Jack shit about the shit they engineer on paper. For what it’s worth you guys are turning ideas into reality and are killing it keep it up

[@andrewbaluk1663]

as long as it doesnt do a lot of work its ok. it cant stand up to the same use the original steel could. steel frame can be designed to a load failure level but you can never do it with ally as a material. ally will allways fail.....eventually.....whatever time period their workmanship and over-compensating with wall thickness buys them.

[@frankleonard6570]

That frame is a work of art. Aluminum welding and fabricating is very difficult to do and these guys are masters of the trade! Rich is one guy that is genuinely great at building stuff. Best of the best. Thanks for taking us along. Im not into electric cars but a unique project like this still has my interest. Great work 💪

[@kstricl]

That looks real nice and clean. Definitely work to be proud of.

[@waynedieleman2857]

Great looking frame

[@alibro7512]

Amazing project guys, absolutely loving the skills on show here. One minor point though and at the risk of sounding pedantic, the BMS is inside the battery box, the unit bolted upright to the subframe is the power distribution unit plus DC to DC converter and the unit that the motor leads connect to with Nissan on it is the inverter. This inverter is capable of 80kW so just over 100hp but if you decide to upgrade at a later time by replacing the inverter the motor is good for over 200kw. This was Nissan's first attempt at an EV and they over built the motor by a huge factor. Really looking forward to future updates.

[@DEBOSSGARAGE]

Thanks for that!

[@alibro7512]

@@DEBOSSGARAGE I used the same drive train to convert an old Landrover Freelander to EV but I maintained the Freelander transmission and 4WD. To date I've driven around 2k miles since converting it and it makes me smile every time I get behind the wheel. Are you planning to keep the entire Leaf loom or do you have a VCU to control the Leaf inverter?

[@ryanreaves1203]

Vince is a true master at his trade. The chassis turned out awesome!!!

[@A-EfarmsTV]

Vince is the man

[@peterkennett9375]

Very nice job Vince like your work

[@555byron]

Loving this build. Ignore the negative comments, it's nice to see different projects, it keeps things interesting

[@cheyennedogsoldiers]

Very cool, an aluminium, chassi is something I've wanted to do forever but never had the funds or the expertise to pull it off. However I do agree, projects can become overwhelming. Over the past two years I've been working on a 1944 Ford GPW, ground up rebuild, a 94 British Ford Transit restoration and camper van conversion and a 74 VW Type 2 Bay campervan, and at times I've been ready to quit. But today, the Transit is days away from completion, the GPW is about a morning's work away. The VW is another story but two out of three isn't bad. As you said, it's all about the little victories, I went from feeling like both the Transit and GPW would never end to suddenly, almost complete. It's a great feeling.

[@CodyRyanK05]

Hard to criticize anything you guys do, this channel is top tier.

[@shaunpc2512]

Man this project has come a long way in this one Rich, yes welding is a pain in the posterior at times but you guys have made it look so much fun so I've decided to do some more TIG. practice on my own 👌🏻

[@panagiotis1519]

Awesome project Rich. Always something interesting happening in your shop!

[@DonVDBorgh]

Looks really good! Great job Vince 👍👍

[@estebanguerrero682]

Loving this project so far! Good luck and have fun

[@paulmartin8212]

Wow, what a build. A lot of engineering involved that should make for a fun ride. Glad you and Vince are still friends. 🤣

[@tonysowry3688]

Looking fantastic I can't wait to see it done

[@stephenbrown571]

It’s a good looking frame and some very nice welds.

[@benfreeman9717]

Loving the polyrhythmic groove of the music!

[@johnschutt9187]

Great built. Great welding.

[@ThomasPipon]

Tig welding that frame? You guys are crazy!

[@bobgaudet9941]

Great job guys 👏 👍

[@seaglider844]

You guys do SO much! This is probably the coolest build channel out there....maybe I'm a little biased as I love the fact that this is happening in small town Canada. Every time I think I've seen it all DG throws another curve ball....something really unique! Keep 'em coming Rich!

[@DEBOSSGARAGE]

Thanks man. We always said from the beginning that you never know what you are going to see

[@mcspikesky]

That intro is legit

[@johnkranz4004]

Very kool Frame Rich

[@p.d.nickthielen6600]

I had my doubts but so far this is incredible

[@curtism7203]

that deserved a like! beautiful job!

[@harddrive2795]

All you guys I could sit down and have a beer with. Awesome videos keep it up.

[@numlockkilla]

Amazing work

[@crezychameau]

Welding aluminium is one skill i'm not even thinking of trying to acquire. Maybe i'll try it once or twice just to get some measure of how hard it is, but i have absolutely NO doubts that i will not be able to do it properly. Happy that there are people out there who specialize in it Incidentaly, Yay ! some more Vince ! 😀

[@richardj163]

It’s easier than you think, at least, to weld. To weld aluminum correctly, takes some experience to know if your prep, settings, metal type, filler type, and technique is correct for the weld to matter.

[@BRAINROTTDAVE]

I'm doing a medium sized project right now with a spool gun and it's not super terrible.

[@johnknox5692]

love the sound of kitcat

[@alanhubbard1868]

Cool! Too Cool for School! Cool!!!!!!

[@shanevonharten3100]

Coming along nicely.

[@vwtoyfarmer7743]

I love seeing all these builds! Gives me so much motivation to keep my builds going.

[@DEBOSSGARAGE]

Keep going man! Nobody else is going to do it for you

[@kiwidan7413]

Nice job Vince. In the middle of the battery there is a big orange plug with a green handle. Take this out, it is the power disconnect and makes the battery safe to work with. It is supposed to be removed to do any work on the high voltage system and it will need to be accessible through the floor.

[@DEBOSSGARAGE]

I did do that after the last video comments. thanks man

[@jayblipnit456]

How is this channel not over a million subs yet ! Come on eh

[@cheesynuts4291]

Pretty neat project guys.

[@rtz549]

All that aluminum fab is next level.

[@stanleymartin1613]

Cool stuff!! Great video. Enjoyed watching ✌️ 😎

[@vtwinaddicted5852]

Vince is a true artist

[@rogeralbans4082]

Nice concept.

[@AJsHotRodsNrepairs]

Vince in insane, no way in hell I'd wanna do that much total length of aluminum beads. aluminum is super pissy too weld, that's super impressive Vince 👌👍

[@danielbuck]

Grendel on pirate/irate 4x4 made an all aluminum jeep! neat concept, alot of work though!

[@salzar4431]

Nice job Vince.

[@kentmckean6795]

Awesome!

[@jtgrec3179]

Where's Vince's stamp on that frame? That frame is a piece of art,

[@one4stevo]

How in the world do you get all these projects done? What a jaw dropping job/ project this one is.

[@troyadams1076]

Brother that was nice love it great work 👏

[@iain3411]

Very cool.

[@johnwheeler8964]

Nice job Rich

[@Beandiptheredneck]

That chassis is a work of art. What would DG do without Vince

[@asbjrnantonsen325]

Super awesome 😎

[@91rss]

for rust if your in the US,, at HD or Lowes, get the Kleen strip concrete and metal etch for 18 bux a Gallon.. Its the same as Ospho or that krutter, and painting with rust paints etc, get some Penetrol additive from same stores. makes paint stick much better

[@georgemarshall6657]

Looks amazing! I'd change the bushings after the powder coating

[@TheManLab7]

Thanks for getting a clip of Nicola and a pic of his motor.

[@rtz549]

Good choice on upsizing those bolts.

[@123654789Eduardo]

Very nice 👌

[@mikeadam6776]

As welder Vince did an awesome job. I thought he might of go with a MIG prosses.

[@matthewgray3375]

What an awesome project, you guys are amazing,

[@DEBOSSGARAGE]

Thank you!

[@gsppuffer]

Vince gonna tig that whole frame holy shit Definitely figured a spool gun on all them feet of welds

[@TheRealMrCods]

Vince is worth his weight. Real MVP with the welding. 👍

[@izza6998]

That intro music goes so hard.

[@tylerramsey7396]

Right😂

[@mikescott1307]

Exciting stuff..

[@michaelanderson3771]

love the progress and the chassis look awesome. I feel that you may be surprised that this may not crack at all unless you rally the thing on rough dirt roads. Plenty of horse floats ( horse Boxes) and boat trailers are made in Aluminium and survive many years without cracking.

[@wayno937]

Thats actually a cool build

[@Joe-hz1nw]

Vince does an excellent job. I personally wouldn’t want an EV, but this project is so unique and awesome! Ignore the haters 😁

[@timothyparsons7678]

Vince is the man on welding everything I’ve seen him do he is awesome all the people with hate take pi’s or videos of your work and prove you can do better if not shut up

[@petecunnien5368]

To hell with the o es who have negative things to say!! Some people think what they have to say is so important that everyone needs to hear there vomit 🤮 but in reality they are the o es who need the help!! I absolutely love all you share with us and do t always agree but certainly appreciate what you do and how you do it!!!!!!! So thank you Rich and everyone else involved in your channels!! 👍👍

[@andrewwithall522]

Looks good to me. 👍