Many racers who buy cars from a chassis builder will buy a rolling chassis. Heck, it saves a bunch of time and you can usually drop your motor in and go. However, it can also be costly and if you already have good parts and only your chassis needs replacing, a bare frame may be the way to go.
1. Champ Pans actually makes...
1.Champ Pans actually makes a cockpit kit for Mastersbilt chassis. It ships flat and all you have to do is bend it at the factory marked
lines. The Champ kit made it much easier to template the whole cockpit since it includes the floorpan and right side where the shifter goes.
Building a Dirt Late Model or any car for that matter from the ground up is a time consuming project but if you have the time you can save some big bucks by doing it all yourself. There are also several advantages to starting with just the bare frame such as customizing cockpit items to your own specifications.
Our new Mastersbilt chassis for Project DLM came to us as a bare frame. When we got it to the Circle Track shop and did the once over we decided to re-powdercoat it in a color that would match the car's design that many of you have already seen. Lasker Powdercoating in Tampa applied the awesome "Booty Blue" (yes, that's the name of the color) and we're ready to get to work.
The very first thing we'll do is build and install the sheetmetal for the cockpit. The seat, wheel, deck, and related items will come at a later date. So, follow along as we show you how we built our own cockpit.
2. Since everything in the...
2.Since everything in the cockpit is based off of the floorpan, it has to go in first. Here, we drill the holes in the where rivets will eventually hold the entire cockpit together.
3. Until that time however,...
3.Until that time however, a Cleco holds the sheetmetal in place.
Before bending the first piece of sheetmetal there was one item that we had to have in order to build the cockpit-the brake pedal assembly. Since the assembly in our Rayburn would not fit in this new chassis we bought a new set. With the pedals in place we can begin templating the cockpit with cardboard.
4. With the Champ Pans kit...
4.With the Champ Pans kit held in place we can cut out cardboard templates to create an exact model of how we want the cockpit to look once it is complete.
5. With the Champ Pans kit...
5.With the Champ Pans kit held in place we can cut out cardboard templates to create an exact model of how we want the cockpit to look once it is complete.
6. With the cardboard loosely...
6.With the cardboard loosely fit inside the driver compartment we can make any final adjustments and/or cuts to the templates before cutting and bending sheetmetal.
7. We headed over to Dean's...
7.We headed over to Dean's Custom Sheetmetal in Dover, Florida, to source our 0.040-thick white on white sheetmetal. Here, fellow Dirt Late Model racer Travis Varnadore measures out the dimensions for our first sheet.
8. Now that the metal is back...
8.Now that the metal is back at the shop, it's critical to get the measurements and dimensions correct-always measure twice and cut once.
Here we're using our template for the lower front panel of the cockpit that will sit just in front of the brake pedals.
9. When you cut sheetmetal...
9.When you cut sheetmetal you cut the bulk of it away, leaving approximately 1/4-inch extra near your line.
10. Then you go back and trim...
10.Then you go back and trim the excess off, forming a really cool metal roll.
11. Once the metal is cut,...
11.Once the metal is cut, a gentle tap with a hammer smooths out the edge. That's a piece of block aluminum under the white sheetmetal.
12. Don't have a sheetmetal...
12.Don't have a sheetmetal brake? You can make your own using a piece of 1/4-inch-thick 4x4-inch angle steel, a vise, and a 2x10. Using a soft hammer you can slowly bend the metal into the shape you want.
13. The red string marks the...
13.The red string marks the height of the deck. All of the panels of the cockpit are measured off of that string and the floorpan.
14. The left-side panel has...
14.The left-side panel has been cut and bent to fit. It takes two people to get in place.
15. Templating pays off as...
15.Templating pays off as the left-side panel fits perfectly.
16. As the cockpit begins...
16.As the cockpit begins to take shape we use Vise-Grips to hold the various panels in place.
17. During the process there...
17.During the process there were several areas where we had to notch our metal to fit around the rollbars. We taped foam pads around the metal to protect our new powdercoating job.
18. Everything must be test...
18.Everything must be test fit before locking down anything with the vise. Now is the time to make any changes. Here we're working on the back of the cockpit.
19. As the right side of the...
19.As the right side of the cockpit goes into place you can see the string marking the height of the deck. We kept it there through the entire process. You can also see the back of the cockpit from Step 18 in the lower right corner.
20. With everything test fit...
20.With everything test fit and all of the panels fitting together correctly we drill holes and put Cleco fasteners in those holes to hold everything in place prior to riveting.
21. Our Allstar Performance...
21.Our Allstar Performance riveter makes quick work of the final assembly.
22. The finished product....
22.The finished product. The brake assembly including U.S. Brake master cylinders and the cool purple shifters are all in place. We'll add the seat, steering wheel and assembly, gauges, gauge panel, and more at a later date.