View Full Version : Extending ute/truck chassis? How do they do it?
How do they lengthen chassis on utes and light trucks? is it even possible to legally do so? There's a whole bunch of legal issues around chassis welding and modification but there must be methods considering there's all these lazy axle kingswood tonners and 6x6 landcruisers...
i have an isuzu truck that has ahd a metre added to the chassis. the cuts were made at an angle, and it has a plate bolted along the outside of the chassis. it looks like it was done a long time ago, and it's standing up fine.
carcrazy
24-06-08, 08:38 PM
Working in the truck industry ive seen both, older trucks are usually welded and have long plates also fitted into the rails which are welded or bolted.
The the newer ones have heat treated rails and cant be welded so they use a staggered bolt arangement with a long u shaped sleave that fits inside the rail and also a flat plate on the outside. The bolts have to be torqued up bigtime and it gets quite technical.
I remember once i was working on a streched prime mover and the guy who owned it was telling me his life story and how bad it was. I felt terrible telling the poor bastard one of his welded rails had cracked right through and the tray was basically holding it together :(
HoonBoy
24-06-08, 09:45 PM
Stretched rodeo for towing?
The-Kid
24-06-08, 10:07 PM
I've had my Rodeo dualcab extended to fit a spacecab tray on the rear.
Was done right and done by Custom shop, but there are Chassis aligners/Engineers that'll do it.
I had the rails cut from underneath the rear door of the cabin, pulled out the
right length, an internal rail placed inside the two ends and then finally the rail where the gap is done again to match thickness with each end.
Mounts are matched up for the longer tub, tailshaft lengthened and electrics.
cheers!
The question is mainly due to the fact that there's very few small trucks the right length to be converted into a racecar carrier.
I did see something interesting in Sweden, which was the front half of an Audi CD100 grafted onto a car float, making it a FWD six wheeled audi trayback car carrier. Might work with a sprinter cab van or something.
GreyBeard
25-06-08, 12:53 PM
How do they lengthen chassis on utes and light trucks? is it even possible to legally do so? There's a whole bunch of legal issues around chassis welding and modification but there must be methods considering there's all these lazy axle kingswood tonners and 6x6 landcruisers...
Completely doable, safe and legal (in Qld), if done correctly.
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a304/boss5705/Car/Uterus/th_newtray.jpg (http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a304/boss5705/Car/Uterus/newtray.jpg)
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a304/boss5705/Car/Uterus/th_panelshop005.jpg (http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a304/boss5705/Car/Uterus/panelshop005.jpg)
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a304/boss5705/Car/Uterus/th_redhilux001.jpg (http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a304/boss5705/Car/Uterus/redhilux001.jpg)
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a304/boss5705/Car/Uterus/th_Views2006-11-xx031800x.jpg (http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a304/boss5705/Car/Uterus/Views2006-11-xx031800x.jpg)
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a304/boss5705/Car/Uterus/th_Views2006-11-xx030800x.jpg (http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a304/boss5705/Car/Uterus/Views2006-11-xx030800x.jpg)
HtH
HoonBoy
25-06-08, 12:56 PM
If you were going to do that, wouldn't you be better off with a Falcon one-tonner?
Bob 'Quarter Mile Smile' Shepherd does this for a living.
cool!
Falcon one ton is probably a good option considering the "chassis" appears to be sheet steel boxed up.
HoonBoy
25-06-08, 02:14 PM
One of my "dream tow cars" is an XR8 tonner with a removable rear section that extends the tray enough for towing the car and moves the diff back as well. Would leave a usable length ute for most stuff and a long one for towing the car. Wouldn't be technically hard, after all it is leaf spring, just have two sets of mounts and a longer tailshaft. Don't think the rego boys would be happy with it...
F-Trukin
25-06-08, 02:36 PM
There was a slide camper that was made to fit AU tonner that had clip on section with lazy axle behind rear drive wheels..also had a longer tray part if you didnt want the camper on. Cant remember what they where called
carcrazy
25-06-08, 07:44 PM
I recon an older dyna with a flat tray would be perfect for private towing. Probally just have to make a set of ramps for it.
Think about it... cheap, easy to drive, easy to get parts for and needs a normal drivers licence.
Streching is going to need $$$ engineers reports and lots of work.
HoonBoy
25-06-08, 10:09 PM
There was a slide camper that was made to fit AU tonner that had clip on section with lazy axle behind rear drive wheels..also had a longer tray part if you didnt want the camper on. Cant remember what they where called
Google is failing me :(
I recon an older dyna with a flat tray would be perfect for private towing. Probally just have to make a set of ramps for it.
Think about it... cheap, easy to drive, easy to get parts for and needs a normal drivers licence.
Streching is going to need $$$ engineers reports and lots of work.
yeah its just that the long wheelbase ones are not real common.
the annoying thing is there is one on the way to work that is perfect in length etc for $1500 that looks in reasonable nick from a distance but I don't have the room or the money right now. :(
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