Welder Series frame curve review by J.F. Launier
Simple product is Canadian made
How often are simple projects truly simple? Almost never is the correct answer but I have discovered a great product that is just that. After a very eventful outdoor show season. My first item was to get back in the shop and work. My wife and I put over 75,000 kms on our diesel truck heading from show to show this year and it’s time to get my hands back on some tin. So there I was, thinking about my next project. To keep it moving forward, I’d need to put a frame under the thing. Then it dawned on me, how cool it would be to try to keep this build Canadian. It will likely be next to impossible to keep it ALL Canadian but you have to start somewhere. If you went to SEMA this year, you very likely would have stopped by the Speed Tech Performance booth. Not only are they Canadian but they’re from right here in BC! (Maple Ridge to be exact.) They make really nice 1st and 2nd gen Camaro subframes and other cool suspension stuff. Off to a great start, I thought to myself. Tubular control arms, big sway bar and rack and pinion. Back to my not so little project, seeing as I’ve located a ‘subframe’ it hits me that I’m going to have to build the rest of the chassis from scratch. Enter another great Canadian company, Paul Horton’s Welder Series. Based in Breslau, ON, their products are aimed at the hot rod builder. The item that grabbed me was their weld together frame bends. (You gotta see ‘em: www.welderseries.com.) Initially you could be thinking that this sounds like a big project, but take a look at the website if you haven’t already. And even though you might not be thinking of doing a scratch built frame, maybe you are considering a very professional looking cross member or a c-notch everyone will envy or the back half for a pro-street chassis or any type of ornamental metal work… I built a railing for our deck last year and had to fabricate similar corners but they just didn’t work this well!!! Pay attention here because it’s really easy and doesn’t take very long.
Step One: Open the package and find the coinciding pieces. Put them together on a flat bench. (You will be amazed how nicely they fit together!) And note that there are marks on the flat pieces, they need to go to the Outside. You’ll see why later.
Step Two: Tack weld all corners, and throw one in the middle for good measure, then start welding. I did 2” sections at a time, alternating over to keep the heat even. You will need a real 220 welder, not a little 110 fella. These are structural components and need to be strong.
Step Three: Grind excess weld and round corners. DO NOT over grind as this will weaken your welds. Now trim to achieve the right bend… using those little lines on the Outside of the flat piece. They are marked for 30° and 45°. So how cool was that? I couldn’t believe how well they really fit and went together.
Now get out there to your garage and figure out how to make some cool stuff for your car that looks like the pros did it! And remember, it’s not the car you drive, it’s the car that drives you!
J.F. Launier, car builder, owner JF Kustoms
JFKustoms is located in Osoyoos BC.
For more information go to www.JFKUSTOMS.com
Article reproduced with permission from www.canadianhotrods.com
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