[6pack] Chassis / frame source

[Jerry C Shaw]

Doug
I wholeheartedly agree with others on this list who have recommended RATCO as
a source for a new chassis. My RATCO TR6 frame was one of the first few Tony
Vigliotti produced and fitment to the tub was perfect. I got most of the bells
and whistles, including a rear sway bar, foam-filling and coil-over-shock at
the time of fabrication.  The frame is built like a tank and does weigh about
80 lbs more than stock, if my memory serves me. Jacking up the car in the
middle doesn't cause the doors to bind, like with my old frame.

Tony's support has been wonderful.

Up until the time I decided to go with RATCO, I wasted a good year looking for
a replacement. As mentioned by others, a good used replacement or a re-welding
of your old one is still fraught with uncertainties and will cost about 1500
to 1800 USD.

My old one looked beautiful from a rust standpoint,  until I started looking
closely after sandblasting. The front wishbone supports were trashed, the
shock towers had hair-line cracks, the main rails had wrinkles from having
been straightened from an accident, and the rear diff pin  supports were
cracked. Not only that, it didn't set level on my garage floor. And I didn't
know what was under the T-shirt. I've read that re-welding the shock towers
doesn't yield reliable results, either.

My rebuilt TR6 is now on the road and can be seen here:
http://www.triumphowners.com/977

Jerry Shaw


Date: Wed, 13 Oct 2010 23:04:49 -0400
From: Douglas Morris <dcmdcm at nc.rr.com>
Subject: [6pack] Chassis / frame source
To: 6pack <6pack at autox.team.net>
Message-ID: <9FD873BA-9F9B-4AD6-82A6-55178FD4AF9F at nc.rr.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Wellp, I've been avoiding the issue for years, but I'm going to have to
replace the chassis on me ol' '74 TR-6. It's just getting too flimsy (you
know, deadly).
Yep, that's right, the PO's frame repairs actually fall into the category:
cosmetic.

What's the current recommendation for a source for a non-competition,
driver-quality chassis frame?

Doug Morris, NC, '74 TR-6 CF-18xxx