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1993 Custom Toyota Mini Truck - Project Dragged Daily, Part IA Pro-Engineered frame in six hours From the February, 2009 issue of Mini Truckin' By Mike Alexander Photography by Mike Alexander
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1. After Aaron calculated... 1. After Aaron calculated all the pertinent measurements from the stock frame (wheelbase, body mount locations), he put those measurements to use and begin to build the new frame from scratch. As you've probably seen by now, Project Dragged Daily is in the full build-up process. Since we want to try and bring you as much of the action as possible, we're breaking up the buildup into as many parts as necessary to show you the complexity of building a frame from scratch--engineering at its finest. For Part I, we'll show you how Aaron Iha is able to pump out a one-of-a-kind chassis in less than a day. Obviously, we're not talking about the suspension and a full rolling chassis yet, but just the frame skeleton alone in six hours is more than impressive. Aaron has a background in engineering, and when armed with his TI-85 calculator and Pro-Engineering program he is able to seriously push the limits of truck customization. 2. With the frame designed... 2. With the frame designed on the computer first, Aaron was able to calculate the exact length he'd need each piece of tubing to be, and where and how he'd want to make all the bends. Armed with his trusty notepad, he wrote down all the pertinent measurements. When approaching a full chassis buildup, Aaron tackles every single truck with a fresh eye. He likes to keep the trucks he builds as individual as their owners, so he won't get stuck in the usual rut of building the same type of setups over and over. Rather, he begins by assessing the reason behind building a new chassis. For this particular project, we're after a super-low truck (body-dropped past the pinch) with a stock floor because we'll need the headroom when it comes time to chop the top. Therefore, after a week of brainstorming, Aaron decided he wanted to build an extremely narrow, full-tubular frame to run down the center of the truck so we would still have plenty of structural integrity and not have to cut out much of the floor. The really cool thing about his engineering knowledge and programming capabilities is that it enables him to build 3-D framerails that don't have to be cut and welded in various places because he can actually map out the entire frame and calculate each bend before he cuts the first piece of steel. 3. With the measurements in... 3. With the measurements in hand, each rail was cut to the appropriate length. This pre-mapped frame-building technique drastically reduces the amount of trial and error involved in one-off frame building. After Aaron spends a couple of hours designing each tube, he can then take all his measurements and put them to work on the actual metal. In no time at all, he is able to take four sticks of 1 3/4-inch tubing and turn them into a 3-D frame that has numerous bends and contours and matches the shape of the drivetrain. He also keeps the suspension setup in mind and the amount of lift we're looking to get, so he leaves plenty of room for suspension design. Follow along as we show you how advanced our sport is getting, and see for yourself the latest in truck customizing. For more information, contact Aaron using the info in the source box on Page 2.  4. Once the rails were cut,...  4. Once the rails were cut, we started with the bottom rails by measuring and marking them at every corresponding bend to be made.  5. After the bends are marked,...  5. After the bends are marked, the rail was set up in the bender.  6. Aaron knew exactly how...  6. Aaron knew exactly how much of a bend he needed at each joint, so there was no guessing going on here - just pure unadulterated engineering at its best.  7. To get the 3-D effect out...  7. To get the 3-D effect out of the framerails that Aaron designed, the tubing had to be measured and rotated throughout the bending process. Keeping track and picturing this step was probably the most difficult part of the process.  8. Once the bottom rails were...  8. Once the bottom rails were complete, they were paired up to double-check their accuracy to one another. There were no surprises, and we could now move onto the two top rails.  9. The same process was used...  9. The same process was used for the top rails; they were marked at each bend point.  10. Next, the top rails were...  10. Next, the top rails were bent accordingly at each mark.  11. Again, to keep the accuracy...  11. Again, to keep the accuracy of the rails so both sides were equal, each rotational bend was double-checked with an angle finder.  12. With the top rails bent,...  12. With the top rails bent, each side was test-fit to the bottom rails, and like usual, it was a perfect fit.  13. After all four rails were...  13. After all four rails were bent, the front, rear, and center supports were measured and cut.  14. Once all of the supports...  14. Once all of the supports were cut, each end was notched according to its placement on the frame.  15. As you can tell by all...  15. As you can tell by all the scars on Aaron's arms from welding and grinding, it's probably a good idea to wear arm protection around the shop. Ah, who are we kidding? Chicks dig scars; just ask Aaron and his all-steel prom date that he designed on his computer. Anyway, back to work, the edge of each piece was ground smooth to help produce a nice, even weld.  16. With all of the necessary...  16. With all of the necessary pieces of the frame ready to be assembled, the workbench was turned into a jig for the frame. The bottom framerails were measured and clamped into place.  17. The end support was tacked...  17. The end support was tacked into place.  18. Each corner was double-checked...  18. Each corner was double-checked to make sure it was square, then the support was fully welded.  19. After the front and rear...  19. After the front and rear sections were in, a couple of center section supports were also welded into place.  20. With the bottom half of...  20. With the bottom half of the frame complete, Aaron took a cross-measurement of the frame from four set points to ensure that everything was square.  21. After the bottom end was...  21. After the bottom end was built, we could move ahead to the top rails. Each end had to be measured and notched to mate with the bottom of the frame.  22. Next, the ends of the...  22. Next, the ends of the top rails were cleaned and ready to be welded to the bottom.  23. The top rail was mocked...  23. The top rail was mocked up for measurement and tacked into place.  24. and 25. After the rails...  24. and 25. After the rails were tacked into place, each angle was double-checked one more time before final welding.  26. Here's a look at how the...  26. Here's a look at how the frame was coming along after one of the top rails was in place.  27. Once both top rails were...  27. Once both top rails were in place, the supports were ready to go in. Each one was checked to make sure it was straight before being tacked into place.  28. After all supports were...  28. After all supports were tacked into place, each one was welded up all the way around.  29. And just like that, we...  29. And just like that, we have a new frame for our Project 'Yota. Stay tuned as we piece the rest of the truck together and build a one-of-a-kind suspension setup.
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Maximized - May 2013
Excuse me while I wipe the dust off of my keyboard *cough, cough*. There is an old saying that goes...
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