Cutting down a chassis

[Caine]

I have a b stamp chassis from a lot i bought that i'm thinking about cutting the sides down on as the guy i had it off had made a cut out for a switch, i've seen a few like this and can't understand for the life of me why people would do this butchery to these gorgeous tubs!
Anyway back to my question, are there any tips you can give me for cutting it down, methods etc? It seems like a shame to let this pan go to waste.
Cheers.

[jwscab]

measure twice and cut once.

I would lay out the cut with either a permanent marker or masking tape before cutting; this way, you can measure where you want to cut it, and double check before making the cuts.

as for cutting it, it's aluminum, so a dremel cutoff disc, jigsaw, hacksaw, jeweler's saw, etc all could work equally well, some are easier to control, some are faster, it depends on what you are most comfortable with.

when you are done with the cut, use some sandpaper and sanding block, or file, and smooth the edges.

[vintage88]

use a dremel with the cut off wheel pretty simple looks nice dont cut off to much though it could make it flimsy if it gets flimsy use some fiberglas and run supportsfrom the front to the rear of the pan

[badattitude]

It's been awhile since I cut one but I liked to use a Dremel and cut off wheel. I recommend cutting a shallow "score" on your first pass and then cut all the way through on a second pass. The Dremel grinding tips are good for finishing the edges.

Good Luck

[THE H.P FREAK]

HI!... Mark it out and use a 4-1/2 disc grinder with a 1/16 "ZIP' blade. Will cut through it like nothing. Then use a file to file down where you cut it. This is the way I've always done RC chassis's.

[Caine]

I havent got a dremel but we have the same kinda thing but compressed air powered in work so will give that a go we have some cutting wheels so i should be fine, have just measured the depth of the cut and i need to take about 12mm off the top of the tub so about half the depth will this depth of cut keep most of the tubs integrity intact or weaken it?

[Lowgear]

So you're going to use a die grinder then? Thats going to be harder to control and be precise with on this application but will work. I recently did a motor plate with one.

[vintage88]

thats about how much is cut off of mine and im not running any braces but make sure you dont cut off the tabs front and rearfor the stock supports ive seen a few done that way and there is just no rigidity left at all and be careful if you plan to do jumps or anything i would still use extra supports so you dont bend your chassis on a hard landing or if you hit another car or obstacle...

[Caine]

A die grinder that the name i was looking for
I'll keep the straight pieces where the bulkhead and tubes attach full depth, and then cut away on the angled pieces of the chassis. Things are a bit slow in work for the first week or so after the holidays so i'll have a play about with it tomorrow.
Then i'll get it stripped and powdercoated (for once having a paintshop on site will come into good use!)
Thanks for the advice, I'll let you know how it comes along.

[vintage AE]

I cut a couple down and used a dremel with a cut off disk. Take your time and score it first, that is after you are done measuring and marking the tub.