Building a chassis from scratch

[cameronb]

Hi there,
I'm having a chassis built in the states for a Model A sedan
I plan to ship the car to NZ when I move back there next year and want to register the vehicle (hopefully with as few hassles as possible)

As far as the construction of the frame:

Is 3x2 inch steel correct
Is there a particular grade of steel I need to use?
Do I need gussets on all weld points?
As I'm z'ing the frame front and rear, are their restrictions to just how much the frame kicks up in the rear?
How much reinforcement do I need within the frame?

Any help would be great.
Thanks
Cam

[Justin]

Hi Cam

Boy that's a lot of info for me to try to provide, for what sounds like a pretty major build. My real concern is, that there are so many more details which you'll need to know about for the certification process once the car arrives in NZ.

Rather than trying to help you with these questions, I strongly suggest that you get yourself a copy of the NZ Hobby Car Technical Manual as soon as you can, and pass that on to whoever is building your chassis. If they work to the HCTM requirements during the build, you should have a pretty straightforward process once it's certification time. To get a copy of the HCTM, go to the NZ Hot Rod Association website (they retail the manual) here; www.hotrod.org.nz/Merchandise%20Page%20Files/Hobby_Car_Technical_Manual.htm

There is also a lot of information contained within the LVV Standards which may be applicable to your build, however that will largely depend on whether the vehicle is a 'modified production' vehicle, or a 'scratch-built' vehicle. It would be a good idea to work this out first. For details, I suggest that you contact me directly via email - [e-mail] so that we can work through the process.

I hope this helps.

Justin