Anyone who works on race cars has needed to do modifications or repairs to the chassis or components. Basic fabrication skills will enhance a mechanics overall ability to keep his race car competitive. Professional race teams will have fabricators and machinists in house or contract the work to companies like ours, C&R Racing. For the racer that works on his own equipment, having the skills and equipment to do fabrication in his own shop is very advantageous.
The skill set required to do metal fabrication varies depending on the technical depth of the project. The evolution of race car design has changed the metal fabrication world in racing. I always feel it’s important to recognize the history of the subject to truly understand how to carry out the job properly.
Indy car and F-1 racing have always been on the cutting edge of technology and metal fabrication. In the early days, every part on the car was fabricated or machined, using the very basic tools and equipment. The design was innovative and the craftsmanship impeccable, including complex chassis and suspension along with hand hammered bodywork. Look at those cars today and you’ll find very little “hand” work. The chassis and body are all composite and pulled out of a mold. In F-1, even the suspension is carbon fiber. About the only things fabricated of metal are the radiators and exhaust.
In NASCAR, late model, sprint car, or off-road, there is still a tremendous amount of fabrication. The cars are tube frame and all suspension is either fabricated or machined. The possibilities of what can be done to build, modify, or repair this type of race car is only limited to your imagination. The trend in racing today is cookie cutter, production-built race cars. If you have fabrication skills and an innovative outlook, you can make your car perform better than your competition.
The key is don’t be intimidated. Anyone can do metal fabrication if they set their mind to it. Let’s look at the fundamentals of race-car fabrication. These apply to any project, big or small. First thing, strike the word “can’t” from your vocabulary and mindset.
Welding. This is the one skill you must acquire if you’re going to be a metal fabricator. To do it properly takes knowledge and practice. It’s critical on any project and a huge factor in the integrity of the work you do. Learn to do it right. A beautiful weld is the signature of any fabrication. A pretty weld will make a poor piece of fabrication look great and a great piece of fabrication will look bad if the weld isn’t good.
Planning. Proper planning based on the achievement desired is critical. You know what you want the end result to look and function like. Plan all the steps required to get to that result. Think about design, materials, and process before cutting the first piece of metal.
Layout. All concepts and designs should first be sketched. Having a basic understanding of drafting is a plus, but not required. Take the time to sketch the job out and make it as complete as possible. This always saves time during the project and aids in a quality outcome. Accuracy is critical.
Execution. After planning and layout, it’s time to cut metal and carry out the work. Before starting, make templates, fixtures, and tooling to aid in the accuracy of the work. Stick to your plan. If you deviate from the plan, chances are you didn’t spend enough time during that stage of the project. Inspect your work after completion.
This is the very abbreviated guideline to metal fabrication. The point is that anyone can do it. Imagine your chassis doesn’t get the power to the track, but it can be fixed by making a suspension geometry change.
The ability to make these changes will improve your performance as well as broaden your expertise as a race car mechanic.