Tube chassis tunnel question

[SNWMBL]

Multi year project. Deep snow only sled, will be ridden a few times a winter, no brush or tree bashing so no worry of sticks thru legs.

Has anyone built a tube chassis or tube tunnel and not paneled the sides? Is it obnoxious having snow come through or is it one of those things that sounds worse than it actually is?

My frame is done. I was going to partially skin the sides with 1/16 HDPE. Can’t do the whole side because turbo will melt it. This was the first idea


Didn’t love the look of the HDPE so then I thought of securing a piece of .040 7075 only large enough to keep my boot out of the track and leave the rest open. For reference, the tops of the paddles are about even with the 1x1/2 rectangle tube when track and skid are installed.



Looking for any real world experience. I really want to leave it open and just use the small aluminum panel. Lightweight is highest priority.

 

[PSI 800]

Nice work on the chassis. No experience with this, but in my mind i would want any opening that is near my feet and legs to be covered as you never know what is flying around through there.

 

[Sheetmetalfab]

My tube tunnel pro had 1/16" HDPE on 3 sides.

No open areas.

I think you will collect more ice and snow with openings than you will gain in weight savings.

 

[SNWMBL]

My tube tunnel pro had 1/16" HDPE on 3 sides.

No open areas.

I think you will collect more ice and snow with openings than you will gain in weight savings.

Ok. Maybe I’ll try to panel the whole side. I was hoping to save myself some fab work to try and be done this year haha.

I was planning on wrapping all the steel tubes on the tunnel portion with UHMW tape after painting in hopes of keeping snow from sticking as bad.

Here’s a couple from a few months ago when I had the skid and track in

 

[Reeb]

If the cool factor is what you're after, use lexan.

 

[SNWMBL]

I don’t care about a cool factor at all. Due to ever growing kids commitments and family life this project has taken forever and I was just trying to figure out something that wasn’t incredibly time consuming. Paneling is the last thing I need to figure out before sandblasting and paint. I already have a full sheet of 1/16 HDPE and a bunch of .040 7075 aluminum.

I thought about a one piece carbon fiber insert but the cost and labor don’t have me excited.

 

[BigAir]

@Wheel House Motorsports may have some input. He has experience building custom tube chassis.

 

[Sheetmetalfab]

I just riveted directly to the inside of the tubing.

Not the most elegant but it was fast and easy.

I want to see your project on the snow.

 

[SNWMBL]

Trying to stay away from rivets this time so if I have to remove them to make a frame repair I don’t end up with shanks forever in the tube. My top aluminum panel is held on with 4-40 x 1/4 aircraft screws in tapped holes which hold surprisingly well even in .035

I would do the same for the HDPE except the bottom would have to be zip tied as I have coolant running through the 1” frame tubes.

Maybe I’ll look at again at doing full HDPE sides and some kind of heat shield by the turbo to keep from melting it. The front panel in front of the drivers I’m going line with HDPE.

 

[gp800]

A friend of mine is running no liner in his. Mostly ran on grass/drag racing nowadays. I think carbon sheet cut to fit would be cool. There were some old holz chassis with carbon liners.

 

[Wheel House Motorsports]

Absolutely need liner. Giant sketchy death trap without it. And if your running in deep snow it's just going to make icing brutal around your feet.

Ive formed and hand laid carbon liners it takes very little mounting to secure it. A couple tiny tabs in the tubing corners will hold it in place to rivet to so you don't have to drill tubing. Altho most all of them we just drilled the tubes and it is what it is. And if you have to drill then you get some frame rattles. Also have run thin alum sheeting and thst worked well. It was just un formed rain gutter material. Super durable and cheap when your friend has a rain gutter buisness

 

[SNWMBL]

Is a single layer of cloth enough for a liner? What type of cloth were you using? I’ve made a lot of things out of fiberglass before.

There’s a lot I would change if I built another frame but it’s too late to start over so I’m just trying to keep moving forward and get it done.

 

[LoudHandle]

Guess someone saw fit to remove my 2 cents. ? Censorship where it wasn't needed. I just stated facts. Sad

 

[SNWMBL]

What got removed?

 

[LoudHandle]

I mentioned I've done a few aluminum tube chassis about 30 years ago and while I skinned them with lexan at the time. If I were to do it again, I think I'd use the heat shrink boat wrap. A guy could do a tunnel multiple times with the scrap from one boat job. With the tape they use you could wrap or strap the desired tubes and shrink it tight

I also mentioned that CC skidoo were crooks, as Cory used my bought and paid for race Olin shocks on his iron dog sled and finally delivered them ruined and full of water, leading to a chassis failure at the Alyeska hill climb when they froze / locked up while airborne.

 

[SNWMBL]

I have thought the fabric used for airplane wings but never boat shrink wrap. Might be worth trying.

 

[LoudHandle]

With the tape they have for the boat wrap. I think it could still be applied to the inside of your tube chassis.

I'm probably just old but last I heard airplane fabric was actually fabric. Maybe they use a similar heat shrink mylar now?

 

[SNWMBL]

I’ll into the heat shrink wrap. That would be the lightest of all the options.

 

[LoudHandle]

That is why I tossed it in the mix. Barring sucking up trees and rocks it should hold up fine. And cheap to reskin or tape up the damage. There are hundreds of boats wrapped here in Valdez alone that endure our yearly snow fall and hurricane force winds all winter.