Murray frame rail stiffening?

[71racer]

Hi folks another question should I run 1” tubing up my Murray wide body frame rails? I se some do and some don’t I’m learning towards not needing it but I’ve done it to all my other ones with 3/4?

[bosros]

I don’t see it being a huge difference,having said that I run a piece of 1” x1/8 flat bar down each rail just because it makes those flimsy hole filled rails a little more ridged for mounting whatever to you need to them.

[thebandit21]

I use 1" x .065 thin wall chrome moly, I only stitch it in every 6 inches or so. It still allows the tempered steel frame rails to have some spring back qualities without adding a bunch of weight or making it too rigid. In the past I also used flat bar straps on the rails just to keep the rails from opening up and bending as bosros mentioned, trying to save as much weight as possible. Everyone has their own preferences as to how they want the frame to behave. Probably the best way to ruin a chassis is to use rectangular tube because it eliminates almost all the flex completely causing a bounce situation in the corners.

[71racer]

Hi thank you verry much for your reply’s they have answered my question but also made a few more lol I was always under the assumption that you didn’t want any flex in the chassis so it can unload the left rear so is there any set amount of flex a fella should be aiming for ? And I assume everything else will still work the same kpi/caster/preload/scrub thanks again for any and all insight on this subject

[thebandit21]

You need chassis flex just for that reason, if your chassis is too stiff you will have a bounce problem in the corners (then you will be so busy trying to correct the bounce problem rather then having the correct tire pressures needed for handling and traction) Also if you unload the left rear on a stiff chassis you are also unloading the left front and right rear. Other then exaggerating the preload on a more flexible chassis, everything else is the same.