Getting Dressed: Stock Car Racing Magazine's Fastruck Project

Our Fastruck project is beginning to look like a truck now. The Five Star body parts all came in one large box-a really large box. The polycarbonate windshield and rear window were well protected and survived the trip without a scratch. Each panel from roof to tail and hood to nose was wrapped and packed with care.

Mounting the body is something to be done by someone with experience, or you should allocate sufficient time to gain the experience yourself. In addition to just fitting the pieces together, you must consider the rules where you run. There are specific measurements of height at specific parts of the body. There are also measurements of forward slant that could affect aerodynamics. Use these measurements to your advantage in order to gain downforce.

To begin, make up a number of adjustable 'T' hangers using 31/44-inch and 11/42-inch square tubing. The 'T' is made of 11/42-inch square. The top of the 'T' can be about 5 inches long with the stem being about 8 inches long. The sleeve is cut from 31/44-inch square tubing that is about 8 inches long or the length that is needed. A 31/48-inch hole is drilled into the sleeve, and a 51/416-inch nut is welded over the hole. If a bolt is inserted in the nut, the threads will stay clean during welding. When the stem of the 'T' is inserted into the sleeve, a bolt through the nut will hold an adjustment. The sleeve is either welded or bolted to the chassis. Placement is determined by the body rules and the fit of the body. These adjustable brackets serve to allow temporary location of panels while measuring and leveling. Once all is fitted, the brackets are welded together so their measurement doesn't change.

We started with the cab roof. It was located according to the Fastruck rules, which dictate the height off the ground and forward slant. Then everything keyed off of this. By starting at the cab, any trimming and fitting was taken out in small increments toward each end. There were places where some notching was needed, such as around the down bars from the 'cage.

The vertical parts of the cab locate the top of the door panels. This is an area where you should use Cleco fasteners. Clecos are like temporary pop rivets, and they can be inserted and removed with Cleco pliers. This way you can locate a panel and, if necessary, move it with only a few holes showing. Of course, you should locate it before drilling a hole.

Once the bed sides and tailpanels were put together and in place on the square tube frame, the bed cover was fabricated. This was in several panels. One of these at the rear was hinged for easy access to the fuel cell. A little thought here makes life easier for several years. The rear bumper was adjusted to properly fit the length of the side panels.

A sheetmetal brake is necessary for bending the flanges on the bed top panels. Cutting the panels to size from larger sheets of 0.040-inch aluminum is often done on a metal shear. If you don't own one or have access to one, there is another way to make straight, clean cuts. Tin snips will usually not leave a smooth edge. With the metal clamped in the brake and aligned where we wanted the cut, we used a thin, sharpened screwdriver to drag along the edge of the brake. This makes a narrow trench so when the brake bends the metal, it will break along this line. Practice this on some scraps to get the feel of how much pressure to put on the screwdriver.

We mounted the Five Star Bodies polycarbonate (generic Lexan(tm)) spoiler at the rear. Before mounting, it was trimmed to size on a table saw. It comes prebent.