Metal for frames?? What to us?

^unless its heavily triangulated to make it strong.

3x3 3/16 here..if its built right it will be plenty strong enough..I'm pretty sure KRZ customz uses 1/8..not positive about that..but as long as the frame is designed right you shouldnt have any problems..1/4 is some heavy stuff..and I look at performance of a truck as well as looks..a factory frame is less than 1/8..and its not even fully boxed in..

^^(Good Points) We've used 2x2x3/16 on a short cab mini and love it, but on an extended cab Ranger for example I might go heavier and maybe 2x3? It all just depends on what I found out researching the truck ya know? It just depends on the truck weight, expected hauling/towing weight, horsepower, wheel base of the truck, and how you design the frame? What are you building and what welder are you using too?

your exactly right J..depends on the application..I used the 3x3 3/16 on a fullsize reg cab with a 4.3 engine..so you can see why I worry about weight! but on an extended cab I might would have gotten heavier..and on a mini I might would have gone with 2x3..it all depends on what your trying to build and its purpose..in general 2x3 1/4 is the industry standard..

2x3x3/16" is what i use, its plenty strong.

2x3 3/16" for me as well.

2x3 .120 wall works good for frames. i use 2x3 .083 but you have to make sure you brace it, cause it will flex. oh and for camparison, prostreet cars, like mine on my profile have 2x3 .083 steel, and if your runnin chrome moly 1 1/2 .063 round.. plenty strong!!

i prefer the strength of Erector sets....but if you wat some more room for adjustment...use Legos or K'Nex. I however wouldnot recommend using Duplo. they are lightweight, bulky, and generally not strong enough for the application at hand

^^ (Listening to Rev. Horton Heat right now )

this also depends on how much bracing you plan on doing, if the roof is cut off or not, the suspension, what you plan on doing with it, etc etc etc

but a good rule of thumb is to make it stronger than it needs to be, not just "good enough"

with an adjustable suspension theres more stress on the frame than on a stock truck.
if you are building a single cab mini with a roof, 2x3x3/16 would be the minimum. yes I know many have made them with 2x2, but thats just way too close to the point of bending it, and that also makes the cab have to support more of the weight and stress of the suspension twisting the frame. then you get cab flex which can warp the cab over time.

its not worth the little bit of weight savings or the money saved to be that close to the worst happening. plus an accident will be more devastating to a smaller tube frame. backing down to 2x2 is worse than backing down on the thickness. the size of the frame helps more in the flexing than the thickness. its a good combination of both that works best.

if you are building a dually, then you want something like 2x4x1/4 minimum. the longer the truck the thicker and taller the frame needs to be. look down the body line of many trucks and see how much the frame sags in the middle.. look at an 88-98 GM fullsize truck right down the body line and notice that over a few years there is a sag to it. just looking from the side you may not see it, but look from the back or front with your eyes down at bodyline level. many bagged trucks have this same sag as people dont take into account the flex of the frame when they are building it. they just build it level and when you put it on some suspension and add some weight you get some sag.

then its too late to try and fix it easily.
you can make a frame with 2x2x5/16 thick and a 2x3x1/8 is stronger for up and down flexing. and if its properly crossbraced will twist far less.

the problem is that many people who you may ask or may comment have not ever built a full frame. they have only built a back half or from the front firewall back. thats justn not enough experience to say on a minitruck suspension.
also race car tube frames are a totally different animal and cant even compare to a rectangle tube minitruck ladder style frame. thats more of a cage type rigid setup versus a flexing frame.