Mild Steel vs. Chrome Moly Tubing

dankdizzle51 · 03-30-2010, 07:38 PM

My name is Frank Jackson and I just purchased a 72 Camaro that I will be building for Stock. I plan on running it in G/SA with the 200 HP 350. My question is that since I will be needing a roll bar put in, is the amount of weight saved by doing chrome moly worth the cost increase from mild steel tubing?

Alan Roehrich · 03-30-2010, 07:50 PM

Remember that it is not only about total weight, but also where that weight is. And a car with a 4130 cage, all else being equal, will usually be worth a little more, provided the cage is done well. Further, always consider what the car might become in the future. I prefer 1 5/8" 4130 tubing myself.

Jeff Lee · 03-31-2010, 02:15 AM

4130 is lighter, stronger with less flex in the body panels, and I feel ads to the re-sale value. There's another opportunity to ad weight where you want on the car. Trust me, the benefits are not truly realized until later on as you become more knowledgable and experienced.

Tom Goldman · 03-31-2010, 08:06 AM

Check out a previous post on this sublect on the 4 th page of the tech posts ........Bottom line is that .O83" CM saves approximately 30% in weight over .134" wall ERW . ..............and added value to your car , But weigh the cost versus the weight , especially if you will need to add a lot of weight to make the class min weight. .............CM tube will provide no more rigidity over MS when the required wall thickness' are used ..... Rigidity and structural integrety come from proper bar placement and anchoring............... There are MANY killer performing cars that have a MS roll bar in them ........Tom

Bryan Broaddus · 03-31-2010, 05:06 PM

Also consider the MS can be welded with a MIG and the CM must be TIG welded which is more difficult and expensive.

Someone mentioned 1 5/8 CM was their choice. If you are doing a roll bar it must be 1 3/4 inch. 1 5/8 is reserved for roll cages.

03-30-2010, 07:38 PM	#1
dankdizzle51 Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Posts: 1 Likes: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Mild Steel vs. Chrome Moly Tubing My name is Frank Jackson and I just purchased a 72 Camaro that I will be building for Stock. I plan on running it in G/SA with the 200 HP 350. My question is that since I will be needing a roll bar put in, is the amount of weight saved by doing chrome moly worth the cost increase from mild steel tubing?

03-30-2010, 07:50 PM	#2
Alan Roehrich VIP Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Murfreesboro TN Posts: 4,911 Likes: 994 Liked 1,035 Times in 271 Posts	Re: Mild Steel vs. Chrome Moly Tubing Remember that it is not only about total weight, but also where that weight is. And a car with a 4130 cage, all else being equal, will usually be worth a little more, provided the cage is done well. Further, always consider what the car might become in the future. I prefer 1 5/8" 4130 tubing myself. __________________ Alan Roehrich 212A G/S

03-31-2010, 02:15 AM	#3
Jeff Lee VIP Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Anthem, Arizona Posts: 2,766 Likes: 0 Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts	Re: Mild Steel vs. Chrome Moly Tubing 4130 is lighter, stronger with less flex in the body panels, and I feel ads to the re-sale value. There's another opportunity to ad weight where you want on the car. Trust me, the benefits are not truly realized until later on as you become more knowledgable and experienced. __________________ Jeff Lee 7494 D/S '70 AMX

03-31-2010, 08:06 AM	#4
Tom Goldman VIP Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Allentown,PA Posts: 2,436 Likes: 776 Liked 700 Times in 204 Posts	Re: Mild Steel vs. Chrome Moly Tubing Check out a previous post on this sublect on the 4 th page of the tech posts ........Bottom line is that .O83" CM saves approximately 30% in weight over .134" wall ERW . ..............and added value to your car , But weigh the cost versus the weight , especially if you will need to add a lot of weight to make the class min weight. .............CM tube will provide no more rigidity over MS when the required wall thickness' are used ..... Rigidity and structural integrety come from proper bar placement and anchoring............... There are MANY killer performing cars that have a MS roll bar in them ........Tom __________________ Tom Goldman 1500 SG , 1506 STK Last edited by Tom Goldman; 03-31-2010 at 08:13 AM.

03-31-2010, 05:06 PM	#5
Bryan Broaddus Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 100 Likes: 1 Liked 18 Times in 3 Posts	Re: Mild Steel vs. Chrome Moly Tubing Also consider the MS can be welded with a MIG and the CM must be TIG welded which is more difficult and expensive. Someone mentioned 1 5/8 CM was their choice. If you are doing a roll bar it must be 1 3/4 inch. 1 5/8 is reserved for roll cages. __________________ Bryan Broaddus 7568 STK ,SS