Frame Twisted - Need some advice

[pistolpete]

So I have pulled my frame into the garage after sticking the car in storage, and I am starting to fill some unwanted holes and a few things. It's a stock A frame boxed with 3/16" plate, center x-member is a mess and coming out. I am also debating replacing front and rear x-member. Rear was cut for a channel job(i'm not channeling {yet}), front has a hair line crack and somewhat thinner then I would like. Now that I have noticed the twist in the frame rail on the rear driver side, not sure what to do.

Just curious is it worth it to fix the twist and carry on or find another frame. A new frame will run $250 + around here lately. What I paid for this one I couldn't have boxed it, now just not sure if I should cut and run. Its somewhat square still front it, rear is out about 1/2-3/8" once again a little more then I would like.

 

[Bonehead]

I was helping a neighbor set the body on his Vickey. The body would not line up. This is a fit and finish build show car, and we can't make it fit right. I started pulling some measurements and found his frame was bent slightly. Like 3/8 of an inch difference from one side to the other. And it really messed with us. That being said, his was not a rat. I think we could have made it work on a rat. The point being made here is if you build on this frame it will probably still work. The only part I would worry about is making sure it does not continue to flex in that area, making the frame weaker, and causing cracking.
It is hard to tell sitting here, that may be something you have to figure out from there.

 

[Dr Crankenstein]

I say fix it. Remove the boxing plate where it's required, straighten the rail, and replace the plate. It'll probably help the out-of-square business, too.

Chances are, another frame will need work. Work on this one, or work on that one, it's still work. All I'm saying is, take a good look at what it takes to repair your frame before you replace it with another headache.

 

[darkk]

To me thats an easy fix...but then again, I spent most of my working life straightening frames on passenger and race cars....I'd repair it. If you have or can find good heavy a flat rigid work table/jig, that should be a piece of cake.

 

[pistolpete]

I forgot to add, the frame rails are straight up until the two lines with the arrows pointing in, the worst spot is at the line with the two arrows pointing to it, its about 3/8" different from top of rail to the bottom of the rail.

It's not nessisarily going real ratty either, just won't be show quality. Going for a somewhat traditional look/feel to it.

Thanks guys, I guess I'll cut out the boxing plate and see what I can do. Think a place that straightens frames would be able to do it without cutting the plate out? There a local place that I have heard is really good and not overly expensive. I'll be honest I am more of a BFH mechanic at times, so I am not 100% sure how to really start this as I do not have a jig, nor do I have open access to one.

 

[Old Iron]

I'd work with what you've got.
Shoot the frame shop can work wonders with it.
The frame needs some sort of X in it too. After straightening to keep it square !!!!!!!

Jim

 

[Dr Crankenstein]

Sounds like the boxing plate was welded into a bent rail to begin with. [S

Ask the local shop about it. (Talk is free). Call 'em up and drag it down there. An experienced frame guy will tell you what can and can't be done when he sees it. Even if you don't give them the work, you should come away with a game plan.

 

[pistolpete]

Sounds like the boxing plate was welded into a bent rail to begin with. [S

It looks that way to me, but I can only imagine the headache trying to bend the 3/16" plate to match the frame like that. Its weird though becuase infront of the forward line and behind the rear line, it is almost dead nuts on. With a guage its 1/2 a degree from a pefect 90 (as compaired to the top of the rail, at the centre line it is almost 10 degrees out.

Old Iron, that was my plan, as I plan to put in a T5 behind a flat head, so I have something spinning in the wheels up top for a new centre crossmember.

Thanks guys, I'll see what the local shop tells me and go from there.

 

[bob w]

How does the frame measure diagonally? If it is pretty square and merely has a twist for a short section of one frame rail, you could work around it. It is hard to suggest that a tweeked frame might be serviceabe, but I've seen much worse going down the road just fine.

 

[pistolpete]

I had a mis-type in my first post, diagonally from end to end its about 1/4"-3/8" out. From centre crossmember to front crossmember its within a 1/16". From centre crossmember to rear crossmember its out the 1/4"-3/8".