A buddy of mine got a pretty nice, well built frame with his new Model A project. It has a big step in the back and is swept up in the front also. He got all the suspension hung, both front and rear. Now he's almost certain the right rail is about a 1/4 inch down from about half way back, right up to the front horns. We've been trying to figure this out for the last week now and have kinda given up. If we have to pull the body and lay this thing on a perfectly level surface we will. How the hell can you measure a custom frame and tell if one side is up or down??
There's a good chance it has a twist in it. Kinda hard to measure how much without proper equipment though. A 1/4 inch isn't much to worry about on a normal frame that twists and flexes throughout normal driving. But on a homebuilt, who knows. Whats it built out of and how are you measuring it? Got pictures?
If it wasnt built in a jig it wont be perfect. All of mine are built on the shop floor and as close as I can get them but not perfect. It will be hard to measure with out being on a jig of some kind. Maybe you could mock up a econo jig under the car with blocks and a level. Just thinking out loud my not be of any help though.
Hey, First off, where is he getting this 1/4'' down figger, and how did he arive at it? Do this, if he is sure of that measurement, try placing a floor jack under the right frame horn. Lift the fully loaded frame and recheck his 1/4'' figger, same? different? If the frame measurement did change, he could have design "issues". Not fatal issues, but frame flex in a ladder frame isn't unheard of. A tram gage would "hint"' at " twist damage" in the frame, a set of standard self centering frame gages would tell all. There are "Older methods of measurement" using plumb bobs to sort out damage by marking points in the floor beneth the vehicle, removing the vehicle from the area, and measuring between recorded points to determin measuerments, but they predate my training in frame repair. Swankey Devils C.C. "Meanwhile, back aboard The Tainted Pork"
1/4"? Is that all? How fatal is that? Could it be rectified with a pair of fender washers on the right side where the frame is supposedly down to make up the 1/4" difference? I too second the idea of where this measurement comes from. And what difference is it going to make if the 1/4" is rectified - will the body line up better? suspension fit closer/tighter? What?
Guess what ? If both axles are paraell and the tires on each side follow each other it don't matter if there is a bit of error in the frame. A washer or 2 to get the body to fit right and you are good to go. Even that kinda diamond/diagnal error won't cause any problems on a street car. 300 MPH different story. If the wheelbase is the same on both sides and the rear wheel on each side follows the track of the front wheel the same way you're in biz!
I wouldn't fret over 1/4 inch. I build frames on the floor too. I use 4 screw jacks and level it, pull square measurements corner to corner.
Set jack stands on all 4 corners of the frame. Level either the front or rear pair with a level and TRY to level the other pair.Run a level across the the frame in different locations. You can do this with the body on if you have access, if not, then pull the body and check. Thats how you find out.
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