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I'm just trying to understand how a short boxed frame like these will droop with no weight on them? How much does that roadster body weigh? Just asking because I sure don't know it all. I've had people tell me my frame on my K30 will flex horribly and I'm still waiting for it. It's boxed with 1/4" and I feel you'd have to be at the end of a 300' sled pull with the weight of the sled at your back door to get it to flex.

Roger or anyone else, when I built my Corvette and did the front tilt. I used 1" round tubing for my inner structure and I wrapped the tubing with wax paper and then glassed over that to keep the 2 seperate. I got that trick from one of the greatest Corvette restorers around here. Whom, has sadly passed away. On cold days when the dew sets on the hood, you can see the factory bracing, but not my tubing. It worked on it pretty well.

Originally Posted by 40FordDeluxe

I'm just trying to understand how a short boxed frame like these will droop with no weight on them? How much does that roadster body weigh? Just asking because I sure don't know it all. I've had people tell me my frame on my K30 will flex horribly and I'm still waiting for it. It's boxed with 1/4" and I feel you'd have to be at the end of a 300' sled pull with the weight of the sled at your back door to get it to flex.

Roger or anyone else, when I built my Corvette and did the front tilt. I used 1" round tubing for my inner structure and I wrapped the tubing with wax paper and then glassed over that to keep the 2 seperate. I got that trick from one of the greatest Corvette restorers around here. Whom, has sadly passed away. On cold days when the dew sets on the hood, you can see the factory bracing, but not my tubing. It worked on it pretty well.

Ryan,
Me too on the droop. The roadster body weighs something less than 400 pounds - my neighbor & I moved it from trailer to dolly and we're both old guys.

I read the whole instruction from Wescott, and they clearly say that the supports on stands are used to check the frame for square & distortion. Once satisfied that the frame is straight they say to get it sitting on the suspension before bolting the body down and working on body alignment. I commented that mine has been sitting on the dolly for five years, may have "settled" some, and that I believe that I might have to shim a bit to get the door openings squared up. I still believe that to be true, but now that I've got he mounting holes opened up and had the body on the frame for the first time the next step is to paint the rear end and other loose parts, and get it sitting on the wheel & tires. At some point the body will go back on to mess with alignment, but I'll also be dropping in the engine & tranny so that I can start thinking about exhaust.

The wax paper trick sounds pretty slick! I'll try to remember that one, but may have to ask you again some day as memory fades.....