Thread: Tweaked Frame

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I have a 1927 T Bucket with a tweaked frame. The passenger side front rail is 5/8 to 3/4 of an inch higher than the driver's side rail. I bought it from a guy that built in it in 1970. The steel body is welded to the original frame and there is sheet metal molded around the frame so I would realy not want to take the body off the frame unless I have to. Options that I have been considering are: 1.) Take it to a frame straightener. 2.) Chain it to the floor and tweak it back my self. 3.) Scrub the whole thing and build or buy a another frame and probably body. Just wondering what you guys think.

Thanks

Since the frame appears to be 2 rails that should be level, I think you can fix it yourself. Measure to find out which rail is bent & where it is bent at.....usually one rail will be pushed up & if your doors are working okay it will be probably be bent at the firewall area.
If the bend is confined to one area you can cut a pie shaped of the frame & push the rail in place, weld & box.
This sounds easy but, it will take many hours of leveling & measuring first. If the frame is bent over a large area this area will have to be cut out & replaced.
let us know where the damage is BEFORE proceeding

Thanks, Don. I will probably have to cut the body off to do that since the rail at the firewall is higher on one side than the other. Also, the rails behind the body seem to be ok. From that, I am assuming that the problem is under the body. Also, I didn't tell you that the previous owner welded a 1/4 inch steel floor to the body and frame. Maybe that is where the problem lies. I will let you know...Thanks again

Steve

Hey Bucket, with that much cobbling you might be better to start off with a new frame!!! It's not that tough to dupilcate the dimension of the stock frame with rectangular tubing. Considering the time spent straightening and boxing, you might be time and money ahead to use new materials. Fatigue cracks and distortion/warpage from all the welding would be another consideration. Just my 2 cents worth.

A friend put a stock Caddy engine in a T with the original frame and twisted it 8 inches on his first burnout. I would agree with Dave on building a new frame from 2X3 tubing. You can get repro model A front and rear crossmembers and have a whole new frame for under $500.
I would recommend making body mounts instead of welding the body back on.

One thing you haven't mentioned is if there's any tweak in the body. Since the body is welded to the frame it should act very much like a unibody. If the frame was twisted after the body was welded on, there would have to be some deflection of the sheet metal. Since you didn't mention any I'll guess that the car was put together wrong/distorted in the first place.

Tritto on Dave and Al's comments about fabbing a new frame.

I checked the thing out tonight and I am sure it would destroy the body if I cut it off of the frame. I did locate the bend and it is right where Don said it might be-at the firewall. I either need to start completely ofer with a new frame and body, or give Don's procedure a try. What do you think, Don?

Thanks

Steve

If you're good, you can get that frame off the body. Is it just welded on at the floor pan? Why not cut around the weld from the top and just weld in a new section. Then put some real body mounts underneath.