so i'm bringing my coupe back home on monday and i think that the first thing to do is to get the frame solid so that i can have a good foundation to work with. my question is this....can i just jackstand-level the frame to reinstall the front crossmember? the rear and center members have never been out so i dont think the frame has done much twisting or tweaking. also, will putting it back in the original location cause any probs/interference with a SBC?... i'm running fenders so will moving it forward any goof things up>? 4" drop axle rev eye spring and 165/15's up front what say you?? thanks.
leveling on jack stands will give you a crude idea if the frame rails have tweaked up or down ,measure front to rear in an x fashion to see if rails have moved forward or back these frames can move being that the crossmembers are just riveted. as for as location use stock if you plan on running a hood Depending on where you mount you small block you may have to trim the lip on the cross member hope this helps
My advice is to get a new front crossmember from Ch***is Engineering..they're a lot heavier, and nothing to trim out.... Sell the old stocker to a restorer....good front crossmembers are getting harder to find....by the time you do this, you'll have most of the moeny for the new one recouped anyways. I don't know what year your Model A is, front radiator mounting pad area is 3/16" lower than the top of the frame rail on 30 / 31's, 28/29 crossmembers are flush with the tops in the radiator mounting pad area.. Put the crossmember in at a 7 degree angle for proper caster angle while you're at it. Wheelbase is 103 1/2" long. Why not make up a new set of rails like HAMBer 60's Style did and eliminate all that boxing, welding, and warping as you're running a SBC anyways? Sell the whole frame off to a restorer and make a new one up that will last? (and save a lot of grief...)
You can get a good dimensional drawing at Wescott's web site and another source for a crossmember, rails or perimiter frame is LRS inc. at streetrodderstuff.com . I agree with abone that you would benefit a great deal from a modern frame and can save all the labor. My frame was delivered for under $1000. The welding was expert and it is dead straight.
I once boxed and installed crossmembers in a A frame without a table, after boxing rails, put on jackstands leveling rails clamp them,measure for squareness, then place 3 by 2 ft. sheets of plywood at each end, load up sand bags, the tack in crossmembers the weight should keep them from moving around. It is much easier with a table but if you don't have one.....
Decent stock frame - free. Boxing plates ready to go - $95. Welding rod - I haven't priced welding rod, but a pro welder I know used up about three per side welding a hitch on for me - he layed out beads in a way that I can slice it off the frame if I sell the truck - and only charged me $20. I think I'll build the stock frame. My question: If I determine the frame is square all around, can I tack weld the front and rear crossmembers into place to keep it that way?
i would really love to get a new TCI or hell bent frame but thats 1000 bucks i don't have right now.... i've considered selling my frame. a model a club guy lives down the street. could probably off it in a day. even if i sell it, i'm still down 700. i'd really much rather keep everything together. every part i have is original to the car. i like that. it was an unfinished resto project when i got it...besides, it still has the running board suports and already has all the holes fot the fenders and splash aprons etc... im with rusty newyorker... i'll go out 100 for boxing plates, welding rod is cheap... thanks for the info. yes i'm running a hood. its a 29..... going off track...will a 29 hood line up with a 32 grille shell without too much work?? i have one laying around....
If you do the jackstand route, make sure you brace the frame up top and bottom. As in weld in a fakey crossmember so the frame doesn't twist in. and use jackstands on whole frame. It took me 2 f*ck ups to figure the tricks, but now I can half *** a frame pretty good! TP
The A hood needs to be pie cut at the front to work with a deuce shell as the arc is longer on the deuce. you can buy a one piece (yuck) top from rootlieb if you want to eliminate the hinge. Rootlied has great dimension info on their site regarding grillshell/hood relathionships... Good luck...
ALTERED-- Your project sounds exactly like mine, and im going to be doing the same things to mine it sounds like, except im putting in a Hemi. Post some pics or email them to me when you do your ch***is. IM doin a 29 that someone was in the process of restoring. You wanna get rid of that 32 grill? srosa707@msn.com
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