Frame Sag @ motor mount

VWJoe

VWJoe

Member
Well this topic has been beat to death so grab the Advill. After reading a million posts on this subject, I decided to do it my way. My frame had a 3/16" sag at the LH motor mount causing door alignment problems. I took a peice of 4"X8" oak cribing and chained it under the frame. I then placed a 3ton hyd. jack between the timber & the frame and started jacking. I also used a 4"X4" along with a heavy C-clamp to straighten the top of the channel. Hey, it worked for me !!!
 

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I'll be serious,
One of our guys has 2 "dead man" anchors imbedded in his floor, chains each end of the frame down, and with a 4x4 and a jack, straightens them, even on a completed car. Rarely ever do they sag again. (smoother roads today?)--Bill W.
 
I had a 31 PU & I noticed it had a stack of washers under the body mounts & hood hooks.When I took it apart to re-restore it,I found the frame was sagged 5/8"on both sides.I did mine the same way with a 20 ton bottle jack.I used a thick plate under each channel flange with a 3/4"bolt with the nut partly unscrewed to hold the upper plate tight to prevent frame distortion.It took a lot of pressure to go beyond plumb to get it just above level.It only took a couple hours or so and it was done.Before,the brake cross shaft would rub on the DS,and I was able to remove the spacers between brackets & frame & from under hood hooks.
 
Joe,
Thanks for sharing that in picture form! Great info for future use. How much past 'plumb' did you have to go to get it to stay at level ?
 
I used Brents advice from a past post, heating and cooling the bottom of the frame to shrink it. Worked like a charm. Thanks Brent
 
Hardtimes,

I pushed the frame up to a point where the level would just rock over the hump. Then let the pressure off the jack to let the frame rest a level. It took a couple easy pushes to get it where it was level. Total work time start to finish was about an hour.
 
Thanks "Oldscout". Ironically, very likely I could have made the repairs to the rail just as fast, --if not faster with the torch than all the time it took to get the jack, the chain, some timbers, cribbing, etc. all positioned and set up. I know I would have been able to wrap up the hoses and put the oxy/acetylene cart away faster, ...and the heat/shrink method is a stronger repair. Oh well, it worked for him.
 
VWJoe said:
Hardtimes,

I pushed the frame up to a point where the level would just rock over the hump. Then let the pressure off the jack to let the frame rest a level. It took a couple easy pushes to get it where it was level. Total work time start to finish was about an hour.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that info. It's always nice to have more than one way to do 'things', as some of us have your kind of 'tools' also. I don't have luxury of anything except hand tools and makedo stuff (scrap iron/wood,etc:)) and still getalong. Sweat , hard work and ideas like yours gets it done !
 
Is that a 24" Port Austin Level?? Great instrument though I recently saw a cheap knockoff in Canada while visiting the wife's family for Christmas.
 
MrTube,

It's a Sand's and a very very unforgiving one but always tells the truth. It does keep you honest !!!:)
 
Just found a before pic:rolleyes:. The yellow arrow shows the sagging area on the frame. The red arrow shows the wave ripple on the top of the channel at the bolt hole. Better late than never,,,,,
 

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