Frame Webbing Installation

Ian1932

Ian1932

Senior Member
Im getting ready to drop a roadster body on the 32' frame.I know it goes under the firewall but what about under the gas tank? Do you hold the webbing in place with 2 sided tape or something? Most pictures i see its just loose and it seems the bolts are the only thing holding it in place...How far from the outside edge of the frame should i hold it back? Thanks for your help!
 
Originally the 1/16" x 2" webbing was held in place with brass grommets used on several of the larger holes in the chassis frame. It was centered on the frame so that both the outer and inner edges of the frame rails were covered. Two-sided tape is a good substitute. The webbing only extends back to the beginning of the kick up in the frame to clear the rear axle as shown in the photo below.

The last two body mounts on each side were rectangular rubber pads, the first 1/8" thick and the last at the back of the body 1/4" thick. Late in the model year the rearmost body bolt on cabriolets, coupes, and roadsters was changed to incorporate a spring as shown in the illustration below. This was done in response to cracks developing in the rear lower quarter panels adjacent to the lower back panel due to the frame flexing slightly with a full gas tank, rear mounted spare tire, and rough roads.

The gas tank was mounted on the frame on two 1/8" rubber strips slightly longer than the flanges on the sides of the tank.
 

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Great info! Thanks for the response! Also, What a cool picture you attached...The paint jobs they achieved looks so good!
 
David G: I am amazed that you could provide such an obscure bit of information along with a drawing. Well done.
 
19Fordy said:
David G: I am amazed that you could provide such an obscure bit of information along with a drawing. Well done.
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Right on! Im not building a totally point on car. I just cant get away from this group because there is such accurate and detailed information by people that know so much and have so much documentation its unreal!!!!
 
Thanks from me, too, on the rear mount detail. I had to fix some stress cracks on my 32 sedan body in that area so once it comes off the backburner it will get a spring included.

Mart.
 
DavidG said:
Originally the 1/16" x 2" webbing was held in place with brass grommets used on several of the larger holes in the chassis frame. It was centered on the frame so that both the outer and inner edges of the frame rails were covered. Two-sided tape is a good substitute. The webbing only extends back to the beginning of the kick up in the frame to clear the rear axle as shown in the photo below.

The last two body mounts on each side were rectangular rubber pads, the first 1/8" thick and the last at the back of the body 1/4" thick. Late in the model year the rearmost body bolt on cabriolets, coupes, and roadsters was changed to incorporate a spring as shown in the illustration below. This was done in response to cracks developing in the rear lower quarter panels adjacent to the lower back panel due to the frame flexing slightly with a full gas tank, rear mounted spare tire, and rough roads.

The gas tank was mounted on the frame on two 1/8" rubber strips slightly longer than the flanges on the sides of the tank.
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David, this is somewhat timely for me. I am building a 32 Roadster using a heavily modified Henry Ford 32 Frame and a Brookville Roadster Body. Everything was fitting until I got to the back of the car where I noticed a wedge gap from the top of the frame above the axle to the end of the frame where the gast tank sits. Not bolted down, there is shy of a 3/4" gap between the body and the last bolt hole. Is this too much or, is this about right after snugging down against a 1/4" Rubber block? I certainly don't want to induce any strain on the body by forcing it down. I was planning on pie cutting the frame above the axle to take up this gap. But maybe I don't really need to? 3/4" is a 1/2" more than the 1/4" space used for the blocks. Thoughts?

Google Album with pictures of my build: https://photos.app.goo.gl/NRMLwdswZGkt5ofL8
 

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On the 32's that I put together I used a little weatherstrip cement (black) to hold the frame webbing in place.
 
Marty in Mesa...
I took a quick look at your photo album. The large gap between the rear of the body and the top of the gas tank indicates that the rear of the frame needs to come up to close that gap. How you accomplish that is dealers choice and you will find differing opinions of the best way how to do it. This will also bring the top of the frame up to the body.
 
Allinger said:
Marty in Mesa...
I took a quick look at your photo album. The large gap between the rear of the body and the top of the gas tank indicates that the rear of the frame needs to come up to close that gap. How you accomplish that is dealers choice and you will find differing opinions of the best way how to do it. This will also bring the top of the frame up to the body.
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Up until I saw Dave's post, I was going to pie cut the frame above or just behind the axle to bring it up, but I think that 1/4" gap needs to be there for clearance for the tank?

Marty
 
Marty,

From your comments above, you certainly do not want to eliminate all of the gap between the underside of the extreme end of the body and the frame rails or you won't have room for the gas tank, at least not in the stock position.

Judging from your photo, your gap progressively widens from front to rear, which is normal, although it ends up perhaps wider at the very rear than original. What I would do is tighten all but the last body-to-frame bolts per my note above with the webbing and forward 1/8" pads in place and test fit the gas tank with its own 1/8" thick pads and see if the resulting gap between the back lower edge of the body and the top of the gas tank is acceptable or not.

If you are planning to use the rear fenders and frame horn covers in conjunction with those fenders or simply just the frame horn covers, keep in mind that the top forward edge of the frame horn covers and the rubber bumpers that fit into those forward edges must fit within the gap between the body and the gas tank.

If the gap between tank top and the bottom edge of the body is acceptable, I'd create some 1/4"-1/2" rubber pads for that rear body to frame attachment and spring load the bolts as per the sketch in #2 above, perhaps tapering the pad to obtain the best pre-load fit. In doing so, limit the amount of the pad material rearward of the bolt passing through the pad as the front lip of the gas tank won't end up far enough forward if the body rubber pad extends too far rearward.
 
Is the rear bolt with spring the same spring as the gas tank and radiator? If not where would one find the right spring?
 
DavidG said:
Marty,

From your comments above, you certainly do not want to eliminate all of the gap between the underside of the extreme end of the body and the frame rails or you won't have room for the gas tank, at least not in the stock position.

Judging from your photo, your gap progressively widens from front to rear, which is normal, although it ends up perhaps wider at the very rear than original. What I would do is tighten all but the last body-to-frame bolts per my note above with the webbing and forward 1/8" pads in place and test fit the gas tank with its own 1/8" thick pads and see if the resulting gap between the back lower edge of the body and the top of the gas tank is acceptable or not.

If you are planning to use the rear fenders and frame horn covers in conjunction with those fenders or simply just the frame horn covers, keep in mind that the top forward edge of the frame horn covers and the rubber bumpers that fit into those forward edges must fit within the gap between the body and the gas tank.

If the gap between tank top and the bottom edge of the body is acceptable, I'd create some 1/4"-1/2" rubber pads for that rear body to frame attachment and spring load the bolts as per the sketch in #2 above, perhaps tapering the pad to obtain the best pre-load fit. In doing so, limit the amount of the pad material rearward of the bolt passing through the pad as the front lip of the gas tank won't end up far enough forward if the body rubber pad extends too far rearward.
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DavidG, you have no idea how much I appreciate running into your post.

I am in fit/mock up stage now. (Fenderless High Boy) This is the time to check to see how much gap there will be and I will add the 1/8" rubber spacers under the tank, that and the thickness of the tank flange itself seems to account for that 1/4" rubber spacer in the rearmost mounting position correct? And per the other recent post, the spring looks exactly like the radiator suspension spring. I would assume it is acceptable?

If I had made that pie cut on the frame and done what I had planned to do, which is pull the frame up to the body in the rear and then welded the pie cut, I wouldn't have had room for the tank and its rubber spacer as you suggested.

Again, THANK YOU! To you and everyone else on the forum that try to help others! Especially those of us "new" to the 32s!
Marty
 
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Re the webbing... when I did that job (on a 34), It was suggested to me to use a contractors adhesive, applied via 'the gun' that contractors use. 'Course all the body holes are pre-punched. Worked good for me, and no problems with the webbing moving around while wrestling with the body.
 
The spring in the illustration (B-82060) is not the same as that used for the radiator (B-8130), but that latter spring would do the job if your primary concern is function and not authenticity.
 
DavidG said:
The spring in the illustration (B-82060) is not the same as that used for the radiator (B-8130), but that latter spring would do the job if your primary concern is function and not authenticity.
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Not sure if one could find the correct spring today, but I will look.
Marty
 
DavidG said:
The spring in the illustration (B-82060) is not the same as that used for the radiator (B-8130), but that latter spring would do the job if your primary concern is function and not authenticity.
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DavidG
I wonder about the spring tension. I see there are springs for the gas tank itself. Unsure where those would go and whether or not they have more tension than the radiator spring.

Marty
 
Marty,


The spring for the long gas tank bolt is the same as those for the radiator. You can adjust the tension on whatever spring you choose by tightening/loosening the nut on the bolts for the rear body-to-frame attachment. I suggest that the 'kiss' principle applies here.
 
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