Is this frame worth saving?

[john charlton]

Cant find my frame straightening pics so here is a short description . Lay the frame on a concrete floor . Get a heavy piece of timber, railroad tie works great .they are about 8 feet long . Lay the frame on the tie and place suitable chain around the frame and tie just inboard of the front and rear cross members with room for jack height . Chock the other side of the frame up so it is level . Cushion the chain with heavy cloth and cut two hard wood chocks cut to size and bang them into the frame channel in way of the chains . This stops the frame from buckling when you jack . Place a 20 ton bottle jack in way of the motor mount put a block of wood on top of the jack to protect the frame . You will need to jack past dead flat as the frame will spring back . Also get a nice long straight edge ,or string !!!

John in same weather Suffolk County England

 

[Terry NJ]

I meant only longitudenal stringers about 6 " long on the inside of the bottom flange of the frame. A couple of stringers should do it. DO NOT WELD CROSSWISE TO THE FRAME! Under any circumstances!
You're correct about the bottom flange being "in tension" and the top flange being "In compression", But stretching metal has more effect than does compression. Also, I would preheat the rail to help cut down on any HAZ effects. But like you, I'm groping in the dark since it's all speculation, I have never tried this. This is just how I would do it.
Was the car ever hit? I would assume so if the frame is racked or torqued. Have you done a diagonal, corner to corner measurement! Good Luck!!!
Terry

Call me crazy, but, I am going to try to save it!
I have been welding for only a few years,so this project will be mostly to build up my self-confidence before I tackle a "good" Model A.

I had assumed the frame sagged because the bottom stretched, but the top has also shortened by wrinkling. It's also twisted.

 

[john charlton]

The most likely cause of the twist in your frame is that one frame rail is sagging more than the other . When you get it flat the twist should be gone .If you cant get a suitable piece of timber a length of steel joist will work just as well .I have used this method several times over the years and it works just fine . I straightened my cabriolet frame about 25 years ago and it is still dead flat with perfect hood and door gaps . My frame was very bent as the car had been hard hit many years before ( I found lead filler in panel repairs no bondo !!!)

John in same place same weather .

 

[Bob C]

Here are a couple of pictures showing how Brent used heat to straighten the frame.

Bob

 

[ken will]

Cant find my frame straightening pics so here is a short description . Lay the frame on a concrete floor . Get a heavy piece of timber, railroad tie works great .they are about 8 feet long . Lay the frame on the tie and place suitable chain around the frame and tie just inboard of the front and rear cross members with room for jack height . Chock the other side of the frame up so it is level . Cushion the chain with heavy cloth and cut two hard wood chocks cut to size and bang them into the frame channel in way of the chains . This stops the frame from buckling when you jack . Place a 20 ton bottle jack in way of the motor mount put a block of wood on top of the jack to protect the frame . You will need to jack past dead flat as the frame will spring back . Also get a nice long straight edge ,or string !!!

John in same weather Suffolk County England

I was going to try this, but when I flipped the frame, I just put my (sufficiently large) body weight on the frame,and the top of the frame broke which removed most of the sag.
A plumbers wrench took out most of the twist.
I then clamped a long piece of angle iron on the outside as a splint, while I welded a couple of angle irons on the inside.
I am going to leave it partially welded for now in case I have to tweak it when I add the fenders, body, and hood.

Thanks again for the helpful suggestions.

 

[Bob C]

How about some pictures of your frame?

Bob