Page 9: The Frame is Straightened
March 2003

March 17^th: Frame adjustments.

Back from the frame shop, the chassis is now perfectly straight and square. All of the mounting points are exactly where the factory said they should be.
This is the area that needed the most work. The car had been hit in the left rear at some point, and the frame had been lengthened on the left to readjust the mounting points. That was probably an acceptable solution back in the 1970's, when the car was all together, but it didn't address the roofline or other subtle effects of the accident. Since the car is being totally restored, it's possible to readjust the entire frame.
The rectangular metal plate on top of the frame near the bulkhead was welded on to use as a place to pull. It will be cut off and the frame will be cosmetically finished.

Since the original repair had lengthened the frame, after the chassis was straightened the left frame had to be shortened. These cuts were used to remove some of the length while preserving the holes properly. The lower support tube mounting point (on the side of the frame) was moved about 1/4" to put it back in the right place.

The lower frame had to be shortened too. The hole is where one of the engine mounts goes (a big round rubber block). The suspension mounts (left of the hole) will be repositioned to convert to SV-style suspension.

The mounting points for the front body had to be readjusted too. You can see the black weld area in the upper corner. The entire process took a few days, but Bobileff's attention to this important step will result in a very straight car. If I had tried to restore the car myself I probably would have overlooked this, or not discovered it until much further in the process were it would have been much more difficult to address. This is one of those many situations where it pays to have someone experienced do the work right the first time.

	Back from the frame shop, the chassis is now perfectly straight and square. All of the mounting points are exactly where the factory said they should be. This is the area that needed the most work. The car had been hit in the left rear at some point, and the frame had been lengthened on the left to readjust the mounting points. That was probably an acceptable solution back in the 1970's, when the car was all together, but it didn't address the roofline or other subtle effects of the accident. Since the car is being totally restored, it's possible to readjust the entire frame. The rectangular metal plate on top of the frame near the bulkhead was welded on to use as a place to pull. It will be cut off and the frame will be cosmetically finished.
	Since the original repair had lengthened the frame, after the chassis was straightened the left frame had to be shortened. These cuts were used to remove some of the length while preserving the holes properly. The lower support tube mounting point (on the side of the frame) was moved about 1/4" to put it back in the right place.
	The lower frame had to be shortened too. The hole is where one of the engine mounts goes (a big round rubber block). The suspension mounts (left of the hole) will be repositioned to convert to SV-style suspension.
	The mounting points for the front body had to be readjusted too. You can see the black weld area in the upper corner. The entire process took a few days, but Bobileff's attention to this important step will result in a very straight car. If I had tried to restore the car myself I probably would have overlooked this, or not discovered it until much further in the process were it would have been much more difficult to address. This is one of those many situations where it pays to have someone experienced do the work right the first time.

Page 9: The Frame is StraightenedMarch 2003

Page 9: The Frame is Straightened
March 2003