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Frame Rail Reenforcement..

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Pythias

Pythias

Jedi Knight
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I got this in the mail from a member in South Dakota..


I've been reading some of the BCF site for quite awhile but unfortunatly never tried to get on the forum until after my recent virus attack.( let my spyware expire! ).I can't seem to get anywhere since I had new SW installed. If your bored I would like you to ask if any one can give input into frame rail reinforcment. I have owned several spridgets and all of them have bent frame rails starting at the back A frame mount. Black BE I had was more than a inch from that point to the front. Has got to change handling characteristics at least. I've seen pic's of race car's that were radically reenforced in that area but nothing that seemed appropriate for a street car
 
They are supposed it be bent. It is what gives the car the appropriate caster.
 
They're supposed to be that way, part of the built in caster alignment from the factory, don't try to "correct" it the car will handle like a grocery cart with a bad front wheel.
 
Wow..I am glad this was posted. I noticed this "bent rail syndrome" on my car while re-doing the floors..and thought "great..that is what you get for lifting it with the floor jack from the front all those times"..now that I know it's factory..I feel 200% better!!!

Thanks all!
 
I wonder how many have been straightened over the years.
 
I spent a lot of time trying to come up with a good method of bending the rails back on my Bugeye. I had read that some cars get over-bent, mainly on the right side. Mine were consistent. I had plans to put anchors in my shop floor and fix the front ends, then jack the car up at the bend points, using the weight of the body for leverage. I posted a question on this on one of the lists and thankfully was re-directed. The one thing that really puzzled me was that I could see no signs of distortion on any of the sheet metal that would have indicated that the rails had actually deformed from stock.
 
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