Folks,
I noticed that the frame on my '60 Bugeye is slightly bent upwared. I am a
lousy ASCII artist but let me try to explain.
I have the car upside down (doing a complete re-build of the underside -
floorpan, sils, posts, the works...). I just noticed that the two box
cross-section members that form the H main beam assembly underneath the engine
are bent upward just bit. Not a lot, about a degree or so. The bend is right
behind the front suspension spring mounts.
I was wondering if this is the way it is supposed to be as part of the front
suspension/steering geometry, or is it a telltail sign of hard life?
Front Chassis and Suspension
Main Beam Assembly
Top-down or bottom-up view
+-Spring Mounts
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|
v
__ | <-- Front Bulkhead
/ \ | |
\ / v |
-------------------------- <----- Main Beams
--------------------------
| | ^ |
Front | | | |
Cross-----> | | | | < Transmission Tunnel Starts Here
Member | | v |
--------------------------
--------------------------
/ \ ^ |
\__/ | |
| |
|
|
+--- Two bends
Both the main beams are bent upward by same amount, it is as if the car had
landed squarely on its front after a short flight. Should one side get more
beating then the other after a stunt like this? There are no other signs
of frame or suspension damage.
Question, if it is indeed a demage, how can I fix it without access to
the frame jigs - the car (rather a collection of parts) is obviously not mobile.
What happens if the slight frame distortion is ignored? It is likely to affect
the front suspension camber by a degree or so.
Thanks in advance for sage advice,
Alex Levinson
alevinso@motown.ge.com
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