[Fot] TR frame square, straightness?

[davehogye]

Greg, I stopped by a friends body shop today and it just so happens that he mentioned the possibility of that "urban myth". He said some cars were set that way from the factory. He also said that modern specification have a 10mm tolerance side to side, front to back and diagonally after straightening is performed. 


My frame otherwise looks straight. There are no signs of any obvious bends or kinks that might suggest being bent from an impact of some sort. There was, as I said, some badly bent wheels on the car, and the lower front edge of the main frame rails had some pretty good curb rash. It seems to me that, a hard curb impact could bend a rail upward a bit, as well as wheel. The problem with trying to address this issue on a frame machine is that it seems to me as though the spring tower and lower pin would have to be twisted forward and the frame rail pulled down. This does not seem reasonable. I am curious as to what others may have encountered through the years with Triumphs and their frames. Are there any commonalities? The factory manual shows measuring points from all angles but has no info regarding specifications and + or - tolerances. 


Dave 
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Greg ''Lunker'' Hilyer" <lunkercars at earthlink.net> 
To: "davehogye" <dlhogye at comcast.net> 
Cc: Fot at autox.team.net 
Sent: Tuesday, September 21, 2010 7:03:07 PM 
Subject: Re: [Fot] TR frame square, straightness? 

Here's a urban myth to run by the group. I actually believe it to be 
true as I've run into it more than once. 
They were set-up that way to compensate for LHD on crowned roads. RHD 
would have the corresponding difference on the other side. 
Thoughts? 

Greg "Lunker" Hilyer 
TR4 #314 
Albuquerque NM 
On Sep 21, 2010, at 6:34 PM, davehogye wrote: 

> Hello all, 
> Does anyone know the tolerable limits to frame measurements for 
> TRs. I'm about to put my TR3 body back on the frame and things are 
> reading a little out. I have a 3/8" difference from front axles to 
> back, and on the short side, the right, it's about 3/8" up on the 
> front corner. The car did have a couple badly bent wheels on it 
> when I bought it, but it had no evidence of being in any nasty 
> fender benders and all of the body panels were original. It doesn't 
> seem like a real problem to me, but now would be the time to tweek 
> it a bit and I do have access to a frame machine. 
> 
> 
> I'd appreciate any comments, 
> Dave H. 
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