Bending a M38 frame

[Misdemeanor]

I had to figure out a way to bend my frame back from a twist it had. I found this method effective and thought it might help others out there with similar issues.

I drilled 1/2 holes into my floor and used 3/8" drop in anchors. I then screwed in 3/8 eye bolts. This was done on all four corners. I leveled the front frame rails and place the high rear side of my frame on a stand. with two opposing sides of the frame chained to the eyebolts I used a floor jack to force the frame rail up. I did this multiple times increasing the amount I raised it about 1" more until It relaxed into a level position.



The frame appears to be straight and now sits on all four stands without rocking. It seems successful.

 

[OilfieldRoughneck]

Any after pics?

 

[quickfarms]

Did you x the frame to make sure it is not a parallelogram?

Check the frame very carefully for cracks and other issues

 

[Misdemeanor]

After Pictures

Any after pics?

Here is the after picture. a level in the front and the rear cross member. all four stands have equal weight within my ability to tell.

 

[Misdemeanor]

Did you x the frame to make sure it is not a parallelogram?

Check the frame very carefully for cracks and other issues

I did check the x dimensions from the shock mounts and the shackle mounts. Both before and after had less than a 1/8" difference. The strange thing is the dimensions are off in way that would indicate the frame is off in opposite directions so even if I could tweak it I don't know what direction I would push it without making one of the measurements worse. At this point I am assuming the riveted mounts are most likely off by a cumulative amount of 1/8". I'm not sure if that is within spec but I do know I didn't make it worse or better.

Good question about cracks. I was concerned about that as well. It seems to me that all the stress was placed on the front crossmember welds. I think it would be difficult to crack the welds or the metal around the weld but I agree it is a concern. With that in mind I did a careful visual inspection. The frame is blasted with a light coat of primer so a stress crack should be visible. The welds are original and in areas a bit messy but they have held since 1952 so they must be strong.

I welcome any other suggestions on how to check the frame integrity.

 

[tommys2patrick]

while one end is still chained down you and a friend might lift the other end. then twist is lightly back and forth. then lay it back down and see if it is still level. A frame should be able to stand a bit of twist in regular driving and still return to the correct shape. unless this is a parade vehicle. I would also do the "X" dimension test from frame corner to frame corner. Also try that level in a method parallel to the front and rear jack stands at several points along the frame length. you might have a dip in between the ends on one side or the other. my two cents