Checking out a frame?
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 16,416
Likes: 1
From: NC,USA
Checking out a frame?
Hey guys...
I've got a bent drivers side tierod on the rear suspension, along with a broken/re-welded lower control arm mount on the front suspension. I'm wondering if I should drag this thing down to a frame shop and have them check it out before rebuilding anything.
I'd really like to eyeball it first, what dimensions are easy to check (Body on frame) that tell me if the frame is square?
I dont want to spend a bunch of time/money on this project just to take it to an alignment shop and get a big "thumbs down" take it to the chopping blocks!
Thanks guys
I've got a bent drivers side tierod on the rear suspension, along with a broken/re-welded lower control arm mount on the front suspension. I'm wondering if I should drag this thing down to a frame shop and have them check it out before rebuilding anything.
I'd really like to eyeball it first, what dimensions are easy to check (Body on frame) that tell me if the frame is square?
I dont want to spend a bunch of time/money on this project just to take it to an alignment shop and get a big "thumbs down" take it to the chopping blocks!
Thanks guys
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 4,883
Likes: 11
From: North Easton Mass
You could take it to an alignment shop to see if it is possible to align the car. I took a 300ZX that we tried to repair to the alignment shop and the guy pointed out some damage that I hadn't seen. He also concluded that the car could not be aligned properly due to the frame damage. The best thing was he wrote it up as 'can't align' and they didn't charge me. Even if you have to pay the alignment fee it could save you a lot of time and $ in the long run.
I think it would be pretty difficult to do frame measurements in your garage unless you can get the whole car up high enough. A frame shop could also tell pretty quickly if the control arm repairs are geometrically correct. I's not that unusual to have a crack or seperation in that area but if the whole bracket has been off and re-welded that could be trouble.
Good luck!
Rick B.
I think it would be pretty difficult to do frame measurements in your garage unless you can get the whole car up high enough. A frame shop could also tell pretty quickly if the control arm repairs are geometrically correct. I's not that unusual to have a crack or seperation in that area but if the whole bracket has been off and re-welded that could be trouble.
Good luck!
Rick B.
