Getting ready to weld in my GW tubular subframe connectors.
How should the car be lifted to ensure that the the car's subframes are not loaded/twisted? I don't want to weld my subs in and end up with a permanently twisted car....
Four ramps on a level floor is my plan. I am thinking in the 60's cars were not very precise. There was probably more than 50 different fixtures to build the sub assemblies to make the unibody. I would get it in its natural resting position and weld away, unless you have access to a frame machine.
Four ramps on a level floor is my plan. I am thinking in the 60's cars were not very precise. There was probably more than 50 different fixtures to build the sub assemblies to make the unibody. I would get it in its natural resting position and weld away, unless you have access to a frame machine.
I'm a little picky so you don't have to do what I did. I have 3 sets of jackstands that I modified to have jack screws on them so I can fine tune their position. I brought my car home from the frame shop (took it there to get it perfect) and jacked up the front as usual under the front crossmember and set the jackstands on the frame right uner the motor mount area (I cut some 2X3 box channel as a pad here). I then jacked the back up with the jack under the rearend. Once it was level (close enough) I used the long adjustable jackstands on the rear rame rails right behind the rear leaf eye...I simply screwed the pad up until it contaceted the frame and gave it about 1/8 turn more. Then I used the two shorter pairs I made with one set under the torque box in the rear and another set as close to the tranny corssmember as possible....once again screwing the pad up to meet the frame and adding 1/8 turn. When I took the jack out the car did not move even a little. Now I can put in my torque boxes (this is a 66 car) and subframes worry free.
Getting ready to weld in my GW tubular subframe connectors.
How should the car be lifted to ensure that the the car's subframes are not loaded/twisted? I don't want to weld my subs in and end up with a permanently twisted car....
Depends a lot on how detail oriented you are / how much of a perfectionist.. In the Ford shop manual for your car, you will find the proper dimensions and tolerances for the "frame". At least I assume that the other years have similar documentation to the '70 manuals.
There are recommended lift points and so on, but I would want to verify that the frame is straight prior to welding, just as you have suggested. Just guessing here.. the way I would go about it is to measure at the spec points nearest the welds and the spec points at the very front and rear of the car.
I would also assume that your frame is going to flex when lifted, so you will probably have to apply some pressure based on your measurements to get everything to come into line.