2012 at the Hammond Barn

[Bob Carriere]

.... they are still looking for her......

....... I just could not afford the postage to ship her all over the country !!!!!


Or is it an ALTAR.......

.......will be offering sacrifices to the CMP GODS.....


,,,,,, was going to do the whole barn but 8 bags was all I could afford !!!!


It will be the corner stone....pun fully intended.... to sorting out the twist in my frame.

I went to an old guys who assesses cars that have been declared "total wrecks" and later rebuilt for the road. It is a costly deal but if one finds the right damaged car that has been written off and fix it.... he will certify that it has been repaired according to specs and a new registration tag can then be issued for licensing and street use.

I explained the twist in my cab 11 frame..... the fact that the front cross member and middle engine support cross member had been remomved and replaced.....yada yada yadda.....

He told me two things..... I can fix it for you but it will cost you over $1500...... or I can tell you how to do it. Being cheap and loving a challenge ....... I izz gunna do it.

The whole process is 90% labour, 9 % sweat and one percent common sense.

I can always borrow common sense from Rob and Grant,,,,, 0,5 % each should not be toooo much.

I first need a suitable....almost perfectly level surface to work from.......


........ therefore the cement slab wide enough for the front axle.....

Plans are as follows....

Position the frame centred front axle on the slab.

Jack up rear axle on axle stands and level as necessary

Remove the front tires and position the front axle on small/low axle stands perfectly level the stands using sheet metal shim if necessary.

The concrete slab serves as a reference point for all vertical measurements.

Set a level on the frame and record amount of twist
.....left side...pass side from the front is high by 1.5 inches

Measure everything twice and record measurments
....front most frame horn to the floor

....spring to the floor

....axle .... each side to the floor.

Once everything has been measured and photographed.....

Plan "A"
remove spring packs and switch sides

Measure, record, photograph

if changes are positive leave as is.... or reverse if the twist is worst.

Plan "B"
Loosen all the grade 8 bolts to the front cross member and to the mid section engine support cross member..... also remove the bolted floor plates.... may need to loosen engine motor mount bolts as well....

Observe, measure, record and photograph

Plan "B -1 ..... optional to get drunk if it has not partly self corrected by now.

Plan "C"

The old guy says with the weight of the engine tranny it may self correct or at least visibly improve and noticeable in the measurments.

OR..... I may have to impose a reverse twist in the frame and see if by over correcting I can slowly relax the frame to a near level.

It will take time....... and tie up the barn for quite a few weeks/months.

My goal is to get within 1/4 inch level across the front frame horn....

Then I will have a reasonable straight surface to bolt on the sheet metal.


Way back when I took the frame apart for sandblasting and to replace the rusted cross members I did have difficulty getting the new crossmembers back in place..... pry bars were used to line up the bolt holes.

When the bare frame was resting on large saw horse stands there was a noticable twist in the front half part of the frame ...... I assumed wrongly that all the weight of the engine, etc. would bring it down.....dum !!!

Original pictures of the truck BEFORE disassembly showed that it was much more level than now......

So it will be a learning experience to try.... measure....tweak....measure....
swear some...... measure..... tweak some more...... and retighten real fast before the wind shifts.... !!!!!

.... it will keep me out of the local bars for a while.

As usual will post my progress .... or frustrations.

Bob

[RHClarke]

Not much to report - Bob picked up another 216 engine. He can't complain about the going rate for used engines in Hammond! Grant spent Sunday working on the front clip. He installed a new side panel and then wrestled his clip back into reasonable shape by attaching it to a handy body. Bob and Grant used the torches and the hydraulic ram to bring the nose back into true. The HUP got a new door handle. Too hot to work, so we drank some beer. Can't wait for winter...

Photos:

1 - Clip "art" - The Boys mounting the clip prior to bending it back into shape - note newly installed side panel
2 - Hammond's most prominent nose surgeons hard at work

[Bob Carriere]

The nose job is a bit tricky...

Grant;s truck had been partly converted to left hand drive.... then they quit and we got it home. He did a nice job of filling in a missing side panel with a Mig butt weld...... but he nose has been twisted.....

So we dragged a spare truck..... the parts truck from Port Colborne... and used that as a working platform..... body jack and heat did manage to correct the slight push in on the passenger side.... some more tweaking is still in order. Grant is very meticulous..... it will fit well by the time he is finished.

Got a free 216 and possibly another one from a 54 pickup ..... never say no to a gifted horse..... the guy stored his old Fords in my back field and I get free Chev 6 for rent..... what more can you ask !!!!

...and yes it was warm.... and hotter by the glowing metal on the nose..... so the approriate cold beer was well deserved.....

Rob did a bunch of tack/stiching welding with the Mig....

Managed to spread a M101 trailer full of wood chips in the garden to earn wife miles.... and replaced a ceiling fixture in the computer room that went dead..... before I was asked to do it !!!!

Re-organized some of the content of the canvass Winter shelters.... serviced my Ford before going on vacation next weekend..... will be out of commission for the next 3 weekends..... but Rob and Grant will keep you posted.

...and no rush for Winter...would like to sweat for a while longer !!!

When I return will tackle the twisted frame with passion...

Bob