Frame Jig How-To?

[Zell]

Hi All -

I've got my eyes on a 70 Satellite but will likely need a frame jig to get it back on the road.

Anyone have some good how-to threads or tips when building a frame jig?

 

[Fran Blacker]

I can't believe you could make one for what it would cost for a shop to fix it.

 

[Zell]

@Fran Blacker that may be true - I wanted to do it because I've been getting into bigger projects and have liked doing a lot of the metal/fab work.

 

[sam dupont]

A buddy of mine runs a frame machine and does a lot of work for shops that do repairables. I'm thinking they would get $200 for squaring a unibody.

A couple weeks ago, they were going to do a 69 Charger that was tee boned hard, A and B pillars. It was dropped off, bu before they could bring it in to the shop, somebody asked about buying it. He bought it for $10K He took it home to fix himself. Of course, I asked: How much. They had quoted $300 to square the Charger.

 

[F4R/T]

Honestly buy a good tram gauge , laser level and some other quality measuring tools, then get your paws on a service manual and that will get you going , look for an old Cellete frame bench from a retired body shop, then buy the adapters.. A cellete is dead nuts. Not the fastest or easiest to use but still the best bench. IMO High end cars still use a modernized version of the celette bench. If you want to really go for gold on this project.

 

[Pistol Pete]

Some info here

https://www.forbbodiesonly.com/mopa...-structure-measurements.42981/#post-909850679

 

[Bighouse]

Is he asking about a jig to set the locations for rusty parts replacement? Or are we talking a bent car that needs to be pulled?

 

[Zell]

Thanks everyone - really good feedback here and appreciate the link from @5wndwcpe

@Bighouse looking for rust replacement not a car that's bee hit/bent.

 

[Bludevwa]

Cost me around 500 in steel and a buddy and i set it up to all the factory specs i found online. Prob took a few hours. Made out of 2x2x.25 or .50 if i remeber right. That was the base. Welded stands for factory holes in the frame rails( not pictured) if i remeber when i get a chance ill get a picture of it with the car on. The picture would essentially be the datum line the the stands would be to the measurement from that line.

Car fits it like a glove. I bought a tram gauge for when we set up all the stands and when we put the rails in. Not sure it its necessary per say if you replace one rail at a time. But I would..
My 2 cents. Every one hase there own way of doing things and no one way is right so just do your research and be comfortable with the direction you choose to go.. picture below is just reference of what i did i believe plymouth was a .25 longer beween rails or something? I just remember when i bought frame connectors them saying there was a difference between the two. So do your homework.

 

[Bighouse]

Thanks everyone - really good feedback here and appreciate the link from @5wndwcpe

@Bighouse looking for rust replacement not a car that's bee hit/bent.

just clarifying for the post- everyone seemed to think you needed a frame machine to make a pull

 

[F4R/T]

I fabricated a heavy 3/4 D ring on a 3/4 chunk of steel and anchored it to my garage floor after I figured out how thick the floor was. I’ve straightened a few things with it and a tape measure etc. I’ll have my buddy come over and double check the measurements and I’m good usually. I use , several jacks, port o power, grade 100 chain and some frame hooks and clamps. Now I will say a compound bend, serious bend or twist or diamond, I’m done you must know your limits . My set up is for simple stuff, basically like having pots in the floor.

 

[hemi446]

Great information as always. My only question so far is how wide are you making them ? It looks like the frame is anywhere from 37 1/2" to 36 1/2" so what is a good size to make it so you can still work around it.

 

[Zell]

@hemi446 looking at the diagram I would probably make the table so the outer rails of the jig line up with the bottom of the rockers.

 

[Pistol Pete]

@hemi446 looking at the diagram I would probably make the table so the outer rails of the jig line up with the bottom of the rockers.

Man, that's awful wide. I think mine is about 40".

 

[Zell]

@5wndwcpe nice jig, and you're right - looks like around 40" would do the job just fine. I'm reading some of the other threads right now on this and they most of the others are about that size. (Reading the build with SGTPaul had one a similar size.)