Chassis Dimensions for 68 Fury?

[clair.davis]

Looking for chassis repair dimensions, so hopefully "restoration" is the right area for this post.

I have a question for folks with frame repair experience. At some point in the past, my car met something pretty sturdy and the passenger fender & hood were replaced. The front frame horns were also tweaked, and I had a frame shop straighten those out. However, they did not actually put the car on the rack - long, ugly story... Now I'm chasing down things they should have done, and fixing a lot of the things they did do, and actually checking the frame dimensions is the job of the day.

I'm checking everything downstream of the frame horns, and the very first cross brace is where I'm at. Using the diagram below, the front cross brace is on the left. The instructions say that when measuring the frame using the holes shown, you measure to the edge of the hole where the arrow points to a line resting on the edge. Measure to the center of the hole where the arrow points to a line that bisects the hole.

Fury Frame Chart - Front by clair_davis, on Flickr

The question I have is this - the 12-3/4 dimension that measures from the edge of the hole in the second cross brace forward to the rear face of the first cross brace seems odd. Other than some inside-inside dimensions, I don't see any other face-face measurements. Everything else is edge of hole to edge of hole, or otherwise hole to hole. I measure 12" to the face of the cross brace, or 12-5/8" between the edges of the two holes. I would prefer to tweak the cross brace 1/8" vs. 3/4", but I don't want to do anything until I get a feel for what it's supposed to be.

Anyone have another frame chart that shows this dimension? The chart in my 68 FSM doesn't mention this dimension at all.

Thanks!

Clair

 

[live4theking]

Do the other dimensions in the FSM come out correctly? If this the only one that doesn't and everything else lines up I wouldn't sweat it.

 

[CBODY67]

I was going to suggest the FSM, as I recall seeing some detailed dimensional drawings in my '66 Chrysler service manual But since you're already there, can't suggest that. Perhaps some dimensional geometric calculations off of the existing data points might get you where you want to be?

In the "old days", I think most "frame work" was done by using the basic diagonal measurements. Plus coaxing the "bad side" to be like the "good side" in measurements. Few body shops really were set-up to make frame pulls, back then, so anything that couldn't be heated and hammered went to a specialized frame shop. Some body shops still operate that way today, so long as they know a good place to take those jobs.

Of course, those shops would have had "a card" for the car, with what the measurements were and where to make them from. Probably not much different than what's in the FSM? The main accuracy was in the measurement techniques rather than in laser/electronic accuracy of modern times.

Considering that the front frame was tied-into the basic body shell pretty solidly on those cars, there could well be some minor ripples elsewhere behind the attachment point. Minor bows or bends that might otherwise be missed in a casual look-see. But when the "stress points" are discovered and relieved, they'll probably flatten back out to normal.

Just some thoughts,
CBODY67

 

[clair.davis]

Thanks, guys,
Over the next few days, I'll see about checking the diagonal dimension from the outriggers to the front center hole as shown on the diagram above. The FSM checking points are a little different, but should help confirm that things are in or out of square. I've also clamped a piece of square stock between the sway bar frame tabs to work as another datum point. At least measuring side to side from the second cross brace forward, everything is within about 1/8". Hopefully this turns out to be an exercise in making the front cross brace a little straighter, and nothing strange is lurking under the carpet...