'67 Frame dimensions needed

[Norris W.]

So I'm tryin' to pull of a Foose deal (overhaulin') on my ole' college roommate who's business keeps him out of the country for 60 days at the time. He's comin' back in 12 days and I'm strugglin' to get a front end (jig assembled Sermersheim) on his 67 conv. before he gets back. The car had a hodgepodge of glass on the front end.............. sawed at the corner of the surround with 63 fender tops, original dk grey vent panels and front center section of surround, and SMC tips, so obviously it'd be whacked in the front previously.

The right support rod from the core support to the bar had been lengthened by 1", although I can't see what it accomplished.

The old glass is gone and the cowl is ground ready for install, but I can't get the new front end to go into place. It appears short on the R. side and slightly long on the left, although the t******* measures EXACTLY the same. Also appears that it may be looser at bottom of door cracks. I'm suspicious the front of the frame is moved around some, although there aren't any visible kinks or distortions, and think both frame horns may be up equally and left slightly. Obviously the over slightly would be easy to square and measure, but the up equally is harder to diagnose without dimensions.

So......... I need dimensions tomorrow morning. I my body shop of choice at home tonight and begged him to put me in first thing in the morning on the frame machine, and he said he'd do it, BUT doesn't have any dimensions to work with. Any source, preferably internet for such dimensions without waiting for a book from somewhere. Worst case I can haul my just done 63 rollin' frame over and tie up 2 frame machines doing comparisons, but there's gotta be an easier way.

[Wayne W.]

Re: '67 Frame dimensions needed

About the only thing you need to know is that the four corners of the main box where the body bolts down is on the same plane. The rear body mounts are 7 inches higher and the fronts are 7/8 lower.

[Norris W.]

Re: '67 Frame dimensions needed

Thanks Wayne, but what I'm concerned about is the frame horns since they're the attaching point for the core support, which of course effects the height at the front.

[Wayne W.]

Re: '67 Frame dimensions needed

Yes, that is the front mount. It is 3/4 to 7/8 lower than the main box mounts. Your frame guy will know how to check the c/l and check for diamond, twist, and laddering.

[Wayne W.]

Re: '67 Frame dimensions Here ya Go

Chart

[Norris W.]

Re: '67 Frame dimensions Here ya Go

Thanks Wayne, and thanks also to Gary C. who E mailed a similar schematic to me today.

That did in fact locate the problem, but threw me a curve I didn't expect and of course a resulting question.

I ended up putting the car on 4 jackstands today and leveling the front mid section of the frame (where the 6 center body mounts are in other words) front to rear and side to side. Also checked the level on the floor, and measured from the floor to main frame rails at front and rear. Even in this crude way, everything's within about an inch, and probably dead on the money if I could have gotten to the frame machine today.

Anyway the front tips of the horns are about an inch and 3/8 HIGHER than the plane of the 6 body mounts, so this makes it high somewhere in the range of 2 1/4 to 2 1/2". These are approximations because I didn't try to get dead accurate since I determined FOR SURE that it IS high in front. Odd thing is, with it off this much between the cowl, or cowl mounts actually, and the front of the horns, I can't find a kink or bulge in the rails anywhere. Seems like with that much variation in that short a distance SOMETHING would have to bend out of shape. It's gonna be interesting to see how it plays out on the machine. It appears that the holes in the frame horns for the bottom of the core support are back about an inch too, based on how it's sitting in the car, but the up angle could be fooling me there, and again, NO visual kinks. I hate frame problems. Guess I've been spoiled and lucky with all my own stuff over the years.

[Norris W.]

Re: '67 Frame dimensions Here ya Go

Thanks Wayne, and thanks also to Gary C. who E mailed a similar schematic to me today.

That did in fact locate the problem, but threw me a curve I didn't expect and of course a resulting question.

I ended up putting the car on 4 jackstands today and leveling the front mid section of the frame (where the 6 center body mounts are in other words) front to rear and side to side. Also checked the level on the floor, and measured from the floor to main frame rails at front and rear. Even in this crude way, everything's within about an inch, and probably dead on the money if I could have gotten to the frame machine today.

Anyway the front tips of the horns are about an inch and 3/8 HIGHER than the plane of the 6 body mounts, so this makes it high somewhere in the range of 2 1/4 to 2 1/2". These are approximations because I didn't try to get dead accurate since I determined FOR SURE that it IS high in front. Odd thing is, with it off this much between the cowl, or cowl mounts actually, and the front of the horns, I can't find a kink or bulge in the rails anywhere. Seems like with that much variation in that short a distance SOMETHING would have to bend out of shape. It's gonna be interesting to see how it plays out on the machine. It appears that the holes in the frame horns for the bottom of the core support are back about an inch too, based on how it's sitting in the car, but the up angle could be fooling me there, and again, NO visual kinks. I hate frame problems. Guess I've been spoiled and lucky with all my own stuff over the years.