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Old 08-25-2015, 09:53 AM
John Buchtenkirch John Buchtenkirch is online now
MetalShaper of the Month October 2012
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Glen Cove, Long Island
Posts: 1,675
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I only mentioned an X-member because of what I observed when straightening frames for other body shops for so many years. When over jacking (did so because of spring-back) a corner of a frame to remove twist I’d have to leave the doors slightly open because the door on one side would be hanging at the rear where the opposite side would be jacked up at the rear. Neither door could be closed when the frame was in this twisted condition I put it in to correct its twist damage. While my example surely is an extreme condition it showed me that it only takes a small amount of twist to make doors bang on their locks.

My other observation is I never saw a convertible from the fifties (that had a conventional ladder style frame) that didn’t have an X-member while the frames in same year sedan lacked them altogether. Later on when the manufacturers went to perimeter style frames so they could sink the floor boards lower there was no room for X-members anymore so they had to add Teflon & other plastic parts to the door locks to keep them from banging. ~ John Buchtenkirch >>
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