News:

Due to a technical issue, some recently uploaded pictures have been lost. We are investigating why this happened but the issue has been resolved so that future uploads should be safe.  You can also Modify your post (MORE...) and re-upload the pictures in your post.

Main Menu

1940 Lasalle convertible coupe 40-5067 bent frame need help

Started by Jim Beard, June 22, 2010, 10:36:35 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Jim Beard

Hello I am new to the caddy lasalle world and need a little help. I had been looking for a 1938-40 GM coupe for a long time and just found a 1940 Lasalle convertible coupe model 40-5067 and pulled it out of a barn and brought it home last weekend. It is a nice rust free car and  it came with just about 3 of everything since the guy I bought it from has owned it for 60 years and kept buying "just in case" parts for it. Anyway I removed the front clip to do some motor and elec work and found that the frame has a good hit that needs to be straightened on the right side frame rail right by the engine mount. Has anybody ever had experience with a body shp straightening these? Does the body have to come off the frame to get at all the measuring points? Any help would be appreciated. By the way I am going to put all the good extra parts on the car keep a double of everything and am selling all the surplus parts I have. If you need something let me know I might have one.

The Tassie Devil(le)

Pity it didn't come with an extra frame, but all is not lost.

Contact a Bodyworks, with a Frame Straightener, or "Rack", and talk to them about getting yours back into shape.

In 99% of cases, the body doesn't have to come off, and in most cases, the repairer would need the body to stay in place for reference and alignment purposes.

The older the Bodyworks the better, with older tradespersons, as these will really know what to do.

Bruce. >:D

PS.   If the thought of lots of chains, 20 ton jacks and levers, etc. make you quiver, then don't watch whilst it is being "Tweaked"
'72 Eldorado Convertible (LHD)
'70 Ranchero Squire (RHD)
'74 Chris Craft Gull Wing (SH)
'02 VX Series II Holden Commodore SS Sedan
(Past President Modified Chapter)

Past Cars of significance - to me
1935 Ford 3 Window Coupe
1936 Ford 5 Window Coupe
1937 Chevrolet Sports Coupe
1955 Chevrolet Convertible
1959 Ford Fairlane Ranch Wagon
1960 Cadillac CDV
1972 Cadillac Eldorado Coupe

Carfreak

Enjoy life - it has an expiration date.

Jim Beard

Thanks, and yes I do have a copy of the frame measurements fo a 1940. I will talk to some guys today and see what happens.

TonyZappone #2624

Try to find a large truck and bus body and frame repair shop such as Hawk Frame in Rochester, N.Y.  They do work on big trucks all the time, and have huge frame machines.  These sort of shops are great sources for front end alignments on old cars, many of which are similar to truck front ends of today. 
Tony Zappone, #2624
1936 Pierce-Arrow conv sed
1947 Cadillac Conv cpe
1958 Cadillac conv
2016 Cadillac CT6 Platinum
2022 Chrysler Pacifica Pinnacle

Doug Houston

You didn't say where you're located, but if you're near Pontiac, Mich., there's a frame shop at the North end of town: Clyde's. They are THE frame shop in this area, and could have it aligned dead nuts for you.
38-6019S
38-9039
39-9057B
41-6227D
41-6019SF
41-6229D
41-6267D
56-6267
70-DeV Conv
41-Chev 41-1167
41 Olds 41-3929

Jim Beard

I am located in Peru, IL and found a local shop that can do it for me. I pulled the body off the frame so we can get all the diagonal measurements right. It was pretty easy, only about 3 hours. I am going to restore the drivetrain and chassie and set the body back on since the paint is sorta good and run it vintage for a while before I restore the body. That way I dont have to worry about scratching it.

Otto Skorzeny

That's perfect. They should be able to do that really easily.

Now that the body is off, can you detect where the trouble lies? Have you taken any preliminary measurements yourself?

fward

Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for YOURSELF

HUGE VENDOR LIST CLICK HERE

Jim Beard

It is on the right front frame rail between the motor mount and the body where the x frame joins the side rail, the frame guy came and looked at it and said no problem, he will tweak it back to factory specs next week for me. That made me happy.

Otto Skorzeny

That's great. What is he charging? Did he say if it mattered whether the body was on or off as it relates to his ability to repair it?
fward

Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for YOURSELF

HUGE VENDOR LIST CLICK HERE

Jim Beard

He said with the body off it will much easier to get it perfect. I know the owner of the body shop and I do paintless dent removal for them, they owe me a few favors so as for how much it will cost anybody off the street I would not know. I will ask him though.

The Tassie Devil(le)

In a lot of cases it is better to leave the body on the Chassis, so that the body can be "Pulled" at the same time.

Getting the Chassis right, without the body attached could mean that the body won't fit without a lot of further puling and pushing.

Bruce. >:D
'72 Eldorado Convertible (LHD)
'70 Ranchero Squire (RHD)
'74 Chris Craft Gull Wing (SH)
'02 VX Series II Holden Commodore SS Sedan
(Past President Modified Chapter)

Past Cars of significance - to me
1935 Ford 3 Window Coupe
1936 Ford 5 Window Coupe
1937 Chevrolet Sports Coupe
1955 Chevrolet Convertible
1959 Ford Fairlane Ranch Wagon
1960 Cadillac CDV
1972 Cadillac Eldorado Coupe

Jim Beard

Well I got my frame back from the body shop yesterday and the front end from the firewall foreward was out almost 2". It is now fixed and has almost perfect factory measurements. The frame behind the firewall measured perfectly before the pull, that explains why the doors shut nicely and had perfect gaps but the front clip was askew. He said that having the body off was needed for all the measuring, he would not have been able to get it factory spec perfect had we not removed the body and drivetrain. The frame guy has a new 5 ton frame machine state of the art with laser measuring and he said it was all the machine could do to get that frame back to specs. He said he never pulled on anything so strong before. Took him 6 hours and they said it would have cost $400, but since they owed me it was on the house!

Otto Skorzeny

fward

Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for YOURSELF

HUGE VENDOR LIST CLICK HERE