Party?

fsiewert · #1 (**permalink**) 03-21-2009, 04:05 PM

It may look like we are having a party for the cobra, but we're not. I'm trying to get the body strait on the frame...It sat for 15 years without any support and it Kinda "moved". The balloons are so I can line up the center points of the body.

http://www.clubcobra.com/forums/atta...29821237672982

And it's not strait...the rear of the cockpit is 1/2 inch off center toward the driver side...so out come the ratcheting cargo straps.
Fred

thudmaster · #2 (**permalink**) 03-21-2009, 09:52 PM

Intresting..........

tkb289 · #3 (**permalink**) 03-22-2009, 12:46 AM

Fred,

Clever idea the balloons ... sort of like an upside down plumb-bob of sorts?

- Tim

Ron61 · #4 (**permalink**) 03-22-2009, 01:56 AM

Fred,

You have a good idea of how to get the body back straight, but will it put enough strain on it that you may develop cracks of spider webs in your paint after you start driving it and the vibration starts in? I hope not and this is just a question for my own knowledge.

Thanks,

Ron

Double Venom · #5 (**permalink**) 03-22-2009, 04:45 AM

Please, not to be offensive,
but was the body ever straight? Building more than one CMC cars I have found that none of the bodies that we build were ever straight. It was rare to find a frame that was 'square' let alone a body.

As you progress through out the kit I am sure you will see what I mean. A lot of compromise was needed to come up with a good car.

Heat-(direct sunlight), pressure (straps-porta-powers) all seemed to help to move the body's around. Body on the frame then see what you get when the doors are installed?

The ballon 'plumbs' are a heck of an idea!

DV

TButtrick · #6 (**permalink**) 03-22-2009, 07:02 AM

You might get the body back in line with the cargo straps... in another fifteen years. I'm with DV. Probably that way to begin with. Does the body not fit on the frame or is this just a visual thing? 1/2" should be easy to tweak out but you need to hang doors and latches, trunk, hood, rollbar, quickjacks, and windscreen so they all play nice together then you can shim and adjust to see what cause it has on any of the peripherals. If it's just a visual thing, IMHO you'll never see it. Especially on a no-stripe car but even then, stripes might help mask the offset.

joyridin' · #7 (**permalink**) 03-22-2009, 08:50 AM

When I mounted my CMC body on the frame, it was a twisted mess also. I had to remove a section of the trunk floor to get it straight. Mine had a very late style gas tank, so while I was at it, I remounted the tank in the trunk.

Basically, the right rear sat about 1" higher than the left. Also, the right rear spat was 3/4" further out than the left, and the wheelwell was about 3/4" out of location compared to the left.

After getting the body straight, the door wouldn't fit...and on...

fsiewert · #8 (**permalink**) 03-22-2009, 01:15 PM

Thanks Guys for the encouragement.

D.V.: No offense taken...I knew what I was getting into when I bought this "pile-o-parts".

TB and joyridin: I think I'm gonna just push it to be just "close " so I don't put the fiberglass in too much of a bind. The nice thing is that the body doesn't seem to be twisted when on the frame. I have cut some slots in the rear cockpit package tray to be able to move the body back straight.

I would bet there are a lot of unfinished CMC kits out there, the average car nut couldn't figure how to put one of these things together and make it work. But then none of us are average, right?

Good luck everyone with your build. I'm off to the shop to see what I can do to move it.

Fred

TButtrick · #9 (**permalink**) 03-22-2009, 03:03 PM

Check out this video of Jay Leno's replica. Notice the front passenger wheel is outside the wheel well and the driver side is underneath where it should be. It's about a 2" difference from side to side. That's a pretty big difference and would drive me nuts.