Quote:
Originally Posted by Low Elco
Hmmm. How did you measure for rear track? I just went off the frame rails, now ya got me wondering.
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One possible method, assuming the rear end is square to the frame (dangerous assumption), is for one person to hold a string at the back of the rear tire at the vertical center of the tire. A second person pulls the string taut and moves it toward the frame. When the string just touches the front sidewall of the rear tire, you measure the distance from the string to a factory frame reference. Repeat the process on the other side and compare the two. If the rear end isn't square to the frame due to a difference in trailing arm length, bent frame or whatever, this method fails. But if you feel confident of your dimensions, it's a way to double check the frame rail method or identify a rear end that isn't square to the world.
After
many measurements today, we have arrived at the conclusion my frame is tweaked. When I bought the truck, the rearmost crossmember had been bent, sorta straightened and welded. Frame looked good except for a tiny little cupped spot up in front of the trans mount on the driver side. Diagonal measurements today confirmed that the truck was probably hit very lightly in the left rear. This pushed the frame rail forward and down slightly. So I have a "diamond" instead of a rectangle plus it's racked somewhat. I'll have to transport it to the frame shop where they can verify the problem and correct it as needed. We removed the trailing arms as part of the forensics, so I went ahead and added some welds while they're out. I'm going to forego the strong arm modification and just paint and reinstall them. And the beat goes on...