Next I lined it all back up... which was not as easy as it looked on the episode of Gears
Note: if you are attempting to line up a frame for welding, ensure all of your tires are the same size and have equal air pressure! For the life of me I could not figure out why it would not line up to the point I was worried the frame was bent. Then I remembered I had to put a different tire up front due to a flat I got while loading it on the trailer. it was causing the front portion of the frame to torque to one side.
finally with the use of clamps, and vice grips, I was able to get it lined up. I measured length on both sides from specific points, and diagonally from the same points. It took some grinding and adjusting, but I got the lengths within less than a 1/16th of an inch and my diagonal measurements right at 1/16th difference.
Note: as I said, it will not line up as easy as you think. unless the cuts are being made by a robotic arm, it is near impossible to get it perfect but take your time and grind a little at a time to make things line up. measure twice, cut once is a good idea, but I measured about 30 times. no one wants a truck that goes down the road crooked or eats up tires. Also, think about the tool or pen you will use to mark out your lines. I used a paint pen and it was a little fat, so I cut to the side of the line that was the throw away piece and the ground it to where I wanted it.
I got it all lined up and welded it back together. I welded short 1 inch spots so as to not over heat the metal and warp it. So I would weld an inch, skip 2 inches, weld another inch, skip 2 etc. I was able to weld the whole seam in 2 or 3 passes like this.
in this picture you can clearly see where I started each 1 inch pass.
More to come.....