How would you bend this frame back?

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Sistering means attaching a flat piece to another piece.

In woodworking, if you had a floor joist that was rotten or had too many holes in it you would put another joist right next to it and attach the two together.

If you had the correct shape you could cut it out of a flat piece of 18 gauge plate steel and have it welded to the existing bow forcing the existing bow back into shape.

One of you photos looks like the bow is cracked where it is bent. Doesn't look like it could be streightned easily.

Most likely the top will have to be removed from the bow to make a repair.

And yes there is some material in the bow that the top can be stapled to, mine (67 dart) has a hard board like material
 
Sistering means attaching a flat piece to another piece.

In woodworking, if you had a floor joist that was rotten or had too many holes in it you would put another joist right next to it and attach the two together.

If you had the correct shape you could cut it out of a flat piece of 18 gauge plate steel and have it welded to the existing bow forcing the existing bow back into shape.

One of you photos looks like the bow is cracked where it is bent. Doesn't look like it could be streightned easily.

Most likely the top will have to be removed from the bow to make a repair.

And yes there is some material in the bow that the top can be stapled to, mine (67 dart) has a hard board like material

Thanks for the tutorial. I do speak wood. Kern Dog offered a spare frame bow he has. That is starting to look like the way to go.

On to figuring out how to rebuild the rusted fresh air intake under the dash while I wait for top parts. I found a hole rusted through in the fresh air tub, and more rust where the heater and driver's side fresh air boxes connect.

And I thought that when I bought this car I was going to wax it, lube the hinges and drive it into the sunset. HA!

:lol::lol:
 
Take that bow off and take to good blacksmith or fab shop, they could make a new corner piece to match the good corner then replace the bad corner. My brother in SD would enjoy doing it, especially for a Mopar.
 
Kern Dog offered a spare frame bow he has. That is starting to look like the way to go
That would be the way to go. A good top shop MAY be able to replace it without removing the top. (Key word is MAY)
And I thought that when I bought this car I was going to wax it, lube the hinges and drive it into the sunset. HA
50 plus years, convertible, the Pacific North West - where you don't get a tan in summer you get a rust! Poor rust protection from the OEM, etc, etc, etc.

It is truly amazing that any of our cars are still on the road!
 
Take that bow off and take to good blacksmith or fab shop, they could make a new corner piece to match the good corner then replace the bad corner. My brother in SD would enjoy doing it, especially for a Mopar.

If the offer doesn't work out with Kern Dog, I'd love to talk to your brother!

50 plus years, convertible, the Pacific North West - where you don't get a tan in summer you get a rust! Poor rust protection from the OEM, etc, etc, etc.

It is truly amazing that any of our cars are still on the road!

Was a Cali car, then the last 20 years and under 2K miles in Rhode Island. A dentist kept it in a warehouse and drove it to the beach during the summer. I gotta tell ya though, we've got the fever! I'm having a blast turning this garage queen into a regular driver. After working on it like a mad man for three months and driving it down the the coast to Cali with the little woman, we're hooked! Don't know if I can make it water tight enough to make it a daily NW driver, but it can be a weekly driver for sure.
:steering:
 
To start with, you guys that can rebuild a convertible top out of nothing are so far ahead of me, I can hardly relate. Hopefully this fix isn't too far over my head.:D

Somewhere in this car's life, a heavy politician must have sat on the top frame while doing the parade wave. The frame bow closest to the rear window looks bent.
View attachment 1715653227

I'm wondering if the fix is to remove the rear bow and lay it on my bench top. Trace the drivers side, flip the frame over, and try to strong arm the bent - passenger side back to match the tracing of the driver's side. Assuming the driver's side is the proper shape...

Yes/No?
check & make sure you havent had an adjustment bolt slide before you bend anything
 
Thanks Rodney. It's definitely kinked. I did pull the two set screws, thinking I could pull the damaged part without risk of destroying the old canvas top. No confidence in that happening!

There is enough other stuff to do, I figure I'll wait until the top is toast to pursue it further...
 
How much would you want for it. These photos were taken before I bent the top. Thanks.

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I have not heard from you so I guess that means your spare frame is not for sale. I was really hoping that it would be. When the left side of the top is resting on the windshield frame the right side is 6 inches above it and it is not obvious what is sprung. I have attached more photos of my car in better days. With the blow through carburetor it made 597 horsepower to the rear wheels at 16 pounds of boost. It is a purpose built .030 over 318.
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The engine started life as a 5.2 Magnum and it was built with an Eagle crank, Eagle H beam rods, Diamond blower pistons, RHS cylinder heads, Mopar Performance intake, TTI 3" exhaust system and The Supercharger Store water injection. My brother and I owned The Supercharger Store and we did the engine for an article in the May 2010 issue of Mopar Muscle magazine. I am not sure what the cost was as almost all of the parts were given to us for the article. The engine has been extremely reliable. I am sorry that I have not been much help.

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How much would you want for it. These photos were taken before I bent the top. Thanks.

View attachment 1716252461

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View attachment 1716252468

The engine started life as a 5.2 Magnum and it was built with an Eagle crank, Eagle H beam rods, Diamond blower pistons, RHS cylinder heads, Mopar Performance intake, TTI 3" exhaust system and The Supercharger Store water injection. My brother and I owned The Supercharger Store and we did the engine for an article in the May 2010 issue of Mopar Muscle magazine. I am not sure what the cost was as almost all of the parts were given to us for the article. The engine has been extremely reliable. I am sorry that I have not been much help.

View attachment 1716253655

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The moderators of this site get pissed when members chat about buying or selling items in the open forum. There are rules about that.
The site requires members to post a Want To Buy ad in the sales section when they need a part.
I didn't make the rules, that is just the way things are here.
You can contact other members by sending them a private message.
I didn't respond here because I've annoyed the moderators enough, I didn't need to be poking the bear again. If you want to discuss this matter further, send me a message.
 
I am truly sorry. I am 82 years old and I am not computer literate. I thought I was sending you a message. How do I send you a message? Thank you for informing me of my mistake.
 
Click on a person's handle / name

Then "start conversation"

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