1950 Plymouth Three Window Coupe - Ram Rodder: Part I - Tech

Before installing the crossmember for the ladder bars the center of the "drop" was marked.

This is where things began to go wrong. Rather than cut the crossmember to fit between the `rails we decided to make it longer to fit into holes in the frame.

A hole saw was used to make openings in the 'rails that the crossmember would register in.

When the crossmember was slipped in place the first thing we discovered was the driveshaft tunnel was offset to the right side of the car. Not a problem since the driveline will be centered with the new running gear.

A more critical issue was that we bored the holes in the framerails in the wrong spots. As a result our round holes ended up oblong.

With the crossmember extending into the frame and positioned properly we had some gaps to contend with.

To repair our blunder 1/8-inch steel patch plates were made. Holes were cut in them, then they were slipped over the ends of the crossmember. With the crossmember in place it was welded to the frame where contact was made. The plates were then slid up to the frame and welded in place (all the welding hadn't been completed at this point).

Properly installed the lower legs of the ladder bars should be parallel with the floor of the car. Note the ladder bar attachment brackets on the crossmember has a series of holes that allows for suspension adjustment.

Next the Panhard bar and coilover brackets will be installed; at that point the leaf springs will be taken out.