Another Build Thread - My '32

[J. Robinson]

Thanks for the compliments.

It's time to mock things up and verify fitment. First I make sure the rear axle is located correctly. With the snout of the pinion resting on a jackstand and the frame resting on wooden blocks on the rear end, I center the frame between the wheels and measure the wheelbase on both sides. A stock '32 Ford has a wheelbase of 106.5 inches. By pulling the rear axle back .5 inch to center the wheels in the wheel wells and having Clarke Hot Rods move the front crossmember forward 1 inch when they built the frame, I end up with a 108 inch wheelbase. Once I have centered and squared the rear end to the frame I can mock the truck arms in place.

I used a piece of 1/2 inch bar stock under the Heim joints and across the lower flanges of the X-member to support the front of the arms and a floor jack on each side to lift the rear of the arms in place. I set the rear of the arms 30 inches apart and centered on the rear end by measuring from the backing plates to the brackets. I used an angle finder to set the pinion at 3 degrees up. After checking and re-checking all the measurements multiple times, I finally tacked the brackets to the rear axle housing. I just put one substantial tack on each of the 4 bracket plates at the back side (see pic). This way I can easily break them loose if I have to move them. After I have fabricated the front brackets and am sure nothing has moved, I will weld everything solidly and "strap-gusset" the brackets to the axle housing. There is no adjustment to the angle of these arms once they are completely welded to the rear end, so I don't rush the welding process until everything is in place and measurements are verified.