"Heavy" frame? Please educate me
 

I'm running a WANTED ad right now for a frame to put under my '35 coupe. Mine is so butchered I want to start fresh. I got a response from a Barner that has a "heavy" frame -- .010 thicker thru the outside rails -- built by Ford to go under woodies, open cars and trucks.


I've never heard of these.


I built a '38 woodie back in the 90's and my foggy memory recalled something about the cross tie pieces between the outside rails and the X that was different. But I don't recall hearing anything about a "heavy" frame before


Thanks.

Re: "Heavy" frame? Please educate me
 

The frames for "commercial cars" include 1/2 ton pickups, sedan deliveries, panels and probably station wagons are thicker. These frames were 0.010 " thicker than the passenger car frames. Thickness was 0.110" I believe. Of course the riveted on body mount brackets are different for each model.
You are looking for a pickup frame and then use your mounting brackets.

Re: "Heavy" frame? Please educate me
 

Hi Everyone. Detonator, I'll be interested in what your question reveals.

Re: "Heavy" frame? Please educate me
 

I don't know about 1938 Ford Woodie frames, but the 1946 Ford Station Wagon was fitted to a regular passenger car chassis. There are production line pictures showing Station Wagons, Coupes and Sedans on the same line.

Re: "Heavy" frame? Please educate me
 

I seem to recall that the practice began with the '37 model year. My cabriolet has one of them under it.

Just because the frame is somewhat thicker would not mean that it required its own unique assembly line.

Re: "Heavy" frame? Please educate me
 

We did a lengthy and very informative thread on this very subject last April. Click the link below. Pay PARTICULAR attention to everything that member Kube says throughout the thread! DD


https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showt...t=heavy+frames

Re: "Heavy" frame? Please educate me
 

This place is so great!

Re: "Heavy" frame? Please educate me
 

Detonator...Ford only used 3* frames from 1935 thru 1936.

48-5005 1935 and 36 passenger cars (Inc. station wagons and sedan deliveries) Job 1 thru end of production
50-5005 1935 and 36 commercial cars(pickup and panel deliveries) Job 1 thru end of production.
68-5005 (Light frame) 1936 passenger cars from approx April 1936 thru end of production Used concurrently with 48-5005 frame.
*NOTE: For a brief time (4/20/36 thru 5/13/36) Ford may have used the lighter frame in commercial production but went back to the 50-5005 frame for the remainder of 36 production..

Re: "Heavy" frame? Please educate me
 

Detonator, Here is an easy way to tell the lighter frame (68-5005) from the heavier frames.(48-5005, 50-5005) The bottom of the "X" member is different. Also the 50 frame is identical to the 48 frame except the side brackets/pockets are removed(48-5076,48-5077,48-5078 and 48-5079)

Re: "Heavy" frame? Please educate me
 

Interesting Don, as always.
I have never seen that "X" with the large circle out of it.
The frame to the right with the dimple? That was used on all Ford passenger cars in '39. I can't speak to earlier models. In 1940, that dimple was no longer there and instead, that area was fairly flat, having a small diameter (about an inch) hole in the center.

Re: "Heavy" frame? Please educate me
 

Thanks, Don. As Mike notes, interesting, as always.

Re: "Heavy" frame? Please educate me
 

I wonder if Ford used any travel documentation that let the assembly line crews know what to build up for as each of these frames came down the line? Once a fair amount of obviously different parts were assembled then the travel documentation would not be as necessary. Just something to keep things from getting mixed up on the assembly line.