He determined that the frame...
He determined that the frame and suspension were square early on but Woolery still verified if the crossmember sat square in the chassis when aligned with the centerlines. It did.
Total Cost Involved markets this kit as a bolt-in assembly but a few of its parts—specifically the upper-arm mounts and spring cups—weld in place. It’s a bit misleading but there are legitimate reasons for both installation methods and it has to do with the frame design, not convenience.
Chevrolet employed what many call top-hat frame construction from the late ’30s to 1954. The thinner-gauge top and sides of each framerail form a C-channel of sorts that flares out at the base. Riveted to those flanges are heavier-gauge steel strips. What emerges is a boxed frame section that’s stronger than a conventional C-channel, a property that let Chevrolet build relatively strong frames without having to resort to excessively thick materials or bulky crossmembers.
Total Cost Involved intended...
Total Cost Involved intended this crossmember for cars that had IFS so its holes didn’t align with those in the beam-axle frame. Woolery ultimately drilled them through and bolted the crossmember in place, but for the time being he tacked it in at the corners.
But the design imposes some unique requirements. The frame flange prevents the crossmember from wrapping around the framerails, a requirement for a suitable weld-in installation. Furthermore, to weld it to the chassis would mean attaching it to the bottom plate and along the very edges of the flange, neither of which is very strong.
Instead, Total Cost Involved designed this one to bolt to the frame flanges. The bolts approximate the rivets that Chevrolet used in the sense that they capture both layers where they’re strongest: along the centers of the flanges. That Chevrolet attached pretty much all structural components to those flanges indicates that it’s likely the best method for the application. It’s not impossible to approach or even exceed the same structural integrity with welding but it would require considerably more work to weld the crossmember to both layers of each framerail.
The distance between the centers...
The distance between the centers of the control-arm slots should be 29 inches. These measured 28 1/2 inches, which is enough to potentially make alignment difficult.
Woolery determined that the...
Woolery determined that the most elegant way to shim the hats out was to weld 1/4-inch-thick “feet” to them.
The modification has an unintended...
The modification has an unintended bonus: it increases surface contact area. Chevrolet traded a thicker and heavier C-channel for its lighter and stronger box. Some say the walls are a touch thin so it’s a good idea to spread the load over a greater area.
Total Cost Involved supplied...
Total Cost Involved supplied this particular kit with tubular control arms, coils, 11-inch disc brakes, and dropped spindles. Not shown is the manual steering rack.
If anything went by the book...
If anything went by the book it was the final installation. Woolery and sidekick Russell Jadin buttoned the car up and within 30 minutes had it back on the ground—about 4 inches closer to the ground, to be specific.