bent frame

[trenton davis]

i recently purchased a go kart frame no wheels tires motor or anything it was a blank canvas but i slap some wheels on it and i come to see the frame is bent and when i turn right the left tire comes an inch off the ground. dose anyone know how to bend a frame back level so i can keep the project moving along?

 

[landuse]

Can you see where the frame is bent?

 

[crazykart]

First thing is first

Back wheel or front?

Does it do the same thing when you turn left?

What "kind" of frame?

Does it have adjustable steering/camber/caster/toe/blah blah blah?

Seriously we can't help a lot at all without pics.

It might not be bent at all, might just be something you need to adjust...

Can you actually see where it's bent, or are you just guessing that it's bent?

Please for the sake of yourself and us

 

[jandj]

Is it by any chance a modern racing frame?

 

[trenton davis]

ok here are the pictures i took if you want to see anything els just ask

 

[Poboy kartman]

Well....judging by pics #1,2,5,6,&8....I'd say gravity is your problem....

Sorry....couldn't help myself....

It's not a racing frame so it's most likely bent somewhere....but we need to see where to advise....

I'm not seeing from the pics...but maybe someone else can.....

 

[trenton davis]

would lowering the steering knuckle in that one side fix it or would that throw off the steering and what not? i took a level a found its loser to the from tires.

 

[fixmykart]

I can't see where it's bent. But poboy could be right.

 

[fixmykart]

And if you can take a pic of exactly where the bend is that would-help. Depending on where the bend is you can probably use a blow torch and some gentle hammer work to bend it back how you want it. Using some sort of clamp would probably work too.

 

[trenton davis]

with the help of my level i found the bed is the the space from the level to the front axel however i could not pin point exactly where the bend is

 

[fixmykart]

Looks like it could be towards the middle of the frame? Other then that can't help you with the rest.

 

[chancer]

It may not be bent. It looks like that frame was extended may have just been crooked when it was welded. So it is not bent just crooked. I did this to my first kart frame. I did shotty fab work and it came out crooked or twisted. So I strapped the frame down to the flat bed on a work truck and used a big pipe to twist it closer to flat. It worked. Soon after I scrapped that whole frame a bought a factory frame.

 

[crazykart]

Your best bet is to get a chalk line (stay with me here) grab a friend, start on one side, pick a spot on the back, say dead center of the tube, hold the end of the line there, find the same spot at the front of the tub, and hold the line tight there, now snap the line (or just hold it and look). The frame rail should be straight to that line, if it deviates at a spot, thats your bend. Do this for each side, as well as front and back.

 

[OzFab]

Unfortunately, a drop test (which is what's described above) will only show if the frame is bent sideways, it won't show if the frame is bent up or down...

Personally, I think chancer hit the nail on the head, dodgy fab work...

I think I may see the issue; where the brace ends on the right side of the frame, there is a "shadow" or mark of some description, that could be your problem...

Grab a straight edge & lay it along the rails; where you see light between the straight edge & the frame, there's your bend...

 

[trenton davis]

yes i did redo my front axel. but thats beside the point. so what most likely happened was the frame got twisted or bent when i was welding it up. so what should i do then. should i take it and cut it all off then re weld it up to try to straighten it then re weld it?

 

[OzFab]

Absolutely; laying it on a flat surface when welding may help...

 

[trenton davis]

well when i did i did it the first time i had it on saw horses so many putting it on a table or something would help.

 

[crazykart]

Garage floor maybe? A table wiukd do good, but unless its metal be careful... hot welds and flamable surfaces....

 

[chancer]

Metal shrinks toward the weld when welding. Always tack both sides first, the do one side and then the other. A little back and forth, rechecking for straightness or square whatever as you go. I am NO master welder. this is just a tip I picked up. It would be ideal if we all had a perfectly flat 1/2 thick steel table top, Then you can tack your work down to help keep things lined up.

 

[trenton davis]

yeah ill probably be cutting the whole front end off and re welding it tacking it and measuring about 100 times before i put the final bead Down. probably checking how level it is every minute just so i don't have to worry about the left tire coming up when i try to turn right.