Anyone know a trick to straightening an aluminum chassis?

[rraeford]

I just received an RC10 and an RC10T (from different people) and both have chassis that aren't flat front to back.

Neither chassis has a great deal of wear on the bottom.
But if you sight down the length of the chassis they're both bowed. The problem seems to start just forward of the
tranny mount and round out to the front nose plate mount. The nose plates are fine (I have new ones to compare them to).

I was going to just put them on a 2x4 buck and hammer them out. Anyone else had to fix this and know a better technique.

Any help would be appreciated.

rraeford

[klavy69]

different people use different techniques. I try to stay away from the hammer but if I use one I use a block of hardwood to hit so I don't stretch the aluminum. Good question for this place. Can't wait to see some of the answers myself.
Todd

[rctenracer]

i think ounce they bend you will never get them perfect agian. aluminum is not that forgiving . I have tried using a press and could get it close but never straight .

[PBR Allstar]

I've done a couple, I have a large billet of steel (a block of hardwood will work also) and I clamp the chassis down to that using another block of steel to spread the load of the clamp. I clamp it so the tangent of the bent area is off the edge of the steel block and use a piece of wood and a hammer to knock it back down. Slow and patient is the key, and moving the chassis further and shallower off the block as needed. I've also used a clamp across the sides of the pan before as I go since they usually spread out when the pan bends up.

[jwscab]

yep, clamp, vice is best.

remember that metal has some spring to it, especially tempered material, such as the T6 in the chassis you are looking at. You will have to bend it slighly 'over' flat so that it springs back to straight.

best thing to do is creep up on it, so use something flat, then add small plates as shims to bend it the other way, so that it springs back flat.