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Posted by David Sherman [72.47.9.228] on Monday, September 20, 2010 at 01:09:15 :
I got to thinking about frame flex while driving my beater M37 on some very lumpy ground yesterday and having a bit of a time with traction. We always say the frame is designed to twist some to help keep all the tires on the ground. With a pickup bed, that's no problem because the cab and the bed can move independently. But then I got to thinking about my ambulance (M43) and the seam (currently containing bad bondo) between the top of the cab and the top of the ambulance body.
What's supposed to happen to an ambulance or van body when the frame flexes? Is the body supposed to stiffen up the whole assembly so that there just isn't as much flex? Is the body supposed to twist someone (seems unlikely) Are the body-frame mounts supposed to have enough slop in them to accommodate the movement? Just some thoughts for a rainy fall evening. Any insight? Anything to watch out for when restoring an ambulance to use on bad roads?
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