Wheelbase length problems on 70 cuda

[javakm70cuda]

So I bought a 1970 barracuda 383 4speed car that needed work for a project. I noticed that the passenger side front wheel was not sitting in the middle of the wheelwell. It looked like it was sitting a little forward. I checked the drivers side to see if it looked the same, but it looked correct. So I went online and found the proper wheelbase length(108") to measure the two sides & see if I was wrong about there being a problem. Turns out that my passenger side was 108 1/2" & my drivers side is 108". My torsion bar on the passenger side also looked like it was not fully back in the mount hole in the cross member. When i bought this car the front valance was smashed in like it was ramped off something, but everything else looked ok. The LCA(82459 on both LCA) looks like it was replaced on the passenger side at one time. My question is this. Except for the frame being bent, what else could cause this. Could a A-body LCA do this maybe. I been looking at everything for three days & running out of ideas. I will take any help at this point. If you need pics of something, just let me know. I read somewhere that there was a old racecar or dragcar trick to do this for some reason. The guy i bought the car off of only bought the car a couple of months before me buying it off him, & is not even calling me back. Idaho car if anyone knows it let me know.

[Chryco Psycho]

a bent control arm , even offset bushings can affect it a little , I doubt an A body arm would even fit , even the wheel alignment being off would have an effect

[HP2]

Ditto what CP says, check for tweaked parts first. Yes, it is an old drag racer trick to have an offset wheelbase. I'd start with making sure the strut rods and lower control arms are equally seated in their repsective sockets. A bent strut rod could pull one side forward as well, so check for that.

An A body lower arm will fit, but then you would have some radical negative camber bissues ecause A body lower control arms are longer than E body arms.

[mopardave]

if you cant see any arm damage. look at the bottom side of the front rail in front of and behind the K frame mounts for any rail kinks. if the rail is kinked on the rear side that could contribute as well.

['Cuda Hunter]

if you cant see any arm damage. look at the bottom side of the front rail in front of and behind the K frame mounts for any rail kinks. if the rail is kinked on the rear side that could contribute as well.

That is exactly what came to my mind.  I had a burnt orange 70 that had a kink in the rear frame rail.  It changed the wheel base measurement by 3/8".  Everything else was fine, just needed to be straightened back out.

[Moparal]

also look and see if a bent strut rod is pulling it forward

[javakm70cuda]

I will have a look tuesday to see if there is a kink front or behind the k-member on the frame rail, & will also see if there is a bent strut rod. My frame could be the problem though(pic). I don"t remember seeing any kinks(side to side bent) in those places, but this is farther back on passenger side.(pic)

[javakm70cuda]

Thanks for replying everyone. A second set of eyes always helps. Another pic of drivers door gap which bothers me. It does not look like the fender was ever moved, but something funny is going on. I am about ready to start calling this guy I bought the car off of & telling him that his company is about to get a bad name online, if he doesnt start talking to me. He sells old cars for a living(in olympia). Buyer beware though.

[javakm70cuda]

The only way to know for sure what is going on, is to send it to an alignment shop. I found paperwork for the brakes & tires being done at a LesSchwab shop. When I pulled the front & back drums off, it looks like everything is new(Adjusted right & everything).Emergency brakes works perfect! I can't see alignment shop letting this go though.Tires are good also. Thats why I'm so confused.

[Chryco Psycho]

door gaps are never good , it could be just a bad top hinge causing the door to sag

[brads70]

What about at the rear end? spring mounts? spring/pin location in the leaf springs?   Just throwing it out there...?

[javakm70cuda]

Everything I measure tells me that the problem is up front somewhere on passengerside. The torsion bar not fitting back in the crossmember properly on only the passenger side also makes me think it is up front. Strut on passenger side is straight, because I paced a ruler up to it and checked for gaps. Then I looked at the drivers side and the frt drivers front inner wheel shield has a light ripple where it connects to frame(very small & was hidden under battery tray). I also see on drivers side that a spot weld connecting the inner fender to the shock mounting area is almost broken out on battery tray side(pic). I hate buying a car with what I call the glamour eyes on. Basicly when you first see a car you want, you dont see all these details (mind over ride judgement).

[javakm70cuda]

I found this piece cut out also for z-bar bracket. This is an original 4speed car, so this should not be a problem area. I have no idea why whoever did this needed to use a torch. They also cut(with torch) four holes in the rear valance to get at the bolts on the rear of the rear leaf springs. Which are mounted on the rear frame. No respect for the car.

[Chryco Psycho]

mine was never touched & has the same notch

[javakm70cuda]

Small world here.
I think this is my car being talked about before the person i bought off of bought it.

http://www.cuda-challenger.com/cc/index.php?topic=66689.0

I hope ragtopchally has an email address or something for this seller. At least I know more about the history of the car