best way to straighten a top bow

[Steve Thomas]

Noticed the main bow for the top on my '27 touring is bent at the joint following the final tour of the year. The car had sat for several years before I took position last year. So the joints are very stiff and difficult to move
My thought are to take a piece of angle clamp it to the bow and then use another to pull the bow to the angle. Better ideas? How can you limber up the joints so that they move easily other than use?

[Norman Kling]

A little WD 40 sprayed on the joints every day until you can move it. Spray and try to move gently and move back and forth. When you finally get it to move freely, use a few drops of light oil from time to time Try to get it into the joint and wipe off the excess.
As for bending the bow, good luck. They are very old and tend to rust out from the inside, so might be thin and weak. On a 27 there should be a small bend about 4 inches from the end which bolts to the body. Try to get it to match the other side or look at another car to see how it should be.
Norm

[Steve Jelf]

I had an iron worse than that, not just bent but broken. An old body man welded it up for me and made it look like new, but it was weak and eventually broke again. I finally replaced it with a new piece.

[1923Touring]

Mine was not as bad as yours. If you do try to straighten it, you will need to over shoot, as it always bends back a little. (see the shims in my photo).
-Joshua

[jiminbartow]

Soak it for several days in order to make it flexible. Then force some yellow wood glue into the joint and while keeping it it wet, use clamps to bend it straight. When it’s straight, clamp the glued joint tightly and allow piece to dry. When it dries, it will stay straight and the glued joint will keep it straight. Do not glue it until it is straight or it will maintain the bend at the point at which the glue joins the two halves. Jim Patrick

[Jerry VanOoteghem]

Soak it for several days in order to make it flexible. Then force some yellow wood glue into the joint and while keeping it it wet, use clamps to bend it straight. When it’s straight, clamp the glued joint tightly and allow piece to dry. When it dries, it will stay straight and the glued joint will keep it straight. Do not glue it until it is straight or it will maintain the bend at the point at which the glue joins the two halves. Jim Patrick

Jim,

This is a steel top iron/bow. What is soaking and wood glue going to do for this?

[Jerry VanOoteghem]

Noticed the main bow for the top on my '27 touring is bent at the joint following the final tour of the year. The car had sat for several years before I took position last year. So the joints are very stiff and difficult to move
My thought are to take a piece of angle clamp it to the bow and then use another to pull the bow to the angle. Better ideas? How can you limber up the joints so that they move easily other than use?large bow.jpgbow 2.jpg

Hard to believe the joint could be stiff enough to do that. Is it possible that the car was placed in an enclosed trailer, with the top up? I've seen damage like that when the car is left with the top up and the trailer has gone over some rough road. The car can bounce up and down more than one might expect. That bow forms the tallest part of the top. Striking the top of the trailer would be a great way to make that kind of damage.

Your straightening suggestion is what I would do. Consider adding some heat as well, to prevent cracking the bow.

[jiminbartow]

LOL! Thanks Jerry. My bad. Jim Patrick

[Jerry VanOoteghem]

LOL! Thanks Jerry. My bad. Jim Patrick

Happy Thanksgiving Jim!

[Allan]

Steve, your angle idea should work. I would do the clamping cold. Once you have it down straight, then some heat applied will relieve stresses in the bend and it should hold its shape. Heat applied before the straightening is likely to deform the metal at the bend.
I agree that the bend is likely to have been the result of a down load on the third bow, rather than stiff joints. If you look carefully, above the major bend there is a slight curve in the opposite direction.

Allan from down under.

[Oldav8tor]

If you succeed in straightening the socket you might want to dig the old rotten wood out and replace it with poured-in epoxy resin. The cured resin offers a lot of strength and will seal the inside away from further rust. I did that to my sockets and am happy with the results.

[Mark Gregush]

You might brace the sides as you bend to keep from buckling outwards.