US2736359A - Door straightening tool - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 28, 1956 J. R. BOWMAN DOOR STRAIGHTENING TOOL Filed July '7, 1952 INVENTOR. dosEPH RUSSEL BOWMAN BY 2 ATTORNEY.

This invention relates to a door straightening tool or machine and has for its object the provision of a tool or machine adapted for use in repairing automobile body panels and doors by the method of stretching them. By attaching a suitable mechanism to a damaged automobile body door or panel and stretching it, it has been shown that the frame or margin of the panel can be restored to its original shape relieving the surface of the panel of the compression which has caused it to buckle or oil can and permitting it to snap back into its original condition. A few sharp creases which frequently occur may then be ironed out with a soft hammer and the job is complete, frequently without even removing the interior trim from the door.

An object of the invention is to provide a mechanism which islight and portable so that it may be handled by one man and yet strong enough to exert large forces on the workpiece.

' Another object is to provide a tool which is adaptable to panels of widely varying shapes e. g. having deep curvature or having offsets such as occur when a portion of a fender line is incorporated into a door.

Still another object is to provide a machine which may be clamped diagonally across a door or panel and also to provide a tool having a swiveling head so that it may be clamped to marginal portions which do not lie in parallel planes.

It is also my object to provide clamps having a positive action whereby slippage is avoided, and it is still another object to provide a tool which is quickly adjustable to panels of different widths but in which these adjustments will not slip and which may be made secure by the use of ordinary mechanics tools and wrenches. 7

Other objects and desirable combinations andarrangements of parts will become obvious upon reading the following description and examining the attached drawings, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section along the line 1--1 of Figure 2 through one embodiment of my invention;

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the device of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a left end elevation of the device of Figure 1; and

Figure 4 is a right end elevation of the device of Figure 1.

Referring now to the drawings, my novel door straightening machine consists of a crank attached to a screw 12 threaded into a nut 14. The nut 14 is welded into the end of a guide tube 16. Sliding in the guide tube 16 is a push rod 18, made tubular for lightness, an abutment 20 for the screw 12 is welded into one end, and another tube 22 is press fitted into the other end of the push rod 18. The tube 22 adds strength and stiffness at the point of greatest load on the push rod.

Adjustable along the length of the guide tube 16 is a vise 24 comprising a fixed jaw 26, having a semi-cylindrical recess fitted to the tube and releasably clamped there- States PatentO to by a cap 28, having a similarly fitted semi-cylindrical recess and secured to the fixed jaw 26 by studs 30 and nuts 32, and a moveable jaw 34 in the form of arelatively narrow flat steel bar adapted to be clamped to the fixed jaw by a bolt 36, passing approximately through the center of the moveable jaw 34, and a nut 38. Each jaw is provided with a hardened and serrated or toothed plate 40 welded thereto at the point where contact is to be made with the automobile doors.

A somewhat similar vise 42 is removably, swivelably adjustably and slidably attached to the endof the push rod by one of a pair of socket tubes 44 and 46 preferably of the same size as the guide tube 16 and having abutments or plugs 48 welded in their ends and themselves being welded together and to the fixed jaw 50 of the vise 42 as clearly illustrated in the drawings. The vise 42 also has a moveable jaw 34 clamped to the fixed jaw by a bolt 36 and a nut 38 and both jaws of this vise are also provided with the toothed plates 40.

The fixed jaws 26 and 50 of both vises are formed with raised portions 52 arcuate in form and generally centered about the clamp bolts 36. These raised portions form fulcrums for the moveable jaws and their arcuate form permits swiveling of these jaws, as shown in dot and dash lines, to facilitate clamping to irregularly shaped doors or to permit clamping the device to a door diagonally.

The two sockets are provided so that the lower one 44, may be used on relatively straight fiat surfaces to provide a minimum overhang of the jaws and thereby a minimum deflection and stress on the push rod 18 and guide tube 16, and the upper one 46 may be used on doors having offsets or large curvatures.

In operation, the device is clamped to the damaged door with the screw in its outermost position so that socket 44 or 46, whichever is used, .is in abutting relationship with the guide tube 16, and with the adjustable vise 24 being first released by its clamp nuts 32 and moved to the proper position to engage the edge of the door opposite to the edge to which the vise 42 is attached. Skill and experience will dictate the location of the jaws and they may be straight across the door, angularly across the door or diagonally across the corner formed by adjacent edges of the door. The crank 10 is rotated to screw the screw 12 into the nut 14 and push the push rod 18 through the guide tube 16 and thereby force the two vises 24 and 42 apart. The tension thus applied to the door tends to draw out the dent and also straightens out the edges of the door and the door frame so that the oil-canning tendency is eliminated. It may be necessary or desirable to place the device successively in more than one position on the door and exert a certain amount of tension as dictated by the skill of the operator. In extreme cases, two or more of the devices might be mounted.

on a door simultaneously. The double- dot dash lines 56 and 58 illustrate a damaged door in the machine and the triple dot dash lines 54 illustrate the door successfully restored.

It will be noted that, if the margins of the door or panel being worked on are not in parallel planes, the sockets 46 or 44 may freely swivel about the push rod 18 or the push rod may swivel in the guide tube 16 to permit the jaws to align themselves properly with these edges. Similarly, if the device is placed angularly across a door or panel, the moveable jaws 34 of the vises may swivel about their respective clamp bolts 36 so as to get a satisfactory grip as previously described and illustrated in dot and dash lines in Figure 2.

While only one embodiment of my invention has been illustrated and described in detail, it will become obvious to those skilled in the art that other embodiments and changes might be made within the spirit of my invention and, therefore, it is not my intention to be limited to this one embodiment, or otherwise than by the terms of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A tool comprising an elongated guide tube, a push rod in said guide tube and extending beyond the end thereof, a vise adjustably clamped along said guide tube, a second vise provided with a socket generally in alignment with said second vise and adapted to receive the end of said push rod whereby it is removably secured to said push rod and swivelable about the axis thereof and means for forcibly moving said push rod within the guide tube for separating said vises, said last named means comprising a screw threaded into the end of said guide tube and engaging said push rod.

2. A tool comprising an elongated guide tube, a push rod in said guide tube and extending beyond the end thereof, a vise adjustably clamped along said guide tube, a second vise provided with a plurality of sockets generally in alignment with said second vise and adapted Y to receive the end of said push rod whereby it is adjustably and removably secured to said push rod and swivelable about the axis thereof and means for forcibly moving said push rod within the guide tube for separating said vises.

3. A tool comprising an elongated guide tube, a push rod in said guide tube and extending beyond the end thereof, a vise adjustably clamped along said guide tube, a second vise provided with a plurality of sockets generally in alignment with said second vise and adapted to receive the end of said push rod whereby it is adjustably and removably secured to said push rod and swivelable about the axis thereof and means for forcibly moving said push rod within the guide tube for separating said Vises, said last named means comprising a screw threaded into the end of said guide tube and engaging said push rod.

4. A tool comprising an elongated guide tube, a push rod in said guide tube and extending beyond the end thereof, a vise having fixed and moveable jaws adjustably clamped along said guide tube, a second vise having fixed and moveable jaws and a socket generally in alignment with the opening of said jaws and adapted to receive the end of said push rod whereby it is removably secured-to said push rod and swivelable about the axis thereof, said fixed jaws each being provided with a clamp bolt and an arcuate abutment centered around said clamp bolt and said moveable jaws each being swivelable about its respective clamp bolt to fulcrum on the arcuate abutments in a plurality of positions, and means for forcibly moving said push rod within the guide tube for separating said VlSCS.

5. A tool comprising an elongated guide tube, a push rod in said guide tube and extending beyond the end thereof, a vise having fixed and moveable jaws adjust ably clamped along said guide tube, a second vise having fixed and moveable jaws and a plurality of sockets generally in alignment with the opening of said jaws and adapted to receive the end of said push rod whereby it is adjustably and removably secured to said push rod and swivelable about the axis thereof, said fixed jaws each being provided with a clamp bolt and an arcuate abutment centered around said clamp bolt and said moveable jaws each being swivelable about its respective clamp bolt to fulcrum on the arcuate abutments in a plurality of positions, and means for forcibly moving said push rod within the guide tube for separating said vises.

6. A tool comprising an elongated guide tube, a push rod in said guide tube and extending beyond the end thereof, a vise having fixed and moveable jaws adjustably clamped along said guide tube, a second vise having fixed and moveable jaws and a socket generally in alignment with the opening of said jaws and adapted to receive the end of said push rod whereby it is removably secured to said push rod and swivelable about the axis thereof, said fixed jaws each being provided with a clamp bolt and an arcuate abutment centered around said clamp bolt and said moveable jaws each being swivelable about its respective clamp bolt to fulcrum on the arcuate abutments in a plurality of positions, and means for forcibly moving said push rod within the guide tube for separating said vises, said last named means comprising a screw threaded into the end of said guide tube and engaging said push rod.

7. A tool comprising an elongated guide tube, a push rod in said guide tube and extending beyond the end thereof, a vise having fixed and moveable jaws adjustably clamped along said guide tube, a second vise having fixed and moveable jaws and a plurality of sockets generally in alignment with the opening of said jaws and adapted to receive the end of said push rod whereby it is adjustably and removably secured to said push rod and swivelable about the axis thereof, said fixed jaws each being provided with a clamp bolt and an arcuate abutment centered around said clamp bolt and said moveable jaws each being swivelable about its respective clamp bolt to fulcrum on the arcuate abutments in a plurality of positions, and means for forcibly moving said push rod within the guide tube for separating said Vises, said last named means comprising a screw threaded into the end of said guide tube and engaging said push rod.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 808,920 Heely et al. Jan. 2, 1906 1,120,798 Duecker Dec. 15, 1914 1,624,090 Blaine et al. Apr. 12, 1927 2,463,966 Hauschild Mar. 8, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS 808,920 Great Britain Jan. 2, 1906

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