The significance of this is that 1) If you want to maintain this original look (not always done on highboys), you need to buy the outer rail (unboxed) or a complete boxed rail and 2) because it is part of the car that is seen, it has to finish-up cosmetically correct.

Having said that and, because we are building a full-fendered car and will maintain that look, we acquired a set of Curbside rails through Shearer's Hot Rod Parts in London, Ontario. The rails come fully boxed with threaded inserts to your specs. In our case, they are full-length and will incorporate front and rear spreader bars. We also had them C-notched in the rear to accomodate suspension travel. With rails in hand, we had them delivered to Lowdown Hot Rods and we're ready to proceed.

The first step is to set them up in a frame fixture. Generically, a frame fixture facilitates accurate construction through precise positioning of frame material for welding. Before the welding step, the fixture and any add-ons are levelled. In the photo below, you see our rails in a fixture at the Lowdown shop. Temporary front and rear spreader bars have been bolted in. There is no centre section at this point.