bent frame

[cegusman]

What would be the easiest way to straiten my frame. Not bent to bad but it is causing the front drivers side shackle mount to lean in a bit. Was cause by getting hung up on my tranny cross member in a log crawl pit.

Have already pulled trans and tcase and exhaust to install my doubler so I have plenty of room to work on it under the truck. I have tried beating on it whit a small slegde with no luck. Used vise grips but it is starting bent in the middle. Need some way to bend it from all the way at the back.

 

[tRustyK5]

Porta power...and work it a little at a time along the length of the bend. Do whatever you can to work it cold, pouring the heat into that part of the frame will only cause even more distortion.

Rene

 

[cegusman]

I know what you are talking about, but have never used on or seen one in use. Any simple way to explain it?

 

[rdn2blazer]

I had a dent in the open side if the C on my frame too. I took two 1" thick, by about 12" long plates of steel, and with a huge heavy duty C clamp tightened the two pieces together with the frame in between the two pieces. It took 90% of the dent out. In your case I think I would do basically the same thing but I would also use large Cressent wrenches that choke to the inside radius of the frame and pry down also.

You have stretched the frame to a small degree in the one Kink. So if you use the two steel plate method it will clamp straight but once it's loosened back up it probably will return back to a kinked shape, it will be less kinked more then likely but I doubt it will remove it all together.
Once you have tried clamping it then use a huge cressent wrench to flex it a bit more till your satisfied it's good enough. Thats what I think I would do. Good luck bro.

After looking at it again I think using two large Cressent, and maybe adding a piece of steel the length of the bend, then prying down, I don't know how well the clamp method will work since the frame behind the bend curves up.

 

[cegusman]

That was one of my ideas I had. I plan on boxing the frame once it is straitened to prevent this from happening again.

 

[rdn2blazer]

Boxing, I'm all for it, will do mine at some point. I don't like how some guys do it where they put the plate right at the edge of the C then weld it, and ther plate is cut off straight and they weld right to the end of the plate. I will recess my plate in so once I have welded in it there will be at minimum a 1/4 section of frame past the weld exposed. Also at the end of the plates there will be a bend a few inches inboard of the frame C about 30 to 45 deg so there is not a stress/crack point that will develop.

 

[cegusman]

Boxing, I'm all for it, will do mine at some point. I don't like how some guys do it where they put the plate right at the edge of the C then weld it, and ther plate is cut off straight and they weld right to the end of the plate. I will recess my plate in so once I have welded in it there will be at minimum a 1/4 section of frame past the weld exposed. Also at the end of the plates there will be a bend a few inches inboard of the frame C about 30 to 45 deg so there is not a stress/crack point that will develop.

I was planing on recessing it in about 1/4" but didn't think of bending it in at the ends. Might steal that idea from you. Do you think 1/8 is thick enough or do I need to go thicker?

 

[johnnychimpo]

What about a large pipe wrench & a come-along. I straightened the rear frame rail on a truck like that. I put a piece of angle iron along the inside bottom of the frame rail to stiffen it before putting the pipe wrench on and cranking.

 

[rdn2blazer]

I was planing on recessing it in about 1/4" but didn't think of bending it in at the ends. Might steal that idea from you. Do you think 1/8 is thick enough or do I need to go thicker?

1/8 is just right IMHO. Any thicker is unnecessary.

 

[cegusman]

What about a large pipe wrench & a come-along. I straightened the rear frame rail on a truck like that. I put a piece of angle iron along the inside bottom of the frame rail to stiffen it before putting the pipe wrench on and cranking.

Tried that but my pipe wrench didn't go deep enough. Friend offered me a large crescent wrench that will make it to the inner edge of the frame. Going to try that this weekend too.

 

[rdn2blazer]

Bending in the ends a bit keeps the frame from cracking because the weld stop point is moved inboard away from the edge where a crack would develop. Would never start inboard with metal all the way around the weld stop point.

 

[cegusman]

Instead boxing it would doing my doubler cross member like this reinforce it enough? I already have a cage that is hard mounted to the frame at 12 points, so I am not worried about the frame cracking, just don't want to bent the under side again.