Truck frame help

[Bazz]

Need your help with my truck frame


My truck has only 8000 kilometers last Saturday i was ram in the rear and now I have a bent frame my insurance company is willing to pay for fixing the frame but I think that i am entitled to a new frame since I bough the new replacement value policy

I have to prepare myself to face the insurance company in court

Here is where you guys can help

I need to know what is the alloy the frame is made with (Ford)
share some of your experience with fix bent frame ,bad or good

The frame was bent in the accident and probably will be bent back to a so call original shape
how much strength did the frame loose if is it going to work harden and crack in a near future ?

If you have link or fact that can be concerning about frame repare Please comment

I know there's a lot of smart people here and can't wait to see what your thinking

Thank you

[daveo]

It depends how bad it is bent. If its minor, fix it, beats the hell out of completely disassembling your truck..... I worked in bodyshops for years. Find a quality shop and you will get a quality repair.

[gnm109]

My 1998 Dodge Daota was hit in the rear by a drunken fool right after I bought it. It ruined the tailgate deck and rear bumper. The body shop I went to has a standard procedure on pickups with this type of collision. They remove the bed and take the truck to a specialized frame shop nearby that uses laser testing. Upoon check, my frame wasn't damaged but I was assured that it could have been straightened if it were needed. It drives nicely after the bed was replaced with the new tailgate deck and bumper.

I could be wrong and I don't know how your insurance policy is drafted but I always thought that full replacement value only operated when the vehcle was totalled. Then, they give you enough for a new car.

I'd be willing to bet that replacing the frame on a vehicle such as yours would cost more than replacement value on the vehicle, assuming that you could even find a new spare frame. It's an incrredible amount of labor. JMO.


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[Bguns]

Local body shop years ago told me that if a very new truck, and frames are still coming off production line... That the frames were reasonably priced < 1,000.00 US. Labor is the big part of course.

Just because frame is bent does not mean a proper repair can't be done.

Each case is an individual of course... someones bent description could be a mild rack, bow, twist, or downright mangled...

[Black_Moons]

Yea it all depends on how bad it is and how its fixed. Try and get the truck on a lift and see the damage for yourself, (Brake shops often have a lift and will let you see under the truck if your getting work done, Even though they all have signs saying do not enter work area yadayadayada, most still let you, id recommend staying out from under your car however or they might get nervous.

If its bent so far something buckled, massive amounts of strength is lost, and likey can't really be made straight again with anywhere near its origional strength. iv bent small folded/stamped sheet metal things back into shape after they buckled and they where never remotely as strong as all the stress consentrates at the weak point.

Of course, if you weld another big chunk of steel over that, it might turn out stronger then origional.. Or might cause new stress points that fail.. and cause your truck to be heavyer.

Or maybe a beam gets choped right out and a new one welded in its place. That could be near origional strength if done right.. maybe not since it could be very hard to weld back into place with the rest of the car in the way.. Or maybe better if it was a thicker/stronger peice of steel with a deticated welder who knew just what he was doing, Iv heard and seen of some awful robotic welds (from improperly set up robotic welders), so its even possable he could weld the exact same size metal in better then what was origionaly there.

On the other hand, if its a few degrees of bend, that can be twisted back into shape with little loss of strength.

[torker]

You would be amazed at what can be accomplished on a good frame straightening machine.
I've straightened more than a few front clips on stock cars that have hit the wall at 80 mph.
Yep...sometimes metal is deformed past an acceptable level...but you just cut that out and replace that section from a scrap clip.
Your frame is full of locator holes that are put there for the frame guy to use to make sure all is square and level.
On your full frame truck...I believe 1/4" out of whack is still the accepted limit.
It's all very easy to measure up on a proper frame machine.
A badly twisted up frame can be made as close to perfect as time will allow.

A factory Icar type manual will have all the measurements that have to be made at the reference points in each model of car or truck.
And yes...the hi alloy frames can be welded.
Most body shops don't have guys who are qualified to weld the stuff so often the cars/trucks are written off.

[gda]

My dad was a bodyman, and I grew up in shops. We used to also buy totaled cars and repair them to sell. Cars get totaled not because they can not be fixed safely, but because it costs too much at shop labor rates to do so.

The frame machines and measuring systems they have today can get your truck back square. All pulls should be done cold. If the pull is put on correctly (in the opposite dirrection that if got stuffed) you would be amazed how easy some of it walks out, especially with a few hammer hits to the kinks.

If it was just a light hit and only the back was affected I would rather have it straightened than have somebody disconnect and then re-connect all those hoses, fittings, and wire harness connectors. You know there will be broken tabs from the wire connectors that will someday cause problems.

If they straighten your frame they need to put in an alignment as well.


But none of this answers your original question if the frame is now weaker - or if this will cause a future problem. - It all depends how bad it is bent.

[Carld]

You could probably buy a brand new truck for less than it would cost to replace the frame. Frame straightening works just fine if done by a good frame man.

[Willy]

Without an actual visual inspection I don't believe anyone can give you an accurate answer.
To say the frame is bent is not enough information because it does not indicate how or to what degree the frame is bent.
Is it twisted, are just the frame horns beyond the suspension attachment points bent, is one side longer? These and and a combination of other frame bends are fixable. Bends between suspension attachment point are of course more critical but usually easily fixed in a frame straightening jig.

One of my first jobs many moons ago was working in a frame repair shop replacing suspension components and straightening frame horns along with learning the finer points of measuring and dialing in frames for twist. I learned an awful lot working with people that took their job very seriously.
Techniques and standards are even more stringent now than they were then. In other words I have a lot of confidence in the process...if done correctly.
As in everything, from doctors to lawyers, life is a gamble, but don't loose too much sleep over it.


If a frame needs replacement it usually means the vehicle is beyond repair and it's a write-off. Good work is the key of course and if you have heard good reports about the shop where the repairs are done you can usually expect results that are virtually undetectable.

[bgott]

Newer trucks have boxed hydro- formed frames. I don't know about Ford or GM but I do know that Dodge does not recommend any frame repairs on damage forward of the rear spring hangers. I've read that they sell frame extentions to repair rear frame horn damage.