Jeff Balazs Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 Hi Guy's; So here I am feeling really good about my project. I got the water distribution tube out (in 12 or 13 pieces) but it is out...front clip is off... I made it past the dreaded stuck rear hub....with the help of some heat. Today I stripped all 4 axles down to the bare spindles. The brakes were a real mess........cylinders corroded.....brake line fittings frozen etc...... but I had I figured new cylinders, linings, fittings and lines and new studs for all the hubs and I should be good to move forward. Right? well you would think so......then as I am cleaning up the drivers side spindle and planning my next move I see something I had not noticed before. I can't believe I missed this. The frame is bent from the rear motor mount south to the cross member ahead of the rear end.....and not just a little bit.......it is bowed in a fair amount. I knew that the drivers side door had been replaced but the body work all lines up pretty well. I don't know how I missed this......but it does not look good at all. I am no expert on frame straightening but after looking it over it looks like it is going to be a real bugger to get this frame straight......if it even can be done. Man am I bummed. I don't know how I could have missed this. Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southtowns27 Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 It can be fixed. Start calling around and find a small shop with a frame machine that'll work for cash. Should only cost you a couple hundred bucks. I've seen my fair share of bent frames (circle track racing) and it's amazing what a frame machine can fix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Young Ed Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 After I crashed my 48 plymouth I had to have a frame shop straighten out the front frame horns. I suggest you look around for a good frame shop in your area. Also the more exposed the frame will be the easier it will be for them to fix it(easier should equal cheaper). I think mine was $450 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Balazs Posted January 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 Hi guy's; Well I sure hope you are right and it can be fixed. I am not exactly sure how to assess this or how to proceed from here. Do I remove the cab, bed and fuel tank? .....should I leave the complete drive train installed ? Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Young Ed Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 Thats somewhat of a question for your shop. My shop wanted as much removed as possible but he wanted the car driveable. This is how it looked when I brought it home. Its gonna depend alot on what they want and where the exact damage is. Mine was where the front bumper mounts-they were bent about 90° over from the crash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HanksB3B Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 Hi guy's;Well I sure hope you are right and it can be fixed. I am not exactly sure how to assess this or how to proceed from here. Do I remove the cab, bed and fuel tank? .....should I leave the complete drive train installed ? Jeff Honestly Jeff, I'm a frame off guy myself so I'm going to be leaning that way in my answer. Short of finding a another frame (which is possible but a waiting game unless you got extremely lucky and would have to be fairly local) You might call Alvin's Auto Body in Long Beach 562-424-4323 and speak to Bob the owner. He's a little bit Sourdough but a wonderful person once you get past the Grapes of Wrath part. Taking the bed off is relatively simple and gives you much better access to clean things up and get your brakes into good shape. I'm not a Patina person especially when it comes to the frame as I view rust and dirt as the enemy. If you are a AAA member a flatbed 100 mile limit is included, however I've found that in order to get it back from the repair shop to you it's only free if it goes from one repair shop to another repair shop (maybe your guy in your complex you told me about) A tough break and you're old enough to know "It's always something" Hank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave72dt Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 To be very honest about it, I would strip it to a rolling chassis. That makes it portable, the frame shop has clear access to the damaged area and they can get the entire chassis square and you can check for any frame cracks that may need repair while you're at it. You can do your own eyeballing after they're finished to verify there work My frame looked good and had never been hit but I found it to be out of square when trying to run a centerline from one end to the other. You can and should check that also. Worst comes to worst, you can cut the bad sections out and replace with new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Parkhurst Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 I have a solid frame in NE Ohio if that would help. Wish I was closer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Balazs Posted January 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2012 Hi Guy's; Thanks for your responses. Man was I bummed. I will get over it....and this truck will move forward. I just have to get a handle on how best to proceed. Hank; I know what you are saying about stripping her all the way down and I was planning on doing that after I got some stuff taken care of. The cab and bed were always coming off to do the paint work in my mind...I just wasn't going to do it right away.... and if I had the right sort of patina I might be inclined to leave it.....but I don't so that was never the plan. Ed and Dave; Once I get a chance and start to expose this I will take some photo's ...... I would like some input on how severe this really is. Allan: Thank you and depending on what I find we may be able to strike a deal......I have a cousin in Ohio that was in the shipping business for many years.... Thanks for your words of encouragement, Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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