bent 34 frame

D

dangerz

Junior Member
I am considering fixing my 34 frame myself. I know most will suggest taking it to a frame shop . I am thinking about putting some anchors in my garage floor to hold the frame in place . Has anyone done this with any success and if so, how many did you put in and how did you space them ?
 
its bent on pass side just in front of firewall
 

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A little difficult to judge, but as the frame seems to be dented inwards rather than up and down you should be able to bend that rail out again by using strong beams and jacks and chains all braced against the frame itself. Just pushing outwards from the x member might get the fix started. the rail will bend much easier in the sideways direction than the up and down plane.

Basically you just need to get mediaevil on it.

Mart.
 
Just remember that it is like a foundation for a house if it isn't correct the rest of the build is difficult. I would suggest a frame shop for this task if you have a printout of specifications to show them like PeteVs gave you a link for. Just my 2 cents.
Gary.
 
Frame shops have either a good K-frame machine or other heavy tube or I-beam members to jack against for straightening purposes. They also possess the skills necessary to shrink or stretch frame flanges back to their original shape and dimension. If you possess the I-beams or old railroad track sections, various chains, bottle jacks, and an oxy-acetylene rig plus the skills for metal shaping, then go for it. If you don't have these things, just ask your favorite body shop where they get their frames straightened and farm it out.
 
A couple points to consider - a frame rack has a FLAT platform to measure off . Without a FLAT platform to measure your heights from you are guessing . NOT GOOD .Pretty good bet your heights are off . Also wherever you grab it to either pull or hold the frame it will want to bend at those points . I still have a 5 tower frame rack and have straightened many frames on it and my advice to you would be to have it done . You may be really good at figuring stuff out but the ability to judge how far to pull something to get it to stay where you want it is pretty touchy . AND if you grab it wrong and or pull it too far you can actually make it worse than it is now . Your call of course but I have seen frame projects that a backyarder attempted to fix and it can get ugly . IF you are going to have it done make sure the shop does pickup frames . The last thing you need is some unit-body specialist hacking on your frame . Some frame rack operators have no experience with actual frames anymore .
 
I been doing chassis for 30+ years (mostly repro) but when I get a frame with a problem like yours I turn to the pros with a frame machine to pull it back into stock dimensions.
 
I agree with most of the others. What you end up with depends on how good your frame is. I would use a pro. Pete/Ct
 
I believe I have it real close. all seems to be level from side to side and all measurements seem to look real close ( within a 1/16" ) theres a very small bend at top of rail. I think its that the frame was smashed and I'll try and get it next time I get a chance to work on it. Here's a before and after its not there yet but close.
 

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If you buy a repo frame what is considered close enough to perfect? If you take a bent frame to a shop to be straightened,how close to perfect would you expect a good shop to straighten it?
 
It will cost about $100. + for each pot that you install in the floor of your garage. The floor should be at least 4" or more or the concrete will pull out. I was in the auto body business and straightened both unibody and frames. Without the proper equipment you will have a real mess on your hads. I agree with all of the previous responses.
 
V12Bill said:
It will cost about $100. + for each pot that you install in the floor of your garage. The floor should be at least 4" or more or the concrete will pull out. I was in the auto body business and straightened both unibody and frames. Without the proper equipment you will have a real mess on your hads. I agree with all of the previous responses.
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I dont think I'm gonna need any anchors I believe the only thing that needs fixed now is cosmetic.
 
Flange puckers like that indicate a stretch in the metal there. Photos can be deceiving but it may have a bit of twist to it. Someone who knows the art of shrinking can even pretty well remove that so that it's not visibly perceptible. You will know how straight it is when you start fitting front sheet metal that's for sure.
 
When you have a bent piece of channel like a frame, it is much easier to bend back if you slot the top and bottom flange with a cutting disc, maybe more than one slot quite close together, do the straightening, then weld up the slots. You've probably stretched some steel, and its very hard to shrink it.
 
I am thinking about putting some anchors in my garage floor to hold the frame in place . Has anyone done this with any success and if so, how many did you put in and how did you space them ?
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Plenty of other advice in this thread and probably good advice but his questions were specific.
 
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