Anyone Ever bend an I-Beam 'At Home'?!

sdloe · #1 (**permalink**) 10-20-2009, 07:53 PM

Too much negative camber on passenger side of my 78 f100. Not going to spend $$ just yet, too much fun experimenting & piddling with "Do It Yourself" mentality. So, to the Gearheads out there:

Anyone ever successfully bend an I-beam (?) at home? I have a couple ideas but am open to others as well.

For those of you who love to give unsolicited advice please save it, my question is not "What do you think?" but "Has anyone ever done it?"

Steve

mr.mischief · #2 (**permalink**) 10-21-2009, 12:27 AM

i'd hope so.
but,
they'd have to be skilled enough to keep it safe...(heat treat, maybe brace)
it doesn't seem impossible with a jig & a press...and a torch...

sdloe · #3 (**permalink**) 10-23-2009, 04:22 PM

Yea, I agree, safety is the main issue. As I have pondered the 'how' I'm not all that sure my method is safe. So I keep looking for a shop that will do it for a reasonable price.

Out of curiosity, what in the world would make it bend (negative camber) if I have hit no bumps or gone over a railroad track at 100 mph?! I'm wondering if the I-beam has just plain weakened, thus my bending it would likely cause it to break. Just sayin...

Steve

darthice · #4 (**permalink**) 11-04-2009, 03:21 PM

personally i would go to the closest pull a part junkyard and pull an Ibeam off of there

93F22A6 · #5 (**permalink**) 11-04-2009, 08:05 PM

If you have all the tools and fab skills. Make a jig and go from there.

bashby · #6 (**permalink**) 11-05-2009, 07:35 PM

I have bent them with the proper tools and a torch aint one of them.I wouldnt try it, you need to bend it to someting like 2 or 3 deg pos then let it flex back and see what you got. If you go too far then you have to set the jig up different to bend it back. Have you made sure the king pins arent bad? BTW, I do realizeI'm the 5th person to answer your question with something other than "yes I have bent my own I beams"..

sdloe · #7 (**permalink**) 11-07-2009, 07:04 AM

Yeah, I expected you guys to offer opinions and I delight in that, what I try to avoid is those who seem to have some salesman mindset and their only response is to buy this or that.

Anyway, I looked at a bunch of options and had the hardest time finding a local shop that could bend the i-beam. Finally found a 'seasoned mechanic' who was trustworthy and well recommended. Once he put the truck up on a lift he pointed out all the bushings that were worn out, affecting the alignment

Well, tired of putting it off, I bit the bullet and had him replace all those and align the front end. Ended up costing about $600 but I'm happy.

Now, though it runs straight, one of the problems I thought the alignment would cure is still there; the right front end is slightly lower that the left side. It must be a weak(er) coil spring. I'm thinking of trying rubber coil expanders of 1 inch or so, what do you think? Obviously, a new (or used) set MIGHT cure the problem but I'd rather 'tinker' first, especially since the expanders cost about 10 bucks.

Steve

bashby · #8 (**permalink**) 11-07-2009, 09:13 AM

If you level it off it will throw the camber back out.

sdloe · #9 (**permalink**) 11-08-2009, 09:18 AM

Yeah, didn't think about that. Considering it though, we're talking a tiny amount of expansion, 1 inch or so, that may not affect the actual tire wear. I still think its worth a try. I'll keep a close watch on the tire wear.

Steve

dtingle89 · #10 (**permalink**) 11-18-2009, 09:11 PM

my only concern is that the i beams are originally forged, and that if you put too much heat and stress they could become brittle really fast and just shatter or break at a weak point caused by reheating.

darthice · #11 (**permalink**) 11-19-2009, 05:00 PM

exactly hence my post about finding a pull a part yard or ordering new ones from ford parts direct or something.