i looked at my truck one day and found out that i had a cracked crossmember about 4 to 5 inches. so than i had to drive it a few time to get it welded back. after about a week i went to check it out and the frame was rubing on the shock and my bumper was slitly tilted down on that side. so i take it to some body shops and one of them side that i might have bent my shock tower up and that is why my shock is on my frame. but what about the bumper? i got the crossmember welded up. but i was wanting you guys to give me some ideas. should i get the shock tower straightend? or buy a new one? or mabe the shock tower is fine and my frame is bent? i just don't know any help would be great.

thanks

 

see if your frames bent?? go to a shop and have em test it... no reason to spend the money on a shock tower only to find out that the trucks totaled...

 

I have a good f-150 reg cab -long box 4x4 frame complete w/ fr and rear axles
Located in Buffalo NY...

 

i will check it out to see if i need a new frame (if i do i will be in touch will you buffalobob) but one question most of the shops i talk to are full for a week or so, so how long could i drive on it until then?

 

I'd like to see the shipping charges on a frame from Buffalo to Phoenix.

Also, anything off a truck from Buffalo will be extremely rusty.

 

thanks for your input andym....good avitar...that s YOU!!!

how could you know that the frame is rusty???...cause Im not in Cali???...you some kind of a cali snob???

 

I had my frame checked. The guy put his fist between the back of tire and wheel well, had 3/4 in difference and the gap between the back of cab and front of bed had 1/2 in difference. He said that will be no problem to straighten, so the truck is going on the rack the first.
The person that owned the truck before me must have run off the road or something, the fenders and bumper are not bent.

 

would a shop have to take the body off to straighten the frame

 

Not sure, but don't think so. I was told about 3 hours. Unless the frame is tore. The place to look is at the rivets that hold the crossmember for the motor mounts. Still can be fixed but lots of extra work.
The way I figure, a lot of money can be spent to fix an old truck compared to the price of the p.o.s. trucks they sell nowadays!

 

Generally, when putting a pickup on a car-o-liner type machine, they leave the body and bed on the frame, but loosen the bolts in case something slips or loosens up on the machine, so the sheet metal doesn't crinkle wiht the 40-80 tons of force that is carefully administered.

 

how much are we talking? i know it depends on the shop but whats the ball park. the frame is not tore but the crossmember was but that is welded up good now.

 

I grew up in Buffalo. Lived there all of my life until I moved out here a couple years ago. I still have a lot of family there.

Unless things have changed - and I doubt that - they still use a lot of salt on the roads there.

 

andym
My brother and I have been talking about moving west....How hard (easy) was it to adapt to the new culture and the change as a whole?

AND....my frames NOT rusty !...;-)

 

not sure if the crossmember is a concern. But between 4 and 10 hours.
10 hours should be the worst case, IMHO. Most shops run 45 to 65 an hour.

 

thanks, i thank i have found a guy that will do it i go see him tomrrow

i will keep u posted