Hey guys, i got a guy who has a 99 f350, 7.3, 6 speed, chipped up, exhaust, intake, and some other goodies, but he totaled the truck. he then bought it back from the insurance company to have future plans of fixing it, but it seems he never got to it. I got a few questions, he says he wants 2500$ for it, saying he paid the insurance company 3000. Now it obviously needs fenders and a hood, grill, bumber and so on, which i made pricing for already, but he also bent the frame on the driver's side up 6 inches and back about 4. the drivetrain was also pushed back a few inches. since i am not very firmiliar with the cost of getting this fixed...can anyone give me a ball park estimation for the frame strightening on this truck. Thanks.

 

Not sure really! But i did talk to a guy who refused to straighten the frame of a customers super duty. I dont know how bad it was but he said its not worth the risk, there is so much weight,stress, and strain put on the frame of these vehicles from towing and work that he ddidnt want the liability.

 

Ehh..I'm not totally sure about protocol on straightening a frame, but I don't think I'd touch that one.

Even if you do get the frame straightened out, you're setting yourself up with all kinds of work, and headaches...who knows what you'll find when you start tearing into a wrecked truck. Especially with the drivetrain misplaced like that and from your description, its obvious the truck was in a front end collision, which means the motor could have also been a casualty. All said and done you might be in more than what you would be just buying a nice used truck. Does it run?

I've seen unwrecked powerstrokes going for amazingly low prices lately. I'd stick with an un crunched version. Maybe I'm just a wuss though

My .02

 

When they originally built these trucks, the frame in the front and back are considered "crunch zones" like on most vehicles made to help absorb the impact of a crash. My understanding is that the original idea was to be able to swap out the WHOLE front clip on these trucks if this occurred... Including the front frame rails. As KBB goes down on any vehicle it is no longer worth doing this... I would go down to a local body shop and ask them A. what would it cost for them to straighten it or B. is it possible to get a whole new front clip. Then you could go about fixing fenders and what not on your own time.
Lisa does have a good point in that you can find these trucks every now and then in decent shape with a clean title for somewhere around 5-10k, depending on mileage

 

the truck is worth more parted than whole right now. The engine alone would be worth asking price. Front hits are notorious for " hidden parts", parts not obvious that need replaced. If the intercooler is trashed thats a heck of a chunk of change right there. Frame straightening is more an art than people realize... but you are gonna have to be picky on frame shops... the run of the mill guy is not going to do it. If there are people who do salvage title vehicle repair near you, they generally have a frame guy on top of the art. For what you would have in it to drive it my guess sight unseen is about 2-3 times purchase price.

 

With the drivetrain pushed back a few inches, I would think there is damage that you can't see. That is a heck of a lick to push the whole drivetrain back.

I think Lisa has the right idea on this one. Like said before, worth more in parts.

 

I agree with parting it out, when I had a front end collision on my last truck it was quoted over 15K just in repairs and that was before they seen the axle was trashed. The engine can fetch you 4K along with other body parts.

 

Also - think about the engine internals for a sec. During a severe impact the internals are shocked and stressed. Although they may appear fine and even operate well at first, undoubtedly the stress of the impact has effected them.

 

My thoughts exactly. If the front pulley took a hit while the engine is rotating, who knows what sort of cracks and weak spots might develope.
I would stay away from this truck.

 

If you have the time and know how to it might be worth buying to part it out... Between the motor tranny and axles you'd make probably about twice what you spend on the truck if not more.