Last week 9/10/10 my 96 F-250 ext cab 8'bed 4x4 off road decided to slam into the rear of a suddenly stopped dump truck. Long story, no one hurt, I wasnt driving. I am trying to find a way to post some pics to show the damage. Most of the damage is the front clip, HOWEVER it did catch the frame on the pass side rail right at the spring hanger. I do have pics. Waiting on insurance co. Has anyone ever had these truck frames pulled? My frame is very solid for a 96 Feed back?

 

i have never experienced it but i do remember the guys on trucks tv pulling the frame on their 2nd chance silvarado and on their cheap cherokee they pulled the frame on it.. that cherokee went through some junkwith it and it held up so i would think if its all done right, and by a pro its just as safe and straight as it was from the factory.. i would think

 

I had a guy from a local body shop show up and say 8 hours on the frame machine. The bend on the pass rail twisted it up and to the drivers side. (have pics, have to upload). The rest I can do.. Just not sure what the insurance company will want to do. I got the truck for less than half of the current KBB value, the problem is i cant find any replacements even in close condition with miles, drivetrain etc. And I found a wrecked 250 with a PSD, but wow not sure.. I am lost

 

not a truck but I had an 1988 Ford Tempo and an idiot ran me off the road and it hit a broke piece of curb and bent the frame so badly the tire was virtually laying on it's side talk about hard as hell to drive but I did it. ANYway I was able to have THAT straightened on a unibody Ford Tempo and it tracked perfectly straight if anything it handled better go figure SO don't give up hope!!!!

 

The good news is that your insurance company is going to offer you what it will cost to replace the vehicle. They should give you fair market value plus what it would cost you to tag, title, and license the new truck. The harder you negotiate with them the more they will give you. It helps to have a lot of receipts for recent work done.

It really becomes a question of dollars and cents... is it worth whatever it costs for 8 hours on a frame machine? (That sure sounds like it costs a lot)

 

Frame shop said 8 hours at 48.00 and hour. The problem I face is how SOLID the frame was/is there is light scale, and no soft or thin spots, the cab corners on the ext portion are solid, bed only has over the wheel rust through. Had 2 brand new fenders on it. I just am torn, I became attached to the truck, Bout it with luck, after a crappy week or 2 over the winter.

I really love the 92-96 body style, and have said I wanted a 7.3L version, but what to do.

Any body experts, out there,

 

$50 an hour for 8 hours is $400. The rest of the parts are essentially a bolt-on and you can do that in your driveway if you really wanted to. That's probably the cheapest way to rebuild the truck, assuming you wanted to do so and have the time.

That's what I did on two occasions when I banged up my now-gone 81 F350 crewcab - I stripped the thing down to the frame leaving the rear wheels on as a "trailer axle", and bolted on a tow bar to a piece of steel I bolted in place of the front bumper. Towed it over, the straightened it, then I towed it back and reassembled the truck with junkyard fenders, hood, core support, and so on. Both frame wrenchings were about six hours, and I think a lot of that was because I brought the frame in naked - no body or powertrain - just the rear axle attached and you know how easy that comes on and off.

They just had to clamp and go, and had easy access to whatever they use to attach it and wrench it. I actually didn't see them do it, but I dropped it off first thing in the morning on the way to work and it was ready when I got out of work.

Unfortunately, that truck saw it's demise on the third off-road accident when I flipped it bed over cab onto the roof - destroyed the nose, the cab and all four doors, the bed and the tailgate, and all the glass. I think the only thing that wasn't busted was the glove box door lol.