getting a frame pulled

[monterey1962]

It's evident that my '89 CV needs the frame pulled. I bought the car two years ago with the front pass. side wheel tweaked back pretty bad. Other evidence showed that the car had struck a curb (or something similar) at a pretty good speed. I put in new upper/lower control arms and spindle, and had a front wheel alignment done. The car drives straight enough, but the front pass. tire is still tweaked back and there was a need to put a spacer in the spring to level the car out. After two years of denial, I've decided to start saving up to get the frame checked and pulled.

I've spoken with a frame shop that I'm familiar with. They said they would check the frame for free, and after I told them of the situation, said a ballpark of $300 to do a pull.

I'd like to know if anyone here has had any past experiences with getting a frame pulled. If so, was it a good outcome? Was it worth it? How much did it cost? Did the car behave any differently after the pull? All info is appreciated. I'm a bit worried about this whole thing, but I know it needs to be done.

[86GmLsCoupe]

My 01 Grand Am was T-boned (snapped the pass rear wheel right off) and had to be pulled straight. Now I know the GA is unibody but in general terms of having a car pulled, I think if it's done correctly the car will be like it was. I didn't have any odd issues after like excessive tire wear, road travel, etc. The pull was worth it to me to save the car, plus the other guy ran a red so I wasn't paying either. I know some people swear the car will never be the same or never as strong, but it was fine for me. If mine got damaged severely on my Grand Marquis, then I'd buy the HD frame that Teamford lists for around $700.

[mrltd]

When I took my 87 in to the frame shop they laughed at me because of how bad it was.


And just becuae something is listed on the ford site doesn't mean you can actually get it....

[1987cp]

When I took my 87 in to the frame shop they laughed at me because of how bad it was.

What had you done to the poor thing?? :p and did you end up getting it straightened?

[mrltd]

I didn't do anything.... You can thank the previous owners and the local vocational tech school for that. One horribly totalled vic and some morons that didn't bother fixing the frame at all before replacing 80% of the body panels.

[1987cp]

I wish that was just a student thing. I know a guy who doesn't farm out bodywork anymore because a pal of his replaced a welded-on radiator core support without straightening the car first ('67 Mustang convertible that had been run head-on into a tree). Guy just plopped the support in and called it good. Later, when a frame shop took the car in hand and did their thing, every single weld on the core support popped.

[monterey1962]

Anything that I should be asking the frame shop? What are some things to be wary of? I'll definitely take pics before the car goes in. I'd like to be as prepared as possible when the time comes.

[Lincolnmania]

you cannot get a new frame......i asked bill he looked....no frames
i worked in a body shop for about a year.....we used to pull some pretty messed up frames out real nice.....mostly trucks and unit body vehicles.....if the repairs are done right, they are good

[CheeseSteakJim]

I had my car ('88 TC) pulled after it was hit head-on by a Chevy K2500 doing ~55mph and pulling ~1 ton of lawn equipment behind it. It hit my car hard enough to lift the entire front end completely off the ground and spin the car 180* without the front tires touching the ground, gank the frame to the side, push the engine almost into the firewall, and ruin every panel in front of the rear doors well beyond cost-effective repair. When I got it back home from the shop the alignment was as perfect as it was before the accident.

I'm learning how to pull frames in school right now. It is a VERY precise task to undertake, with measurements coming down to the millimeters. The three arms that pull the frame (one on each side and one in front, and they all pivot) have a pulling force of over ten tons each. They are awe-inspiring machines to watch work. If it is done correctly, and any splits or breaks in the frame are properly welded (as mine was) it can be just as good as it was from the factory, if not better. It is a bodyshop's legal obligation to make the car as safe or more so than it was when it left the factory.

$300 sounds like a pretty damn good deal to me, and a free check is surprising. One of my teachers used to charge $100 to load the car onto the machine, $100 to check the frame, and $100 to take the car off. How much leg did you have to show to get that price?

If it's something you really want to invest in, then I say it's a damn good idea to do so. However, consider that anything that's been adjusted to compensate for the damage (spring spacer, alignment, etc.) must be re-adjusted back to where they should be.

Anyways, yeah if it's something you want to do, I say definitely do it. Make sure the shop you're dealing with has a good reputation, and that the frame guy knows his shit. Since he's one of the two highest-paid jobs in a bodyshop (painter being the other), he damn well better know. If I was you I wouldn't be scared - I'd be excited. I'm already excited for you, as fixing a bent frame is great repair to make if the car needs it, and your car (like most Panthers, especially here ) is definitely nice enough to deserve it.

[monterey1962]

The CV is home from the frame shop. Have not yet seen the bill. I'll take care of that in the morning. As far as I can tell (from driving, looking, and old photos) ... 1. no more pulling to the right; 2. the front right wheel is centered in the fender like it should be; 3. the bumper is now even all the way across.

I believe the guy at the shop called it "bending the knee", or something of that sort. They pulled the front pass. corner forward. I'll try and get a printout of specs and such tomorrow. I'll post info when I get it. I'm just glad the car is home.

Couple of quick pics. Pic with the whitewalls is from before. You can see how the wheel is set back. Pic with the turbines is from today. Nice and centered.

[mrltd]

looks good!

[p71towny]

Wow! I can actually see the difference, I didn't think it would be that noticable.

[1987cp]

Impressive! Gotta be a huge difference in how it drives.

BTW, how do you like those Cooper Cobra tires?

[gadget73]

Looks better. Probably they bent it at the dogleg under the A pillar. if the car was in a frontal impact, thats probably where it would have gotten bent at.

[monterey1962]

Impressive! Gotta be a huge difference in how it drives.

BTW, how do you like those Cooper Cobra tires?

Car drives nice and straight. Feels like it should. Keep in mind, I've only had it on a short run home. I'd like to get it out on the road this weekend.

I HATE these Cooper Cobra GT's. I've had a string of bad luck with them. I can't seem to wear out a set because they keep getting replaced under warranty with all the bullshit. I've had cracked sidewalls, blow outs, and such. Horrible on wet roads. The only thing I can give them is that they have a nice RWL look. That's about it.

Looks better. Probably they bent it at the dogleg under the A pillar. if the car was in a frontal impact, thats probably where it would have gotten bent at.

Looks that way. Wonder if that's how the frame was designed as to absorb frontal impacts. Listing on the receipt is "Correct right side wheel base". From what they said (and the way the car looked before), it was just that front corner of the frame that was tweaked back. I can see where they hooked the right side of the frame towards the rear so they could pull that front corner out.

Got specs from the wheel alignment, none for the actual frame.

LI = Left Initial.........LF = Left Final
RI = Right Initial.......RF = Right Final

Front Toe
LI...-1/32"
LF...+1/32"
RI...-1/32"
RF...+1/16"

Front Camber
LI...-1/8 deg.
LF...-1/8 deg.
RI...-3/8 deg.
RF...-1/4 deg.

Caster
LI...+3 1/8 deg.
LF...+3 1/8 deg.
RI...+3 deg.
RF...+3 3/8 deg.

KPI
LI...+14 1/2 deg.
LF...+14 1/2 deg.
RI...+10 1/2 deg.
RF...+13 1/4 deg.

Total cost, with wheel alignment, was $242.47. Well within the budget I had put aside for the work.