Bent Frame

Giant · April 26, 2007

I've been fixing the 99 Yukon that my wife smashed. When I pulled the radiator core support off the truck I noticed that the frame bracket is bent.

Here are a couple pictures. Do you think it can be fixed? If so, do you know how much, or how hard it will be to do myself?

First the bad one

Then the other side that is goog to compare.

Thanks for the help

-Robert-

Cranky1 · April 26, 2007

I've been fixing the 99 Yukon that my wife smashed. When I pulled the radiator core support off the truck I noticed that the frame bracket is bent.

Here are a couple pictures. Do you think it can be fixed? If so, do you know how much, or how hard it will be to do myself?

First the bad one

Then the other side that is goog to compare.

Thanks for the help

-Robert-

Giant, That is a definite fix and not a bad bend. A body shop that has a frame straightening rack would take approximately 3 hours labour plus setting it up. I don't think that you could fix that at home or I wouldn't try it. Make sure you have the new radiator cradle when they are straightening it so you know it will fit afterwards.

A 4 wheel alignment is a must once you get it back together. Good luck..

Giant · April 26, 2007

Thanks for the help, I'll contact body shops close by and see what they will charge. My problem is that the vehicle will need to be towed and that will get expensive.

redvett · April 26, 2007

Didnt you have insurance on it? I am sure a 99 is worth more than $3500 and its reccomended you have full coverage on anything worth more than $3500.

Giant · April 26, 2007

Thats a funny story accually. I SHOULD have had full insurance, I THOUGHT it had full insurance. BUT I found out I didn't. And now I'm trying to get it fixed before the bank gets wind of its present condition.

Needless to say, I'm a bit angry at my insurance company at this time.

redvett · April 27, 2007

Thats a funny story accually. I SHOULD have had full insurance, I THOUGHT it had full insurance. BUT I found out I didn't. And now I'm trying to get it fixed before the bank gets wind of its present condition.

Needless to say, I'm a bit angry at my insurance company at this time.

I am sorry for your problems. You have to keep on top of the insurance Companies. BTDT. Watch your coverage and your territory. They like to change the territory and charge you more.

Giant · April 27, 2007

I've gotten one quote (took pictures in). He said it should cost about $250 - $300 depnding on how much they have to do once they get in there. Not to mention $75+ each way for towing. This is looking to get more expensive then I thought.

redvett · April 27, 2007

You may want to inquire at the bodyshop if they can get a deal on towing the truck. Lots of shops have a deal for a reduced price if they use a certain tow company. You might also ask the guy that will tow the truck if you can get a better deal for both ways.

Chaddprice · April 27, 2007

That's basically the exact same damage to the frame that my '99 Tahoe had after an accident that I got in last November. I had done most of the replacing of the front end myself at a local body shop over Christmas, and was there when they did the frame.

i was told the GM frames are a real bugger to pull, but isn't that big of a deal to do for body shops. it's not something that you can do in your garage or anything, unless you have all the tools for working on frames.

what they do, is grind off the body mount bracket to be able to get better access to the frame and pull it in all the directions that while heating up certain areas to get the right parts of the frame to move. it's really easy to have it a tiny bit off line and throw all the mount bolts for the rad and everything off. after they get it all set right, they weld the mount back on and start the reassembly. when mine was finished they had to leave that part of the frame exposed for the inspection to look at it and make sure that it was done properly in order to pass the safety. after that it went back to the body shop to get undercoated and everything to prevent rust.

most of the concern is if it moved the frame further back, i had to compare measurements all over the place to make sure that the frame wasn't bent anywhere closer to the engine. luckily was wasn't because then it's an even bigger problem that will cost significantly more. after the frame was done, the new(to me) front clip went on really smooth. just a bit of setting and lining up the gaps for the fenders and hood and i was back in business.

as for the cost, i couldn't tell you how much the frame work specifically cost, because there was a bunch of other stuff done on it. the guy that was quoting the repairs on mine when he looked at it actually stopped appraising it and just wrote it off. i didn't think that it would cost as much as he said, and i bought the truck(for 'salvage') with some of the insurance money, and used the rest of it to repair it. i broke even luckily.

Joe Johnston · April 27, 2007

This is a minor problem for a body shop to fix and I have fixed much worse in my home shop. I don't want to be a smart a**, but in reality it is one of those things that if you have to ask about how to do it, you probably would be better off biting the bullet and paying the $$. IF YOU REALLY WANT TO LEARN, this is a great place to start. Another thing the body shop SHOULD do, is to check and see if the frame is pushed back or "diamoned" or twisted in any way. If so they can pull and fix that also which is something you can't do without a frame machine. If you tell them to just fix what they see to keep the cost down, they won't check and door alignment or wheel alignment issues may occur. I have rebuilt salvage vehicles as a hobby for many years and know my limitations and then its off to the body shop and they pull and do the hard stuff. Don't give up and you can get this one back on the road at a reasonable price. Everything on the front end of these trucks is bolt on and easy to fix with a lot of salvage parts available. Good luck.

Giant · April 27, 2007

I'm probably going to buy the radiator core support, fender, fender well, bumper and hood, then have them fix that frame and mount them all. I figure a professional touch on aligning all the body panels will look better. Then get the truck back and do the mechanicals myself. If there is any money left at the end, get it painted, but I doubt there will be

I have no problem with anything mechanical, but I have no experience with frame/body repairs.

Joe Johnston · April 28, 2007

I'm probably going to buy the radiator core support, fender, fender well, bumper and hood, then have them fix that frame and mount them all. I figure a professional touch on aligning all the body panels will look better. Then get the truck back and do the mechanicals myself. If there is any money left at the end, get it painted, but I doubt there will be

I have no problem with anything mechanical, but I have no experience with frame/body repairs.

Take your time and call several salvage yards. You may get lucky and find a good doghouse with all the parts you need that are the same color. Several years of vehicles should interchange (you may end up with a different style of grill or other small parts) but the savings of used parts especially if you can buy the same color will be substantial. The panel adjustment is quite easy and if you are comfortable with the mechanical aspect, you can figure out what needs to be done once the frame is repaired. I bought all the front end parts from 5 different cars at a local yard for less than 1 new composite headlight for my daughter's Cutlass. The difference in cost is considerable, but you do have to spend time shopping.

bryanhunt · April 28, 2007

That's basically the exact same damage to the frame that my '99 Tahoe had after an accident that I got in last November. I had done most of the replacing of the front end myself at a local body shop over Christmas, and was there when they did the frame.
i was told the GM frames are a real bugger to pull, but isn't that big of a deal to do for body shops. it's not something that you can do in your garage or anything, unless you have all the tools for working on frames.

what they do, is grind off the body mount bracket to be able to get better access to the frame and pull it in all the directions that while heating up certain areas to get the right parts of the frame to move. it's really easy to have it a tiny bit off line and throw all the mount bolts for the rad and everything off. after they get it all set right, they weld the mount back on and start the reassembly. when mine was finished they had to leave that part of the frame exposed for the inspection to look at it and make sure that it was done properly in order to pass the safety. after that it went back to the body shop to get undercoated and everything to prevent rust.

most of the concern is if it moved the frame further back, i had to compare measurements all over the place to make sure that the frame wasn't bent anywhere closer to the engine. luckily was wasn't because then it's an even bigger problem that will cost significantly more. after the frame was done, the new(to me) front clip went on really smooth. just a bit of setting and lining up the gaps for the fenders and hood and i was back in business.

as for the cost, i couldn't tell you how much the frame work specifically cost, because there was a bunch of other stuff done on it. the guy that was quoting the repairs on mine when he looked at it actually stopped appraising it and just wrote it off. i didn't think that it would cost as much as he said, and i bought the truck(for 'salvage') with some of the insurance money, and used the rest of it to repair it. i broke even luckily.

Just a note of caution. Typically this isn't the GM recommended practice. The recommended practice for boxed and especially hydroformed frames (the '99 c/k frames are) is to section the frame at the factory weld points and weld in the correct repair kit ordered from GM (which provides all the pieces). While they can do a frame pull using heat as a stress relieving technique the heat will leave the frame substantially weaker than before. Sometimes you can do a cold frame pull if the damage is mild and you can get within tolerances simply using the jig and a hammer.

http://www.abrn.com/abrn/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=39995

http://www.abrn.com/abrn/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=141087

Bruce42lv · May 11, 2007

That's basically the exact same damage to the frame that my '99 Tahoe had after an accident that I got in last November. I had done most of the replacing of the front end myself at a local body shop over Christmas, and was there when they did the frame.
i was told the GM frames are a real bugger to pull, but isn't that big of a deal to do for body shops. it's not something that you can do in your garage or anything, unless you have all the tools for working on frames.

what they do, is grind off the body mount bracket to be able to get better access to the frame and pull it in all the directions that while heating up certain areas to get the right parts of the frame to move. it's really easy to have it a tiny bit off line and throw all the mount bolts for the rad and everything off. after they get it all set right, they weld the mount back on and start the reassembly. when mine was finished they had to leave that part of the frame exposed for the inspection to look at it and make sure that it was done properly in order to pass the safety. after that it went back to the body shop to get undercoated and everything to prevent rust.

most of the concern is if it moved the frame further back, i had to compare measurements all over the place to make sure that the frame wasn't bent anywhere closer to the engine. luckily was wasn't because then it's an even bigger problem that will cost significantly more. after the frame was done, the new(to me) front clip went on really smooth. just a bit of setting and lining up the gaps for the fenders and hood and i was back in business.

as for the cost, i couldn't tell you how much the frame work specifically cost, because there was a bunch of other stuff done on it. the guy that was quoting the repairs on mine when he looked at it actually stopped appraising it and just wrote it off. i didn't think that it would cost as much as he said, and i bought the truck(for 'salvage') with some of the insurance money, and used the rest of it to repair it. i broke even luckily.

Just a note of caution. Typically this isn't the GM recommended practice. The recommended practice for boxed and especially hydroformed frames (the '99 c/k frames are) is to section the frame at the factory weld points and weld in the correct repair kit ordered from GM (which provides all the pieces). While they can do a frame pull using heat as a stress relieving technique the heat will leave the frame substantially weaker than before. Sometimes you can do a cold frame pull if the damage is mild and you can get within tolerances simply using the jig and a hammer.

http://www.abrn.com/abrn/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=39995

http://www.abrn.com/abrn/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=141087

holty · May 11, 2007

Im in the process now of putting a whole new frame under my SSS. These hydroformed frames cannot take the heat so a cold pull is all you can do. i completely agree with BrianH. thats why i ended up going with a completly new frame from GM. cost me $1900