Frame Straightening after crash?

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Jeepwalker

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Besides the obvious damage, and the frame being wiped, the rear door gap is off, what does that mean? Maybe a new door would fix it?

Besides a new frame (with front suspension), it's going to need a rear box side...and for sure all new front sheet metal and accessories. Refrigeration and paint work. What engine work needs to be done/fixed?

Yer talking a lot of work there.
 

Jeepwalker

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Can affect resale value for sure.

I used to buy total-outs and re-do them periodically on the side. I did them 'right' and never cut corners. I'd drive them a few yrs myself, then sell if I got another project or a nicer vehicle.

I bought a Hummer H3 some yrs ago which had been salvaged ...someone else re-did it. Well.... typical of half-a$$ed work, come to find out the side airbags were never put in. Some of the welding wasn't very good, and ...they also desoldered the airbag LED light on the cluster! I normally look at all that stuff but it slipped by me. It was like -5*F and windy as heck the day I looked it over/bought it.

Ovbiously I wanted it to be safe to drive. I had to send the seatbelts, air bag module out to get re-done ...get side airbags, and correct the problems. I was into it cheap to begin with fortunately. After that it was a real nice vehicle to drive. So yeah, that's a good example of how some low-buck outfits do their repair work.
 

TonyM

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From picture, it seems obvious the whole front end and bed need to be removed. To me, it also looks likely the cab as well. I would think it’s been twisted some. So, then add in the cost of repairing the frame, if that’s even feasible.
No, I'm saying there's no way to put a price on repairing the OP's truck without tearing it down, putting it on the rack and measuring it to see exactly how bad it is. But by the way that front wheel is pushed back into the fender, and where the brunt of the impact is/was, there's almost no reason to go thru all that because it wouldn't be feasible to fix that frame
 

Caman96

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No, I'm saying there's no way to put a price on repairing the OP's truck without tearing it down, putting it on the rack and measuring it to see exactly how bad it is. But by the way that front wheel is pushed back into the fender, and where the brunt of the impact is/was, there's almost no reason to go thru all that because it wouldn't be feasible to fix that frame
Agreed!
 

Jeepwalker

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What are trucks like that....say, a 1996 2WD RC/SB, good paint, decent interior (but not a perfect truck, say #2 condition), actually selling for like on Marketplace in Tx these days?


Note: Not what are 'dreamers' asking ...or what's on BAT
 

TexasLS1

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Thanks for all the replies everyone, sorry for the lack of updates. I’m still waiting on the other driver’s insurance to offer me a settlement on the truck, but they have claimed complete liability for the accident. I definitely won’t be fixing it, there’s too much damage - frame is bent & twisted, pass side is hammered as seen in the pic, damage to the cab, and driver front fender is tweaked. I’m hoping for a good offer and I’m sending them a spreadsheet with links to a bunch of comparable trucks in TX and beyond to try to get something decent from them. I wish I had a bigger garage or shop, but I’m leaning toward buying the truck back and pulling as many good parts as I can. Not sure how much it got into the motor but I’m hoping that’s ok.

Details on the truck since I didn’t post all that - ‘96 Silverado, two owner, garage kept its entire life, original paint, 5.7L, rebuilt trans, 4/6 drop, coilovers, sway bars, exhaust. Not a perfect truck but was in excellent condition
 

Jeepwalker

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Thanks for the update. Keep working them. Hope you have a good outcome.

Actually, from a body-guy's perspective...and a guy who's fixed a bunch of cars and trucks that looked just like that, It doesn't look that bad. Yeah, sure, the frame is shot, we know that. However the Pass door looks pretty much unharmed, not even scratched at the front end ..from what I can see. That's encouraging. That tells me the cab probably didn't get damaged. Of course you'll have to put your eyes on the mount area.

Once you get all the twisted & damaged front sheet metal & parts off, things don't look nearly as bad and then a guy can can better assess what you have and the engine, etc. I mean yeah, If the engine is fine...cab good, then you have something to work with. Even if a few accessory brackets were bent, or the AC compressor was busted (probably needs a new one anyway after all these yrs!). Those parts are easy to swap out. Could be fixed. Depends on how bad you want it. You just fix one area at a time and keep going.

It sounds daunting ...and it IS some work ....but really all you'd need to do is

1) Frame. Find a used frame (check the Marketplace ads and salvage yards). Used frames are generally pretty cheap. You'd need at least the steering/suspension and steering box.

2) Front parts. Get all new front parts & bits (a lot of that could come from a salvage tk/yard). Down in Tx you should be able to find good rust-free parts. Fenders, front header, bumper, inner fender liner, etc

3) Replace wear parts with new. Buy new critical parts like new radiator/condenser, new suspension bushings, etc. New/used airbag. New grille/lights/bumper. Those aren't that expensive. Course it all ads up.

4) Boxside: Unbolt and slide the box to the side, partly off the truck (don't need to even remove it from the truck), cut the damaged side off the box with a spot-weld cutters and weld a new ($500 for an aftermarket box side) ...or used, box side on. That's a day to do that job, taking it slow.

5) Get it front-end aligned, new tires.

6) Paint. Figure out what you want to do with the paint. At the least paint the one side all the way over and blend into the driver's door. But at that point you might as well paint the whole truck. Check with Maaco. If the sheet metal you put on is straight, and you sprayed the jambs and inner fenders before installing them, then it's a matter of sanding the new body parts down and re-spraying them.

Then yeah ...if you put on new suspension bushings and other new parts, new paint, she'd look even better than before! 'Ole Red' will be show-ready!!

:cheers:
 
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Caman96

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The guy who hit my trucks insurance company recently accepted responsibility. They came out the other day and yesterday sent the appraisal. It shows a shop rate of $46.00 an hour. That’s not happening.
 
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