Should I replace this or heat it and straighten? (Trailing arm bracket)
 

After picking my frame up from the sand blaster, I noticed this bracket bent (see pic). I suspect his forklift hit it. So my question-- Should I heat it and straighten it or cut the rivets off of both of them and use bolts to bolt both of them back on to have them matching? If so, what size bolt do you think will hold up in this spot??

http://i491.photobucket.com/albums/r...713_154502.jpg

Re: Should I replace this or heat it and straighten? (Trailing arm bracket)
 

Heat and bend not a critical bracket , save your money and continue on . just make sure it's close and your panhard bar will do the rest !

Re: Should I replace this or heat it and straighten? (Trailing arm bracket)
 

I would try a BIG crescent wrench first with out heat and see how it goes

Re: Should I replace this or heat it and straighten? (Trailing arm bracket)
 

OK. I have a parts truck that I can go rob one off of so it would just be a couple hours of labor to break down the suspension on parts truck.

Re: Should I replace this or heat it and straighten? (Trailing arm bracket)
 

x3 for bending it back.

Re: Should I replace this or heat it and straighten? (Trailing arm bracket)
 

I would put masking tape on it, and then use a big crescent wrench like 67 above mentioned. You can probably get it bent back and save the paint.

Re: Should I replace this or heat it and straighten? (Trailing arm bracket)
 

Big crescent wrench will do the trick. However I do not think you will save the paint.. Too much bend... WES

Re: Should I replace this or heat it and straighten? (Trailing arm bracket)
 

I will try to just bend it back. Thanks guys. I just painted it because it was trying to rust over night. I can touch it up when I paint the rear end and other small parts.

Re: Should I replace this or heat it and straighten? (Trailing arm bracket)
 

Try putting a rag over it and bend. There might be a chance the paint stays. A crescent wrench might fit, or a large pair of vice grips. If it doesn't turn out like you'd like, you've always got the spare from the other truck.

Re: Should I replace this or heat it and straighten? (Trailing arm bracket)
 

boy, if you look at the top of the frame where the bracket is riveted, it seems to be bent also, is that a factory bend? That would really tick me off... But I would also straighten it..

Re: Should I replace this or heat it and straighten? (Trailing arm bracket)
 

hamjet

I believe what your seeing on the frame is factory, the bend is in the wrong direction for it to have happened when the bracket got bent !

Gary

Re: Should I replace this or heat it and straighten? (Trailing arm bracket)
 

That's the crossmember, not the frame.