Frame problems? 82 Chevy c10 - The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network

drillingmachine · 08-19-2006, 03:51 AM

A few years ago I was driving down a busy 4 lane street, the lanes to the left of me where packed and stopped, my lane had the fewest cars, therefore we had a faster clearer lane. All of a sudden a car crossing all lanes bolted in front of me and I couldn't avoid hiting the 16 year old driver. Long story short, I hit him with the front driver side corner of my truck which slightly bent the part of the frame in front of the steering box, outwards. I replaced the whole front end except the passenger side fender and spent $500 for frame straightening, but the bumper doesn't sit right, it has a 4 inch gap at the end of the bumper between the bumper and the fender on the passenger side and an inch gap on the driver side. The bumper also goes in toward the driver side, covering the valence. I briefly talked to an autobody person an showed him pictures and he told me what I didn't want to hear, he told me that it looks like it the frame may have bent in an 'S' shape all the way to the firewall. Can you guys shed some more light on this? I can't take it back to the shop after 3 years of me not discovering it. This has been my pride and joy since I was 18. I live in Houston and I am new to the forum.

http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n...ine/bed020.jpg
http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n...ine/bed019.jpg
http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n...ine/bed018.jpg
http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n...ine/bed017.jpg

beaterC10 · 08-19-2006, 07:22 AM

If the frame is bent forward of the steering box, you can sometimes just replace that part of the frame. I had that done on a 66 panel truck.

I know from experience that a pickup frame is very flexible and bends all over the place when hit hard. Have you talked to the frame guy, he should have seen something when it was on the rack. What does the aligment look like with the rest of the body? Are there any huge stacks of shims any place or body mounting holes that are altered? Those would be indications the frame is really bent.

I guess at a worst case that the frame is shot, a decent used one should be relatively cheap, the worst part would be the amount of work involved.

drillingmachine · 09-11-2006, 03:10 PM

ttt

Jonboy · 09-11-2006, 03:59 PM

What does the bed gap look like, and the rear bumper gap? Looking at the pics, it is also possible the front bumper is bent. The centerline of the bumper looks like it is close to where it needs to be, but the bumper looks pushed in at the left and twisted. How does the truck drive? You might be able to cheat the front bumper to get it looking properly.

drillingmachine · 09-12-2006, 02:13 AM

the bumper, brackets and braces are brand new, but then again they are from LMC! All their metal products I know are made in Taiwan! this is the only thing I notice that is off, I was way ahead of you, I had checked all other body lines and gaps, they are all fine. Drives fine, other than a small pull, but that's been there since I started driving it. How do I cheat the front bumper?

Jonboy · 09-12-2006, 08:16 AM

If it drives ok, I would just pull the bumper over until it fits the way you want. The easiest is to use a come along or something similar. Find a very stationary object, and put the come along between that and the truck. Make sure the bumper is adjusted so the center lines up, or at least as close as possible.

mhicks · 09-12-2006, 01:20 PM

On my '73 my hood was a raised a little above the fender near the winsheild. I tried adjusting it and could never get it adjusted right. I got to looking and decided the the hinges were worn out. Took the hood off and the hinges were real loose when you try to move them from side to side. So, I decided to order some new hinges and springs so it would sit down right. Ordered them from LMC and installed them when they came in. It stuck up worse than before. I messed with it several times over the course of a few months and never could get it anywhere near right. I decided something was wrong with the 2 front aftermarket fenders that I had bought. I replaced both fenders and hinges at the same time. Never did get it right. When I had it painted last month this experienced painter where I had it done said he could fix it with no problem when he painted it. I talked to him a week or so after I took it to him and he said he had spent several hours trying to adjust it and had finally decided it was the hinges. I told him they were new and he still thought it was the hinges. So I had him get 2 new ones from the GM place and he installed them and he didn't have to make any adjustments. He compared both GM hinges to the LMC hinges and saw where the part of the hinge where it bolts to the hood was bent in the wrong place. When he held them side by side you could see it real easy but you couldn't tell when they were installed. Live and learn I guess.

krazymonkeys24 · 09-13-2006, 11:33 AM

If you are fine with the slight pull you said it had since you've had the truck, then there is a fairly easy way to put it back in place. cut a steel plateto mount your bumper to and drill it also for the frame mounts and mount those to the plate. Once you get the bumper where you want it side to side, just shim it out on he driver side to match the passenger. I know, it sounds a little rigged, but if you fabricate everything correctly, you'll never see it. This coming from a body man who has over the years, had to suit quite a number of people that wanted to stay with original equipment at all costs.

**crossy** · 09-13-2006, 11:55 AM

find someone near you with a decent 81-87 and take some measurements from some common holes on the frame . go in an 'X' pattern from one side to the other. I may have some measurement numbers at home in my factory GM parts book, that bumper really isn't that far off but is the frame was in a n 'S' anywhere you shoud see it. the first place they tweak is the front frame horn as they are known, wher yours was bent. the second place is on the left sideframe near the tranny. the lower edge of the 'C' channel frame will push downwards right there. many of my projects wer that way but still everything lined up fine. If the front end shop is able to get all alignment specs in than you are OK in my book. then just slot some bracket holes with a grinder to get the bumper alignment in. the frame shop that fixed it before would prolly check it again for free if you show them. crossy

08-19-2006, 03:51 AM	#1
drillingmachine Married to my Truck Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 72	Frame problems? 82 Chevy c10 A few years ago I was driving down a busy 4 lane street, the lanes to the left of me where packed and stopped, my lane had the fewest cars, therefore we had a faster clearer lane. All of a sudden a car crossing all lanes bolted in front of me and I couldn't avoid hiting the 16 year old driver. Long story short, I hit him with the front driver side corner of my truck which slightly bent the part of the frame in front of the steering box, outwards. I replaced the whole front end except the passenger side fender and spent $500 for frame straightening, but the bumper doesn't sit right, it has a 4 inch gap at the end of the bumper between the bumper and the fender on the passenger side and an inch gap on the driver side. The bumper also goes in toward the driver side, covering the valence. I briefly talked to an autobody person an showed him pictures and he told me what I didn't want to hear, he told me that it looks like it the frame may have bent in an 'S' shape all the way to the firewall. Can you guys shed some more light on this? I can't take it back to the shop after 3 years of me not discovering it. This has been my pride and joy since I was 18. I live in Houston and I am new to the forum. http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n...ine/bed020.jpg http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n...ine/bed019.jpg http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n...ine/bed018.jpg http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n...ine/bed017.jpg

08-19-2006, 07:22 AM	#2
beaterC10 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Indianapolis, IN Posts: 1,277	Re: Frame problems? 82 Chevy c10 If the frame is bent forward of the steering box, you can sometimes just replace that part of the frame. I had that done on a 66 panel truck. I know from experience that a pickup frame is very flexible and bends all over the place when hit hard. Have you talked to the frame guy, he should have seen something when it was on the rack. What does the aligment look like with the rest of the body? Are there any huge stacks of shims any place or body mounting holes that are altered? Those would be indications the frame is really bent. I guess at a worst case that the frame is shot, a decent used one should be relatively cheap, the worst part would be the amount of work involved.

09-11-2006, 03:10 PM	#3
drillingmachine Married to my Truck Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 72	Re: Frame problems? 82 Chevy c10 ttt __________________ 1982 Chevy SWB C-10 (AKA my pride and joy 1989 Chevy Suburban (under construction) 1989 Honda Civic sedan (work car)

09-11-2006, 03:59 PM	#4
Jonboy Slots go on anything! Join Date: May 2003 Location: Richardson, TX Posts: 5,957	Re: Frame problems? 82 Chevy c10 What does the bed gap look like, and the rear bumper gap? Looking at the pics, it is also possible the front bumper is bent. The centerline of the bumper looks like it is close to where it needs to be, but the bumper looks pushed in at the left and twisted. How does the truck drive? You might be able to cheat the front bumper to get it looking properly. __________________ 1974 Jimmy- 5.3/4L80e/NP241

09-12-2006, 02:13 AM	#5
drillingmachine Married to my Truck Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 72	Re: Frame problems? 82 Chevy c10 the bumper, brackets and braces are brand new, but then again they are from LMC! All their metal products I know are made in Taiwan! this is the only thing I notice that is off, I was way ahead of you, I had checked all other body lines and gaps, they are all fine. Drives fine, other than a small pull, but that's been there since I started driving it. How do I cheat the front bumper? __________________ 1982 Chevy SWB C-10 (AKA my pride and joy 1989 Chevy Suburban (under construction) 1989 Honda Civic sedan (work car)

09-12-2006, 08:16 AM	#6
Jonboy Slots go on anything! Join Date: May 2003 Location: Richardson, TX Posts: 5,957	Re: Frame problems? 82 Chevy c10 If it drives ok, I would just pull the bumper over until it fits the way you want. The easiest is to use a come along or something similar. Find a very stationary object, and put the come along between that and the truck. Make sure the bumper is adjusted so the center lines up, or at least as close as possible. __________________ 1974 Jimmy- 5.3/4L80e/NP241

09-12-2006, 01:20 PM	#7
mhicks Registered User Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Weatherford,Tx Posts: 747	Re: Frame problems? 82 Chevy c10 On my '73 my hood was a raised a little above the fender near the winsheild. I tried adjusting it and could never get it adjusted right. I got to looking and decided the the hinges were worn out. Took the hood off and the hinges were real loose when you try to move them from side to side. So, I decided to order some new hinges and springs so it would sit down right. Ordered them from LMC and installed them when they came in. It stuck up worse than before. I messed with it several times over the course of a few months and never could get it anywhere near right. I decided something was wrong with the 2 front aftermarket fenders that I had bought. I replaced both fenders and hinges at the same time. Never did get it right. When I had it painted last month this experienced painter where I had it done said he could fix it with no problem when he painted it. I talked to him a week or so after I took it to him and he said he had spent several hours trying to adjust it and had finally decided it was the hinges. I told him they were new and he still thought it was the hinges. So I had him get 2 new ones from the GM place and he installed them and he didn't have to make any adjustments. He compared both GM hinges to the LMC hinges and saw where the part of the hinge where it bolts to the hood was bent in the wrong place. When he held them side by side you could see it real easy but you couldn't tell when they were installed. Live and learn I guess. Last edited by mhicks; 09-12-2006 at 01:22 PM.

09-13-2006, 11:33 AM	#8
krazymonkeys24 Registered User Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Kannapolis, North Carolina Posts: 23	Re: Frame problems? 82 Chevy c10 If you are fine with the slight pull you said it had since you've had the truck, then there is a fairly easy way to put it back in place. cut a steel plateto mount your bumper to and drill it also for the frame mounts and mount those to the plate. Once you get the bumper where you want it side to side, just shim it out on he driver side to match the passenger. I know, it sounds a little rigged, but if you fabricate everything correctly, you'll never see it. This coming from a body man who has over the years, had to suit quite a number of people that wanted to stay with original equipment at all costs.

09-13-2006, 11:55 AM	#9
crossy Oh,you can't buy that new Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: Pennsville,N.J. 08070, USA Posts: 2,039	Re: Frame problems? 82 Chevy c10 find someone near you with a decent 81-87 and take some measurements from some common holes on the frame . go in an 'X' pattern from one side to the other. I may have some measurement numbers at home in my factory GM parts book, that bumper really isn't that far off but is the frame was in a n 'S' anywhere you shoud see it. the first place they tweak is the front frame horn as they are known, wher yours was bent. the second place is on the left sideframe near the tranny. the lower edge of the 'C' channel frame will push downwards right there. many of my projects wer that way but still everything lined up fine. If the front end shop is able to get all alignment specs in than you are OK in my book. then just slot some bracket holes with a grinder to get the bumper alignment in. the frame shop that fixed it before would prolly check it again for free if you show them. crossy __________________ "been there, done that, ruined the T-shirt". 2007 LBZ GMC Sierra, ECSB 2006 LM7 RCSB Silverado 98 Vortec project. 94,3500,6.5L 4L80 81 SWB GMC POS finally gone 73 Pinto, stock, w/CragarSS's-eww LOTS of Cummins trucks.



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