1978 chevy bent frame NEED HELP.
I got a 78 chevy short bed, the person who gave it to me said he was in a very small accident a few years back, it wasnt all that bad and he replaced all the damaged stuff and it looks brand new now, the only problem is the steering will not turn sharp left, for example it wont turn sharp enough to make U-turn. My mechanic who I have known for twenty years took everything apart, steering box etc everything was FINE, so he kept looking and couldnt find what was preventing the steering from turning sharp left, and then he discovered it, he said there is a VERY SLIGHT BEND in the frame, the result of the above mentioned accident. He said it is not much of a bend at all and is very slightly bent and you can hardly see it with the naked eye but it is just enough that it is somehow causing the steering to not turn sharp left, you turn left and about half way through it just WONT GO ANYMORE and he said it is because of this bend.
My question is can this be fixed easily, he said yes but he doesnt do that kind of work, other people I have spoken to said no it cant be and the truck is effectively a junker now, keep in mind this is a VERY CLEAN truck all original inside, no dents or dings, very clean and general runs like a baby when she is tuned right so I disagree that it is a junker I still drive it everyday I just dont make U-turns which can be a pain in the ass sometimes but it is something I can get around and I am not too worried about it, so I am wondering if any of you have dealt with this and what kind of price should I expect to get a SMALL BEND straightened out and do any of you have any idea how the bend is effecting the steering, my mechanic tried to show me but I dont know enough to understand what he is pointing out. So what do you think I dont want to trash this truck it is absolutely beautiful stunning truck and while I can drive it as is I would like to get it fixed if the price is reasonable. I am Tucson Arizona is anyone knows someone here who can do this please let me know, and please anyone else feel free to chime in as to what you think about this and how I can go about getting it fixed.
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