47-55.1 S-10 Frame Bent?

[TravisC]

I bought a 1991 S-10 Ext. Cab Frame today, when I got it home and moved the brake reservoir and power Steering Pump I noticed that the frame looked bent at the Steering box. Look at the pics and let me know your thoughts and if this is fixable.
Thanks,
Travis

PS some how for some reason I can not post photos: "site not secured?"
go to my Flickr album
https://www.flickr.com/photos/147467...57698055099660

[NeoJuice]

I would say that looks bent to me. But I cant say for sure b/c I'm not familiar with the s10 frames.

[Clay54]

Looks bent to me. Clay

[mongocanfly]

Looks bent to me as well...joedoh would know...he's seen enough of em...

[MiraclePieCo]

S10 frames are so plentiful and cheap that it will cost more to have that repaired by a body shop with a frame straightener than a whole new S10 chassis would cost.

[joedoh]

shes bent. I wouldnt try fixing it, either. like miracle says a new frame will cost less than the frame machine, I had a blazer bent at the rear axle and they wanted $400 to pull it.

[TravisC]

I was afraid of that.
My friend that helped me go pick up the frame this morning,.
Said he thought we could bend it back. His Dad and Uncle have a shop where they build Street Rods and repair Exotic European Cars. so I guess they have the tools to do it. It may not cost me that much if any. I just wish I had seen it before I gave 350 dollars for it. The old guy that had it was going to put his 55 first year AD on it but had decided to go with a Camaro Clip, now I know why.
I bought this one because it was already striped down.

From looking at the frame from the top, looks to be bent inwards just before where the steering box attaches.
Could you heat that area and put a jack between the frame horns and push it back out?

[mongocanfly]

an extended cab s10 is gonna be off on your wb anyway I think...the one you want is reg cab lwb...
but having friends with the tooling and you might can fix it for free...nearly

[TravisC]

mongocanfly
If you look at my Build Thread you will see that I have a long bed AD and the sides are in good shape, so I was going to build it as a long bed.
You do not see many of them around here.

[mr48chev]

That frame took a hit hard enough on the left front to kink the frame behind the crossmember on the right hand side. I'd say the reason the seller decided to go with the Camaro stub was he discovered the S 10 frame was junk.

Along with the frame I'd worry that the driver's side A frame (s) and or spindle may be bent too as they don't handle much of a shot without bending.

As far as being able to straighten it. Around here I'd think the cost would start around 1000 and go up from there to put it on the frame machine and pull it back in shape.

[mongocanfly]

10-4..i didn't look at your build thread

[dsraven]

I guess, if you have a trailer or somehow to get it from point A to point B without cost, it makes sense to have your buddies shop have a "free" look and then decide from there if it is repairable for "free" or if they feel it will be expensive for parts and time consuming to get it right. free labor is great but you may still need expensive parts. a new spindle here, a new control arm there a steering box in between and that could be more money than you thought. a good shop will simply tell you it is worth the repair time or it would be better to look for another frame. like mr48 says, check everything because some stuff handles a hit better than others but spindles, control arms and steering boxes are what keeps you shiny side up. best not take a chance on a few of those important things especially if you are repurposing the frame for a job it wasn't really intended to do, like hold up a v8 engine plus work at angles and stresses it isn't really intended to (like a lowered truck). check closely. not sure of your intentions for the truck but some of the super low air ride stuff I have seen expect a lot from light parts. I would say look for a better donor to start with. you can always sell it as is for a slight loss and be money ahead at the end of the day. just be up front and don't blindside the next potential owner. you could also get another frame and keep this one for possible parts until done that section of the build, then sell it for what you can get.
you may want to start by taking some good quality pics in a sequence and at different angles showing it as is, with the clutter of hoses and wiring removed, with the steering box removed showing the inside of the frame and the area around the steering box bolts, the control arms and their pivot shafts and mounts. email some attachment pics and a description and have them see if that is enough to make up their mind on whether you get it to them for a check. if they have a frame machine that would normally mean they have access to the frame check points and dimensions and could do the dimension checks properly. that would also mean they are used to seeing bent stuff and could likely tell you from the pics if it is going to be a repairable frame.
there are a couple of things you can do yourself first before involving the shop.
-mark the center line (from side to side) of each cross member. use a piece of tape and a sharp pencil so you can be as accurate as possible
-run a string line or laser, if you have one, from the front to the rear so it runs down the center of the rearmost line and the front most line
-all the marks should be directly under the string or laser. if not then the rest of the frame is also tweaked.
here is a link to the gmupfitter site for your truck frame. if you scroll down you will see what the frame for your wheel base should look like and it will contain a few dimensions. maybe help you sort out some stuff.

https://www.gmupfitter.com/publicat/..._Truck_pgs.pdf

[dsraven]

if one frame rail is bent there is a chance the opposite frame rail is also compromised unless the bumper bar buckled in between. it really needs to go to a frame shop with a tech who knows what he is doing. not calling down your friends shop in any way because I have no idea how they are outfitted. I am just saying a lot of money can be spent on the rest of the truck so start with a good foundation.

[hogfarm]

Can't make chicken soup out of chicken ****,why would anyone start with a frame that was in question?you are gong to be building a truck that I assume you will have for many years.use the best parts you can find, and do the best work you can do.never cut corners

[TravisC]

Thanks for all the responses.
I will see what my friends shop has to say and go from there.

[mr48chev]

That is one reason that if you are going to do an S-10 or other frame swap I'd suggest buying a complete truck that doesn't show chassis damage and has a title.

You would be far better off to strip the removable parts off the frame, cut it up and sell it for scrap and go to a wrecking yard and buy a bare S-10 longbed frame and bolt your parts on it. That way you can see the truck the frame comes out of before you buy it an you can get a legit receipt with the frame for when you have the truck inspected and they want to know where you got the frame. If you luck out you might hit a pick a part where other guys have stripped most of the parts off a dead S-10 so you don't have to remove a lot to get a decent frame. More labor but less expense.