Appearance & Detailing Interior & Exterior Appearance Modifications

Frame Damage

Old Aug 24, 2006 | 07:28 AM
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Default Frame Damage

Not sure if this is where this should be but anyways I wanted to see who on here has had frame damage repaired and there experiance with it. My car is at a local dealership now and they have already measured it and the estimate came out to $950. i have the sheet with the measurements and the front right is 22mm high and the left is 14 mm high. also both rails turn to the left and they will fix my door gaps and how they are not flush.

Just wanting to know if anyone has had frame damage and had it repaired cause im worried that the car will never be the same. The shop it is at is a good shop and they made sure i knew what exactly is going on and i have had fiends recommend them.

The lesson for everyone here to learn is dont try to show off before you know how to control the car I could have died that day. Looking back at it though I see it as my dukes of hazard moment cause well lets just say F-bodies can get some major air too.
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Old Aug 24, 2006 | 07:53 AM
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I had it done on a 95 Z28, but it wasn't bad, it was tweaked up and to the side. I was told as long as the damage to the frame was all in front of the wheels then you should be fine. I don't know much about it. I've also heard with the computerized frame machines that they can get the car back to factory spec or better, how better I don't know, lol. BTW, please tell me you didn't wreck the car in your sig?
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Old Aug 24, 2006 | 08:07 AM
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thanks twisted that sounds about what mine is like the front is up a little and then moved to the side. i have heard good things with the new lazer tables which this place has so im hoping everything will be good.

I didnt really wreck it lets just say hitting a curb and getting 15-20 feet in the air and still driving off in the car after fixing the battery i am a very lucky man. that happened a year and half ago and the frame has been like this the whole time its still drivable just some annoying things.
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Old Aug 24, 2006 | 10:08 AM
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How much did it cost to have it tested? I have taken my car to three different places and not a one of them can get my car aligned. Each one said there is no reason they can't do it, but they can't. Everyone online said there is no reason they can't. So I am wondering if it is a bent a-arm or frame.
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Old Aug 24, 2006 | 10:11 AM
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it was a $120 for the measurement a few other shops were charging $175. there going to align my car after they fix the frame i just hope they dont find something else underneath the panels once they take them all off.
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Old Aug 24, 2006 | 10:46 AM
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check my sig. we do all of our own work

Everyone will always say once a cars been wrecked and wont ever be the same but I really gotta say bullshit to those folks that do. If that shop fixes the frame back to the factory specs there wont be anything wrong with it. no one will ever know, and it will be just like it used to be.
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Old Aug 24, 2006 | 11:36 AM
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Thanks tainted thats what i needed to hear my dad and i were wondering how far frame repair has come over the years. you have done some good work on that trans am. i just hope they dont find much more damage underneth cause money i getting tight but my dad can bail me out if need be.
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Old Aug 24, 2006 | 03:26 PM
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I jumped mine a good 15 feet once... I know your pain.
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Old Aug 24, 2006 | 05:24 PM
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mine all set so far. the front is totally square. we finally decided were gonna cut off the outer skin though so it will be ncie and pretty like a stock car even though no one will ever see it. it takes one hard hard ahrd! hit to a frame to make it not be the same once again after its fixed but people jsut have no idea how much a frame has to be hit to permantly alter a car forever.
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Old Aug 25, 2006 | 07:34 AM
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yeah jumping 15 feet in the air is scary especially when there is trees a fence and a building I should not of made it out as lucky as i did. It does show these cars can take some abuse though cause ive drove it almost 18 months this way and it really just started bothering me when my headers were put on. Im feeling much better getting it fixed now after what tainted has said. I just hoe they dont find much more damage under the panels.
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Old Aug 25, 2006 | 01:39 PM
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I went off a t-intersection at a buck and some change, flew a good 10-15 feet at ~five feet off the ground, landed in a corn feild ( no corn planted yet ) and never stopped. When I landed, I kept driving at like 15mph and just drove right out of the corn feild... Stupid, I know, but I learned my lesson about street racing where I don't know the area...
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Old Aug 28, 2006 | 07:39 AM
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I punched it from a stop making a turn and lost it and then over corrected the other way. Then hit the curb that was at the top of about a 10 foot hill so i got about 15-20 feet in the air and landed next to a building on the sidewalk. lets just say if you saw where it happened you would think there is no way that I should of made it.

It scared the crap out of me and now i leave the traction control on unless im racing and call it my dukes of hazard moment now even though i almost killed myslef.

Last edited by SSJIMMY; Aug 30, 2006 at 06:55 AM.
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Old Aug 28, 2006 | 03:56 PM
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Thats what I call mine too, It was seriously Dukes of Hazord, if I would have been calmer I would have probably put my left hand out of hte window and screamed Yeeehaw!! lol.. You'll feel great once you get it all fixed, I know I did.
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Old Sep 30, 2006 | 08:13 AM
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got the frame fixed and my gaps are almost perfect they did a real good job my passenger header doesnt hit anything anymore either. but my driver side still hits the steering sadly hope to fix that with in the coming weeks. ill try and get some new pictures up the next time i wash it maybe tomorrow
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Old Sep 30, 2006 | 08:54 AM
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Most people will aways say the car will never be the same and that being said they are refuring to frame damage and cars alignment.If shops have proper equipment computer measuring systems ect to get the job done right then you have a good chance that the car will be right.Now the biggestt and most inportant thing to go along with equipment is a good tech.Most shops don't have all equal techs and there are some guys that just plain *** get lossed on a big jobs or any kind of frame work.And there are techs that are like naturals you can give a train wreck and you would be amazed on the quality of the craftmanship.So there are all kinds of shops out there good to the bad and it seems like there are more bad and that is due to the lack of people getting in to the trade.Bodyshops are struggling to find techs....I figure id throw my .02 in the mix of things because people get mixed feelings about a wecked car.The people that are negitive are the ones with the bad experience and they have not found that quailty shop yeat.When you bulid your car do you go to autozone for advice and to buy your go fast parts?Or would you rather deal with are sponsors on the board here for advice.Thats how bad bodyshops can be also from one to the next.

Mike
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Old Sep 30, 2006 | 10:23 AM
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the people who think that once you bend the frame the car wont ever be the same, probabaly think that because if you bend metal in and then bend it back out it makes it weaker, but i dont think (especially after just one wreck) that bending it back once or twice is gonna make the frame any weaker.

its like a paper clip whenever you bend it back and forth a lot it eventually breaks cause its so weak. lol bad example
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Old Sep 30, 2006 | 12:19 PM
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congrats on getting it fixed. i do ahve to go all out against the common thing of once tis bent its never the same. A few of you folks even mentioned if PROPERLY done nothing tow orry about, and thats all there is to it.

Hell go find my psot in the appaearnce section and look at the trans am, the whole elft front of the car is cut clean off and were welding a whole new frame piece to it but everything is eprfect, straight *** ends wrinkles, nothing
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Old Sep 30, 2006 | 01:55 PM
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Like Tuff was saying, the most important/only thing that matters is how good the person is working the machine. Even with the new machines they tell you where the frame needs to be, but it doesn't bend the frame itself, you have to bend it. I've daily driven three cars at my house that my dad fixed the frames of and they all dive perfect, they don't pull anywhere, all the body panels line up perfect, and all of the engine bay has been painted to the point where you can't tell it's been hit. That being said, congrats on finding a good shop, lets get some pics!!
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Old Sep 30, 2006 | 04:49 PM
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Im very happy with the work the tech knew what he was doing he showed me the computer and the table and what needed to be done and what i could expect. It seemed like that was all he did at the local pontiac dealership had tons of knowledge and was ripping apart a nice mercedes before i dropped my car off to him. Im glad i got it done feel much better about the car with all the gaps right and fitment of things is alot better.

Ill get some pictures soon maybe tonight if not next week maybe.

Thanks for the help guys you made me feel much more comfortable with getting the work done and im glad i did.
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Old Sep 30, 2006 | 05:18 PM
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nevre be afriad of soemthing that can be fixed :p
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