How to bend this back...

RatLabGuy

RatLabGuy

You look like a monkey and smell like one too
Joined
May 18, 2005
Location
Churchville, MD
'88 Toy.
Classic problem w/ the IFS, frame mounts for the lower control arms are bent inwards. This is pushing the arms into a twisted position, and preventing the adjusting cams from sliding to fix the alignment.
See attachment.
How might one "fix" this? Not really enough room to pound it w/ a hammer, and it's thick-ass steel w/ ribbed reinforcement.
I'm thinking super heat w/ ox-ace torch until it's really red, then pry on it? Of course I don't have an axy-ace torch :rolleyes:. Any (slim) chance propane would ever get hot enough?

And yes, I know the "real" way to fix this is a SAS :D but that's not in the cards.
 
don't heat it. build a frame on it & stick a bottle jack in it & push it out?
 
rockcity said:
attachment?
Click to expand...

woops :D IMG_20121020_221716.jpg
IMG_20121020_221740.jpg
 
Jeff - not sure how I could push it "out" from there w/ a bottle jack. Only about 3" between those sides.
 
heat it up and bend it out is the only way I can thing of at home. No, a propane torch will not heat it up enough unless its MAPP and O2. You may could take it to a frame shop and lte them put it on their frame machine and use their pullers and pull it out straight
 
Could you sacrifice a 3/8" drive extention stuck throught the straight side hole, and a short, fat socket in the gap and POUND THE SHIT out of it w a 8 or 10lb sledgehammer!!??? No expert here!
 
I've repaired one on a friends before. Mapp torch and a 20" cresent wrench to bend it back out once hot. But the thing is once you heat it that much the metal will lose all of its strength and bend again. So you'll need to plate to outside of it and make a gusset.
 
tack plate across the straight part. Then take a 3/4 bolt & nut weld a short piece of pipe on the nut. screw them together, place the nut & bolt between the 2 plates & screw them apart. as a spreader..
 
I've fixed these before like the above post, big, big, adjustable wrench or spud wrench, slide the jaw up on the bent part, bending and working your way up until it's straight. You can usually do it cold with no heat if you slide a pipe on the wrench handle for more leverage. Don't knock it off the jacks on yourself. Then weld or reinforce if needed. Once one was so mangled I had to weld one side shut and drill a new hole.
 
Or, as Jeff said above about jacking it up to bend it out with a frame, sorta, take a huge "Ford" wrench and slide up on it then jack the end of the handle up. Google Ford wrench and you'll see what I mean.
 
Well I got a big assed Ford wrench and went at it... just grabbed it and bent it straight
That work for about 80% of it, fixed the front one and outer bit of the rear mount.
Unfortunately the front mount is in the way of the leverage arm of the Ford wrench for getting the rear mount. If the wrench were more like a caliper where the grab "fingers" stick up from the arm, instead of flush with it... would be perfect... Not sure if that makes any sense.
Maybe a pipe wrench shaped like this would be better
http://www.amazon.com/Ridgid-31055-1-Inch-Heavy-Duty-Wrench/dp/B000TGANZM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1351136937&sr=8-1&keywords=Ridgid 31055

I tried Jeff's method using a bolt + nut. Difficulty is that one end has to be able to spin again the arm, it wants to walk around instead of staying lined up. Would need a combo left & right-handed thread and matching bolts I think, so it works more like tierod arms etc. But maybe I'm missing something there...
 
if the bolt you are using is big enough, tap the head 3/8 x 16 the put a 3/8 bolt in it & grind the head to a point. This will keep the friction down & it wont walk..
 
Get a piece of threaded rod and two nuts, or just a bolt. Cut the rod/bolt to the width of the opening, and then turn the nut(s) against the sides. When it gets to where you cant turn them anymore, apply hammer or heat or a large adjustable wrench to the bent bracket. Repeat until it is fixed or you are happy, or both.
 
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