Check the frame restoration guy's references.....if they check out go with him.....imo

 

If you can pocket $5k+ i'd go that route. At worse it's not 100% right and you sell your truck a little below KBB and still have $5k to add on top.

 

Check out some of his work on repairing frames. Tell him to show you what kind of work he does. Look at his welds closely.

 

I would look at his references and work...if you're confident he can fix it I'd go that route and pocket the money.

I would then sue the kid for depreciation value on the truck....Next time he'll learn to carry more insurance and be a responsible driver. It should go well with his court fines and possible jail time for the hit and run depending on his record.

 

I would go with the new frame.

A frame repair is going to steer away a lot of potential buyers when its time to sell.

 

Frig sakes bud. The kid probably doesn't own anything of value and doesn't make much money. Hell the truck will probably be rusty by the time it's 10 years old. Now it's a nice truck, but the thing isn't going to last forever as a daily driver in Ohio. That's one of the risks of parking in the street and living with other people on the face of the earth.

 

i'd do a new frame. or new truck. but then again its whatever the OP feels is the best decision, i would believe theres more peace of mind with a new frame

 

I was able to look at my truck today to get an idea about the repair. Photo is below.. it really isn't the actual frame or frame rail that is damaged. It is a bracket that is welded to the frame and holds the control arm. The weld on that bracket is partially torn. That will be put back in place and then reinforced with new steel by a master welder. I think I am going to go with this fix rather than a new frame.

Seems very intrusive to completely disassemble the vehicle to install a new frame when this is the only damage... you think? Especially when I can fix and net several thousand dollars.

 

I would definitely have it fixed, I agree about not messing with the kid any more. He will be messed up from this for quite some time as it is, no need to completely ruin his life because of an accident (assuming he was sober, but can't prove that either way now)

 

Like I said a few weks ago, the frame is steel, it's welded together from end to end, it can even be made stronger. Guys cut and weld and modify them routinely, bolt on lift kits to jack them and hang huge tires on them and all with little reguard for what they were designed for.

You simply have some torn welds and bent attachemnt points on one side. The frame appearantly is not twisted, etc. With the added reinforcements, it'll likely be stronger when done on that side.

Not "damaged" .... rather "improved".

I agree, fix it. Then drive it and don't let it destroy your enjoyment of the truck. I'ld watch tire wear, but you should do that anyway! If it drives OK, if tie wear is not hurt, if it alligns properly .... I wouldn't be fretting about selling / trading unless such was my plan anyway. You know the truck.

2 years from now or next year, if trading, selling, a repair isn't going to make much difference.

If you decide to trade it a week after it's fixed, word spreads, people drop hints, and even if the truck is perfect word will spread that youi're dumping it 'cause it's damaged goods, people will suspect problems that don't exist.

As to the kid ..... it's not about making him misserable. But part of the responsibility to others that you undertake when you drive is you carry sufficient insurance to repair that which you tear up belonging to others ... if you fail to avoid tearing their stuff up in the first place. If the kid had no insurance or was under insured, he's no better at upholding his end than most illegals.

I'm glad the kid didn't fall asleep and hit and maim or kill someone walking or a LEO on a traffic stop or etc .... but at the minimum, he committed a traffic infraction when he hit your truck (maybe by accident, but he knew he was sleepy unless he was high or drunk, in either case he made the decision to drive!) .... and then he committed the crime of "hit & run" (this he decided to do on his own, no accident here, this was a crime with clear intent to avoid detection and responsibility on any level).

You were in bed asleep! You've done without your ruck. You've hassled with the insurance cos. You've dealt with a shyster type body shop forman looking to rape you. You've worried about where this was going.

He went home and went to bed, I'ld be dogged if I'ld feel sorry for him. I might forget it in time, I definately would not hold a grudge, I'ld get over it soon, get past it likely when I could drive my truck again .... but no way I ever feel sorry for him. He would have lost any claim to any sympathy from me when he fled the crash scene.

 

Has the truck been on the laser alignment rack to make sure the frame isn't bent?

 

That sounds great on paper.

I hit a small deer back in August, just bent the bumper and popped some paint on the soft upper bumper cover, and it bent the bumper mount on the left frame horn a little (bent it backwards a little as it's designed to do). I figured new bumper and fix the rest. I took it to the best body shop here who's owner I've known 30 years. His painting is most often better than factory. I pointed out the bent bumper mount plate that's welded to the frame.

I got the truck back, costs $ 1002.16, I paid my $50 share, the Ins. Co. paid the rest. The paint was perfect.

It's a big shop, WD doesn't do the work himself now, he has guys he's trained, etc. His paint is so good because of the system installed 20+ years ago, 15 mins after it's done it's ready for wax.

But I don't know the guy who turned wrenches .... and he misaligned stuff. I could see it when I picked it up. I was mildly pi55ed at first .... but I took it home and looked closer.

First thing I saw was that instead of straightening the left frame bracket, he used body fender shims meant for a 3/8 bolt that would not slide down on the 14mm bumper bolt so he just sandwiched them in there as best he could. I found that the 4 large bumper bolts that are supposed to be torqued to 87 ft lbs only finger tight (well, maybe 10 ft lbs, found it when I went to remove bumper to remove the shims and pull the bracket straight).

I removed the headlights, removed the bumper, removed and reinstalled the upper cover - headlight brackets (that was wrong where the tab from the bumper cover was attached wrong) and pulled the frame bracket out (like thay said they would but didn't) with a come along until "perfectly alligned", put the headlights and bumper with fog lights back and eliminated all shimming the bolt together guy had done.

I have it perfect now. At night, I went to a parking lot at a building side and alligned my headlights again.

I took the shims back, told the owner what I did, he just shook his head and said I should have brought it back. Had I taken it back to them, once he took it back to the shop the boys back there would have only fixed what I pointed out. I get it. He ain't gonna fire the guy, decent help is hard to find.

I was happy with the new bumper and paint and now I know it's fixed perfectly as it can be. The seems are as good or better than the new ones at the dealer's lot. It costs me $50 and my ice cream cone and some time. The time I spent was almost like "leisure time" once I got it home from the body shop.

I'm happy, I am not crying .... but .... I would have gone crazy trying to find and fix every loose bolt and odd shop fix on a complete frame replacement.

 

^well when you put it that way it makes perfect sense and i completely forgot about the quality now-a-days.....hence my newly painted chipping bumper. i reassembled the front end myself, enjoyed doing it, but if only the steel was prepped better....then again when it starts to look hideous i'll find a fix.....had my brake job (new pads/ turned rotors) done a couple weeks ago at ford, everything is great, did the leveling kit on the front this weekend and the clips holding the brake lines back together had not been snapped back.....quality control that's all it is. i could go on for a while here....back on subject, got anymore pictures OP?

 

I agree with fixing rather than replaceing for such minor damage. I have straightened a ton of frames over the years, and although I know frames have changed in more recent time (hydro-formed, etc.), I have only changed 1 frame in all those years. All the rest were straightened. If a shop got a new frame from the factory, it was usually all dull and rusty from setting outside because they so seldom ever sold one. Not that way anymore but I think it has more to do with the insurance companies not wanting ANY liability than it does with not being able to straighten properly. One thing I didn't like was the number of bolts that replaced rivets because of stuff you had to transfer that was originally riveted but you couldn't get the rivets and wouldn't have been able to rivet it properly if you could obtain them.

 

My 08 Super Crew got hit from behind wihen it was 4 weeks old. He missed my receiver hitch and got the rear bumper and the left side of the bed. I took it to the body shop at the dealer where I bought the truck. They kept talking about putting non OEM parts on it. I then took it to a local Dodge Dealer that the Insurance Company recomended and they put all new OEM parts on it, and showe me the invoice for all of them direct from Ford. It was a little over $3,500 to make it look like new.