Tweaked body question

[joshua]

I drove from Minnesota to California for this rust free body. It was pretty cheap pickup. But there’s some reasons. First I need to tackle the rear brace.

It’s bent, causing the bead sides to push out at the top of the rails. See pictures of the top and the brace.

Can I simply push them back up with a jack? Or do I have to cut the brace and then jack it up? Lastly would be to replace the brace. Which I know from experience, won’t fit in without cutting something. Lmk what you have, or would do. Thanks!

 

[904Bronco]

If you unbolt the roll bar at the back does it relax?

My first thought is to pull the fenders back together at the top, with the hard top removed...

Random thoughts here to avoid the cutting and welding thing...

 

[AZ73]

1) does it have the hard top stakes in the tail light housings? If not you can probably bend it back.
2) You're measuring while it sits on a wood cradle, not bolted to a frame and shimmed correctly. That could be flexing the body causing the distortion. I wouldn't do anything until it's on a metal frame, then see what you got.

 

[joshua]

1) does it have the hard top stakes in the tail light housings? If not you can probably bend it back.
2) You're measuring while it sits on a wood cradle, not bolted to a frame and shimmed correctly. That could be flexing the body causing the distortion. I wouldn't do anything until it's on a metal frame, then see what you got.

I was trying to show the brace is bent along the floor. I was trying to show a straight edge along it. I circled it.

 

[Oldtimer]

Run lag bolts into the wood support frame at the body mount locations, remove the yellow & orange straps, and remove weight of cage and hard top.
The brace may be straighter than you think.

 

[jamesroney]

Yeah, that brace is bent. Doesn't matter if it's bolted to a frame, or a wooden rack or the Rock of Gibraltar.

I can see that it runs downhill. It's fairly common. Super easy to pull back straight. You KNOW that it's splayed because the tailgate gaps will be a disaster.

So when you measure the tailgate gap, you will see that it is much wider at the top than at the hinge. Your first thought might be to put a ratchet strap on the hardtop stake pockets and pull it together. Do NOT do this.

You want to start by making your U-channel on the floor perfectly straight. I have a 2x5x3/16 steel tube about 6 feet long that I use as a bridge across the bed. Then I chain the bridge down thru the stake pockets. An 8 ton bottle jack between the floor and the bridge will pull it back straight in about 2 pumps. Probably only putting about 1500-2000 lbs on it. It actually wants to be straight, so it will pull back pretty easy. First pull one side, and then pull the other. Don't even think of trying to do both sides in one pull, or you will make it into an "S."

At that point, I usually have the tailgate handy so that I can pull it back to match the tailgate, rather than make the bed floor perfectly flat. (although both happen at about the same time.) It's just annoying to pull it straight, and then have the tailgate strikes not quite fit...and you get to pull it again.

A 1/16 inch bend on that u-channel ends up being about 1/8 inch at the tailgate strike. So you are better off cheating the U-channel, and making the envelope right, especially since you are not changing your bed end caps.

A carpenter's square and a tape measure is your friend here.

 

[joshua]

Run lag bolts into the wood support frame at the body mount locations, remove the yellow & orange straps, and remove weight of cage and hard top.
The brace may be straighter than you think.

I only had enough tension on those straps to keep the straps themselves from falling off. All the tension was on the wood frame I bought. I also had the frame screwed down to the deck of the trailer.

I was very nervous that frame could fail, so I basically (hung) those straps on the body to the trailer. My thought was if the frame failed at least the body wouldn’t leave the trailer and kill someone.

 

[joshua]

Yeah, that brace is bent. Doesn't matter if it's bolted to a frame, or a wooden rack or the Rock of Gibraltar.

I can see that it runs downhill. It's fairly common. Super easy to pull back straight. You KNOW that it's splayed because the tailgate gaps will be a disaster.

So when you measure the tailgate gap, you will see that it is much wider at the top than at the hinge. Your first thought might be to put a ratchet strap on the hardtop stake pockets and pull it together. Do NOT do this.

You want to start by making your U-channel on the floor perfectly straight. I have a 2x5x3/16 steel tube about 6 feet long that I use as a bridge across the bed. Then I chain the bridge down thru the stake pockets. An 8 ton bottle jack between the floor and the bridge will pull it back straight in about 2 pumps. Probably only putting about 1500-2000 lbs on it. It actually wants to be straight, so it will pull back pretty easy. First pull one side, and then pull the other. Don't even think of trying to do both sides in one pull, or you will make it into an "S."

At that point, I usually have the tailgate handy so that I can pull it back to match the tailgate, rather than make the bed floor perfectly flat. (although both happen at about the same time.) It's just annoying to pull it straight, and then have the tailgate strikes not quite fit...and you get to pull it again.

A 1/16 inch bend on that u-channel ends up being about 1/8 inch at the tailgate strike. So you are better off cheating the U-channel, and making the envelope right, especially since you are not changing your bed end caps.

A carpenter's square and a tape measure is your friend here.

Thanks james