Thread: Heating Frame

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I have my 46 chevy pick up down to the bare frame getting ready to sand blast it.There are some ripples in the bottom of the frame rails at the rear of the frame from many years of being on a farm and being hung up and bottomed out on who knows what.My question is will it hurt to heat the frame up with a torch and straighten the rails out? They are not real bad ,but I would like to get them straight.Thanks for your advice

i would only use heat as a last resort.... Might want to try using a hammer to pound the dents out first with either another hammer or a thick, solid piece of iron as a backer... If you have to use heat, use a low temp flame and let it air cool

that is a box frame ? if not you can use a big adjustable wrench to bend the frame if it is a C chanle frame rail. or make a wrench. by cutting a slot the thickness of the frame rail in some 1/2 flat plate or welding a jaw on some old [] tubbing.then you will have a lever to push or pull the frame lip. i have had to do this on GM frames were someone lifted them were not boxs

It is not boxed in ,it has the original C channel frame .I have a 24" cresent wrench that I staightend some of it out with,but I did not like the sound the old briddle frame was making ,it sounded like it was going to crack.

Originally Posted by Jim in baytown

It is not boxed in ,it has the original C channel frame .I have a 24" cresent wrench that I staightend some of it out with,but I did not like the sound the old briddle frame was making ,it sounded like it was going to crack.

you can warm it up.i pulled frames when i did body work. i would use a rose bud and heat them till you could see thru them but i would just go to purple to dull red . no more heat then needed to do the job and let cool slow you should be fine. were you work the frame i would wire cup wheel the frame after they been sand blasted it may hid any cracks ,wire wheel will shine the steel abit and it ez to see the cracks if any