OP, if you ask questions in this sub don't flame the people trying to help you.
Based on your post history, you are at best in the apprentice phase of work with auto body. Frame damage after what is very obviously a crash with your SN95 presents a considerable safety issue. This needs to be addressed by a professional who knows what they are doing so that you are not a road hazard to yourself and others on the road.
The radiator core support is dented meaning that it’s so busted my radiator can’t sit down straight and my hood won’t latch, the tie rods and bushings are shot. I’m just focusing on the dent in the frame rail at the moment because I’m taking baby steps first, I already know what most of the problem is
I can't tell if you're trolling at this point. If the tie rods are shot, that's 100% the cause of your steering issue. Because they're TIEd into the steering rack.
Not my fault if you can’t tell if I’m trolling or not when I came to this subreddit to ask for how to fix something, not to asking about whether I should fix the problem or not. All of the issues I listed feed in to eacthoer, including the frame rail dent no matter how negligible.
You’re done trying to be helpful? Really? I don’t recall you ever actually starting, I’m going to do us both a favor and stop responding, have a nice day.
Go hammer your new edge mustang man, go "fix" your frame rails. I'm sure that'll fix your problems. You ignored EVERYONE in this thread giving you the real answers you needed to hear in lieu of one you wanted to hear.
You will do more damage trying to than you will leaving it alone.
If you wanted to "fix" this, you'd need to cut it out and weld in straight metal. The weld would be a weak spot. You could fish-plate or back it, but that wouldn't look much better.
I’m sure I can make it better with enough money and time is how I could treat it better. I eventually want subframe connectors and don’t want to install it on something already dented
Homie, first off, that’s not your subframe. Secondly, i absolutely promise you there is literally zero reason to even mess with this, like at all. You need an alignment. This is a very small dent under your car, your car is not bent nor is it really in bad shape. This is not worth the money to fix.
Seriously dude, drop it. It's not detrimental to the car, nor is it worth your time. The ROI on this is awful. You're likely to damage it further by trying to fix what is a non-issue. Just. Leave. It. Alone. End of discussion.
What you need is an alignment, go spend your time and money on that.
How would you feel if your car had an issue that’s eating away at your mind leaving it broken purposely and ignoring the issue? That’s all I want to ask. I asked how to fix it and I’m not being granted the info I’ll ask for but I’ll try to leave it alone k guess
You have been told the info multiple times - it is a job that requires welding, and to be done properly probably having a section cut out first and a new piece welded in.
Everyone here is correct when they tell you this is not an issue, and that the best thing you can do is leave it alone.
Think of it as a scar, not as an open wound. At this point fixing it would be purely cosmetic, like plastic surgery - and given that this is on the underside, it would be like getting plastic surgery on a scar in your armpit where almost nobody will ever look.
Fixing this will not change the functionality or the longevity of the car one bit. The way you are speaking about this is akin to treating a superficial blemish as though it requires emergency care or an orthopedic surgeon.
You came here asking for advice from people who know more about the issue than you do. The users who are telling you to seek therapy are doing so because of your seeming refusal to accept the answers that have been given to you. They may be correct, too - no amount of autobody work is going to fix your irrational behavior.
Can’t afford it. Can you pay for the sessions for me? Can you make it so that there’s more than 24 hours in a day so that I actually have the time to do therapy sessions that won’t work when I’m not both working and going to school at the same time. If cutting out the frame rail and replacing it is the only fix before I can drop in some sub frame connectors then I’ll do that then.
Why would I waste my money helping someone who clearly doesn’t know how to manage their own?
If you spend the money to have this properly restored to factory condition then you absolutely fit in that category. Note, I did not say “have this fixed” because it is not broken.
A fool and his money are already parted because I’ve been trying therapy since middle school, not worth it. Not doing it again Therfore I don’t need therapy. I just need to be happy, what will make me happy is fixing my car
You got answers on how to fix it, which included explaining how difficult and pointless it is. You replied stating you don't know how to do it, and then continued to ask how to do it. You think these responses are unwarranted?
And boy, if this is bothering you, you'd HATE to see my cars. Some things can just be left alone and they're truly not big deals. This won't degrade into a larger issue, nor is it affecting any other components of your vehicle. The structural integrity of your car has not changed due to these dents.
This is why the person above us commented that this is a problem for a therapist; what they're saying is the biggest problem here is YOU and your OBSESSION with this. Making a mountain out of a molehill. The car doesn't need to change, your perspective does.
And trust me, you're in r/projectcar... if it was worth it, even BARELY worth it, we'd encourage you to do something about it. But here we are, assuring you that you're blowing this way out of proportion, yet you continue to panic over nothing.
Because nothing is broken and there is no issue with the frame rails. You want to know how to fix it but you have no money to pay someone or to buy tools to fix it. You need to pay to play even when doing work yourselves.
Your frame rails look great honestly, I’ve seen much worse on these cars. And when you install FLSFC’s they just get welded right over the dents and they magically disappear. I’ve seen people install them over much more dented rails then yours.
So stop worrying about it and letting it eat away at your mind and get an alignment.
This is my car and I want to do what makes me happy which is fixing the dent, if you feel like I should do something different you can shell over some money and I’ll let you decide what I should do to “our” car
Like I said, opinion invalid, I don’t insult you and you feel the need to insult me, that reeks of insecurity.
But don’t worry, instead of bringing myself down to your level I’ll just not participate in your conversation when you have nothing of value that you can teach me. Have a good day sir/madam.
This is like 10/10 difficulty though, unibody repair is arguably one of the hardest things to fix on a car. There is a reason people buy entirely separate cars to swap bits over to make 1 running car because its cheaper and easier than fixing something like this. As others suggested, an alignment will fix this and you can just forget it exists because almost every car over 5 years old has it.
I understand that, as youve stated in other comments you don’t necessarily have the tools to fix it? I just see this as a very large waste of money as you’ll probably spend well over a grand to “fix” it.
Hey man, you're out of your league. I'm a professional mechanic and guys like you are the worst. I'm not trying to be an asshole but you're hung up on something that doesn't matter and will require thousands of dollars in professional body work to replace. Meanwhile your car has shitty suspension bushings and blown timing chain guides (you're going to say your car doesn't have any of this but I can promise you I can sell you on 8k of work that will actually matter all while you're fixated on the dent you caused by jacking up an old car with weak sheet metal)
Just let it go man. It doesn't matter and you need to focus your energy into real issues. Spend every dollar of fixation you have on the unibody on going to a performance alignment shop and address what they tell you.
If you have to start the sentence off like “guys like you are the worst”, what’s the point of me reading everything else you said? It doesn’t matter but it matters to me because it’s MY car
It’s my car that I paid for if I want to get the dent fixed I’ll either learn how to do it myself or pay someone else to do it
You would need to get to the backside to “beat” it back into shape, which isn’t feasible here.
Even without cutting the bent part out, the solution still involves welding - studs are welded to the metal where it is bent and then a slide hammer is used to pull it out to its original shape.
You feel wrong. Something else is fucked up. Or if the body honestly isn't straight, adjustable suspension components will be cheaper than going at it with a hammer or whatever you have at your disposal.
So start by taking it in to a good alignment shop to figure out what might be causing the problem. Try to find a shop that does performance alignments for people who do autocross or race cars.
If your chassis is so bent it's not driving straight, you won't do shit with a hammer...
Take it for an alignment, if they tell you it's out of tuning range, take the chassis to a professional and ask for a price, then scrap the car and buy another one.
Just so you know, since you said it a couple times, what you’re looking at isn’t a subframe. It’s the unibody. Subframes bolt to the unibody to carry suspension and drivetrain parts.
Sure, if you want to. That will be a weld/pull sort of scenario like a body shop would do. No reason to do it though, as it doesn't affect anything. Probably plenty of other things that need doing on your project that are more important.
How about you use the time and effort you would have spent banging on a frame rail studying why everyone is telling you it's a waste of time? Car isn't driving straight? How about you study auto mechanics and figure out why that may be instead of looking at a random irrelevant dent and deciding it's the problem?
Have you looked at any of the suspension components? Alignment? Wheel balance?
Well I currently am studying auto mechanics, banging on the frame rail may be a waste of time however I ask how do I properly do it, now should I or should I not do it
If you were to ask "how should I safely jump off a building?" And people were to say "if you're asking on Reddit for answers on how to safely DIY BASE jump you should not do that" but ONE stranger says "you should try an umbrella". Then everyone says "umbrella guy is wrong, please don't do that" and you say "everyone here is saying I'm wrong and when one single stranger gives me a solution, you all say it's wrong. Why are you all so mean?? 😭" You don't see the disconnect?
No I don’t see the disconnect. If a person asks how to diy BASE jump instead of trying to convince him not to do it when he’s already made his mind up either don’t comment and move on to another post or offer helpful advice
Just because it’s the only solution that works for you doesn’t mean it will work period. That’s for body work not unibody frame rail stuff. Get a big ass slide hammer and get it on a lift if that’s how you plan on getting it done. My advice is don’t worry about it yet. My Miata has them, and I eventually would like to add bracing under there so when I have access to a lift I’ll straighten them up a bit. Like me, yoy should put your energy elsewhere for now, I checked your post history. your gonna rattle can the whole car? That’s a lot of work to do properly. I’m saving until I can get a nice compressor setup and outdoor tent, I might straighten the body work and epoxy prime it and wrap it.
That stud welder is meant for dings and dents on body panels. If OP buys that and try’s it then he’s just going to be left with lots of burn marks on the rails. Especially with a 2lb slide hammer that won’t do crap. And that’s if he can get the car high enough to get a slide hammer under there and enough momentum to pull a stud off.
But go ahead and try OP let us know how it turns out. Maybe you will pioneer this method.
Try to find someone with a frame stretcher. Ask at local body shops if it’s just the one spot I managed to have a truck fall off a jack once and bend a rail slightly. I used a comically large pipe wrench to straighten it back out.
This seems confusing you just said it’s not going to pull out, then you just said everytime the metal gets bent back it gets weakened. I was going to reinforce the repair with subframe connectors once I or someone I pay works out the dent
Can I just cut out that section of the frame rail and weld in new sheet metal there then. If the first car you ever worked hard for and bought yourself I’m sure you’d be going crazy to fix everything on it too
This is the mentality that WILL make you bankrupt yourself on a shitbox that is NOT worth it in the slightest.
Focus on the things that actually matter. Don't rush to fix expensive non-issues when you could ACTUALLY take care of your car by finding and fixing the real problems.
Yeah I agree the damage doesn't look worthwhile, but OP said the car also doesn't drive straight and that's why they wanna straighten out the dents. I was more or less making a joke haha
Op is trying to fix an aesthetic problem that doesn't contribute to the active problem he currently has.
Op please stay away from cars, ignorance is definitely bliss
If your having steering issues check your steering and suspension components or better yet, take it to a mechanic
Don’t have money for a mechanic. I mess with cars because it’s the only thing that’s interesting for me in my life unless you would like to pay for me to find a new hobby
Because even if you nail it you will have one less cosmetic dent in your car and still have a massive alignment issue. If you truly want to learn, you should start with listening.
How can you guarantee that this is only a cosmetic dent in the frame rail of the car? The op is how to pull dents out the frame rail of a car, not how to replace suspension components
I mess with my own car too cause mechanics charge out the ass for anything
Google is always free, YouTube Is your friend for guidance but also physically inspecting the front suspension components with the tires off will tell you if anything is wrong
You gotta understand like the situation of what’s goin on between subframes, crossmembers, unibody, and what affects alignment vs other stuff. If you can’t identify anything you’llneed a shop
Radiator stand is busted in probably from being used as a drift car before I bought it and the steering tilts to the right causing the car to drag to the right
Sn95 mustang I assume, those are not causing your alignment issues. If it is a sn95 they make full length subframe connectors that will attach to that location if you want to stiffen up the car though. There are bolt in ones and weld in ones basically you can pick your preference and then you won't see it and you will know the chassis is stiffer.
If I wanted to buy subframe connectors I would want to fix the dent first before they are installed. I cannot be comfortable knowing that I tried to covering something up instead of fixing it
It's mostly cosmetic, but when I do subframe its thru the floor so I beat the dents out with a block of wood before dropping the connectors into the rail channel. A stud gun and a slide hammer will do the same from the bottom or even an old school screw in slide hammer if your installing that style sub frame connectors
No, with thru the floor connectors you cut out the top part of the floor pan above the rail, exposing the inside of that part of the stamping. you can then beat the dents out and drop frame connectors in side the factory one and weld it all up, the other style connectors weld to the out side on the bottom of the factory rail, but you can use a stud gun/ slide hammer to pull the dents out. There's multiple ways to remove the dents but none are really cheap if you don't habe the tools..
No your just going to dent the floor. The part of the frame you want to unbend is attached to the body which means you don't get access from above to remove the dent.
You do you I understand wanting to do it right, the subframe connectors would show you if it's just cosmetic or not. Without actually measuring I can't say if it is just cosmetic but if it's the car I think it is I have seen a lot of them with the same dents and the cars were still straight.
To fix it, you could try to pull it back out but you are probably going to have to chain it down and possibly drill holes to get it close and work the metal from there. Then since the metal has already been fatigued you are going to have to reinforce the area to be the same as it was factory. It won't be an easy job to do if you don't have the tools to do it.
If you genuinely believe this is part of the problem, that would mean the entire car is tweaked. At that piont you need to bring it to a body shop that can straighten frames.
But in reality it's probably just needs the front end checked and an alignment.
There’s probably two ways of pulling these dents out. One is cutting it out and welding in new metal. Option two is welding tabs along the dent and using a slide hammer to pull it out, then grind smooth.
Saying that, these dents aren’t causing your steering issue. Tire pressures and a proper alignment will be your next moves to verify what is causing your car pulling.
GreenKrusader@reddit
OP, if you ask questions in this sub don't flame the people trying to help you.
Based on your post history, you are at best in the apprentice phase of work with auto body. Frame damage after what is very obviously a crash with your SN95 presents a considerable safety issue. This needs to be addressed by a professional who knows what they are doing so that you are not a road hazard to yourself and others on the road.
RileyDream@reddit
Don’t. Get frame rail braces if ur rly worried abt stability but in my experience it makes such a minimal difference unless ur on 600lb springs
Bobby_Bigwheels@reddit
Pull the seats and carpet out. Cut a window in the floor. GENTLY heat the frame and beat it out flat. Then weld the plate back in to the floor.
Also, as others have stated, this has zero to do with your wheel alignment issue
Maddogoffaleash@reddit (OP)
I understand and thanks for the advice. I’m letting it go for now and planning to fix it to weld in subframe connectors eventually
Im_not_bot123@reddit
Just don't look at it 👍
If u can't see, hear, feel it then it is not a problem.
If everything is working smoothly then it is not a problem haha
Maddogoffaleash@reddit (OP)
My car doesn’t drive straight and I feel like this is part of the problem
Im_not_bot123@reddit
U know mechanic visits are free right as long as u dont let them fix it yk.
Maddogoffaleash@reddit (OP)
Not exactly you have to pay a diagnosis fee
Im_not_bot123@reddit
Umm no do u even car?
Maddogoffaleash@reddit (OP)
It cost a diagnosis fee to get a car looked at unless you do that for free
SuprKidd@reddit
Any quick lube chain shop will let you pull in just for a look over, for free. A proper diagnostic at an independent shop will cost money, yes.
Maddogoffaleash@reddit (OP)
I don’t have the money atm for a diagnosis, I’m pretty sure most lube shops will also charge a fee aswell
SuprKidd@reddit
No, I'm TELLING you that they do not.
Maddogoffaleash@reddit (OP)
The radiator core support is dented meaning that it’s so busted my radiator can’t sit down straight and my hood won’t latch, the tie rods and bushings are shot. I’m just focusing on the dent in the frame rail at the moment because I’m taking baby steps first, I already know what most of the problem is
SuprKidd@reddit
I can't tell if you're trolling at this point. If the tie rods are shot, that's 100% the cause of your steering issue. Because they're TIEd into the steering rack.
Maddogoffaleash@reddit (OP)
Not my fault if you can’t tell if I’m trolling or not when I came to this subreddit to ask for how to fix something, not to asking about whether I should fix the problem or not. All of the issues I listed feed in to eacthoer, including the frame rail dent no matter how negligible.
You’re done trying to be helpful? Really? I don’t recall you ever actually starting, I’m going to do us both a favor and stop responding, have a nice day.
SuprKidd@reddit
Go hammer your new edge mustang man, go "fix" your frame rails. I'm sure that'll fix your problems. You ignored EVERYONE in this thread giving you the real answers you needed to hear in lieu of one you wanted to hear.
Good_With_Tools@reddit
This is not part of your problem. It's fine.
Maddogoffaleash@reddit (OP)
Since it’s not can I still unbend the subframe rails
Good_With_Tools@reddit
You will do more damage trying to than you will leaving it alone.
If you wanted to "fix" this, you'd need to cut it out and weld in straight metal. The weld would be a weak spot. You could fish-plate or back it, but that wouldn't look much better.
Maddogoffaleash@reddit (OP)
I don’t know how to weld or cut it out. Could someone beat out the dent? Don’t have peace of mind with the dents going along the frame rails
chaseplastic@reddit
People are telling you this is a job for your therapist, not your auto body tech. You gotta move on.
Maddogoffaleash@reddit (OP)
What therapist I never hired one I just want to treat my car nice??
manys@reddit
Treat it nice by not making it worse when you can't make it brand-new.
Maddogoffaleash@reddit (OP)
I’m sure I can make it better with enough money and time is how I could treat it better. I eventually want subframe connectors and don’t want to install it on something already dented
Cautious-Cake6282@reddit
Homie, first off, that’s not your subframe. Secondly, i absolutely promise you there is literally zero reason to even mess with this, like at all. You need an alignment. This is a very small dent under your car, your car is not bent nor is it really in bad shape. This is not worth the money to fix.
Maddogoffaleash@reddit (OP)
Even if it’s not a problem I just want peace of mind by treating myself and the car well by learning to fix a dent like that.
You probably don’t see it, it’s the second picture the
mostlywhitemiata@reddit
Seriously dude, drop it. It's not detrimental to the car, nor is it worth your time. The ROI on this is awful. You're likely to damage it further by trying to fix what is a non-issue. Just. Leave. It. Alone. End of discussion.
What you need is an alignment, go spend your time and money on that.
Maddogoffaleash@reddit (OP)
How would you feel if your car had an issue that’s eating away at your mind leaving it broken purposely and ignoring the issue? That’s all I want to ask. I asked how to fix it and I’m not being granted the info I’ll ask for but I’ll try to leave it alone k guess
ajkd92@reddit
You have been told the info multiple times - it is a job that requires welding, and to be done properly probably having a section cut out first and a new piece welded in.
Everyone here is correct when they tell you this is not an issue, and that the best thing you can do is leave it alone.
Think of it as a scar, not as an open wound. At this point fixing it would be purely cosmetic, like plastic surgery - and given that this is on the underside, it would be like getting plastic surgery on a scar in your armpit where almost nobody will ever look.
Fixing this will not change the functionality or the longevity of the car one bit. The way you are speaking about this is akin to treating a superficial blemish as though it requires emergency care or an orthopedic surgeon.
You came here asking for advice from people who know more about the issue than you do. The users who are telling you to seek therapy are doing so because of your seeming refusal to accept the answers that have been given to you. They may be correct, too - no amount of autobody work is going to fix your irrational behavior.
Maddogoffaleash@reddit (OP)
I asked for a fix to the dent in the frame. Not for therapy advice unless someone is willing to pay for it
ajkd92@reddit
Therapy weekly for three months would be likely be cheaper than having this fixed properly.
Maddogoffaleash@reddit (OP)
Can’t afford it. Can you pay for the sessions for me? Can you make it so that there’s more than 24 hours in a day so that I actually have the time to do therapy sessions that won’t work when I’m not both working and going to school at the same time. If cutting out the frame rail and replacing it is the only fix before I can drop in some sub frame connectors then I’ll do that then.
ajkd92@reddit
Why would I waste my money helping someone who clearly doesn’t know how to manage their own?
If you spend the money to have this properly restored to factory condition then you absolutely fit in that category. Note, I did not say “have this fixed” because it is not broken.
“A fool and his money are easily parted.”
Maddogoffaleash@reddit (OP)
A fool and his money are already parted because I’ve been trying therapy since middle school, not worth it. Not doing it again Therfore I don’t need therapy. I just need to be happy, what will make me happy is fixing my car
mostlywhitemiata@reddit
You got answers on how to fix it, which included explaining how difficult and pointless it is. You replied stating you don't know how to do it, and then continued to ask how to do it. You think these responses are unwarranted?
And boy, if this is bothering you, you'd HATE to see my cars. Some things can just be left alone and they're truly not big deals. This won't degrade into a larger issue, nor is it affecting any other components of your vehicle. The structural integrity of your car has not changed due to these dents.
This is why the person above us commented that this is a problem for a therapist; what they're saying is the biggest problem here is YOU and your OBSESSION with this. Making a mountain out of a molehill. The car doesn't need to change, your perspective does.
And trust me, you're in r/projectcar... if it was worth it, even BARELY worth it, we'd encourage you to do something about it. But here we are, assuring you that you're blowing this way out of proportion, yet you continue to panic over nothing.
Gtbsgtmajor@reddit
Because nothing is broken and there is no issue with the frame rails. You want to know how to fix it but you have no money to pay someone or to buy tools to fix it. You need to pay to play even when doing work yourselves.
Your frame rails look great honestly, I’ve seen much worse on these cars. And when you install FLSFC’s they just get welded right over the dents and they magically disappear. I’ve seen people install them over much more dented rails then yours.
So stop worrying about it and letting it eat away at your mind and get an alignment.
Panchotje@reddit
You sound.... not so smart
Maddogoffaleash@reddit (OP)
It’s okay I know I’m not. I got used to it
Panchotje@reddit
Wow, unusual amount of self awareness!
Now take that self awareness and apply it to how you're approaching your "problem" vs how everybody else is telling you how to approach your problem.
Maybe go with what everyone else is telling you
Maddogoffaleash@reddit (OP)
This is my car and I want to do what makes me happy which is fixing the dent, if you feel like I should do something different you can shell over some money and I’ll let you decide what I should do to “our” car
Panchotje@reddit
Like I said: you sound... not so smart
Maddogoffaleash@reddit (OP)
Like I said, opinion invalid, I don’t insult you and you feel the need to insult me, that reeks of insecurity.
But don’t worry, instead of bringing myself down to your level I’ll just not participate in your conversation when you have nothing of value that you can teach me. Have a good day sir/madam.
TowlieisCool@reddit
This is like 10/10 difficulty though, unibody repair is arguably one of the hardest things to fix on a car. There is a reason people buy entirely separate cars to swap bits over to make 1 running car because its cheaper and easier than fixing something like this. As others suggested, an alignment will fix this and you can just forget it exists because almost every car over 5 years old has it.
Cautious-Cake6282@reddit
I understand that, as youve stated in other comments you don’t necessarily have the tools to fix it? I just see this as a very large waste of money as you’ll probably spend well over a grand to “fix” it.
grease_monkey@reddit
Hey man, you're out of your league. I'm a professional mechanic and guys like you are the worst. I'm not trying to be an asshole but you're hung up on something that doesn't matter and will require thousands of dollars in professional body work to replace. Meanwhile your car has shitty suspension bushings and blown timing chain guides (you're going to say your car doesn't have any of this but I can promise you I can sell you on 8k of work that will actually matter all while you're fixated on the dent you caused by jacking up an old car with weak sheet metal)
Just let it go man. It doesn't matter and you need to focus your energy into real issues. Spend every dollar of fixation you have on the unibody on going to a performance alignment shop and address what they tell you.
Maddogoffaleash@reddit (OP)
If you have to start the sentence off like “guys like you are the worst”, what’s the point of me reading everything else you said? It doesn’t matter but it matters to me because it’s MY car
It’s my car that I paid for if I want to get the dent fixed I’ll either learn how to do it myself or pay someone else to do it
ajkd92@reddit
You would need to get to the backside to “beat” it back into shape, which isn’t feasible here.
Even without cutting the bent part out, the solution still involves welding - studs are welded to the metal where it is bent and then a slide hammer is used to pull it out to its original shape.
grease_monkey@reddit
You feel wrong. Something else is fucked up. Or if the body honestly isn't straight, adjustable suspension components will be cheaper than going at it with a hammer or whatever you have at your disposal.
Im_not_bot123@reddit
Have u done up ur alignment yet and when does it do it?
Maddogoffaleash@reddit (OP)
At any speed the car pulls to the right and my radiator stand is smashed up car was probably used as a drift car before I bought it
amg-rx7@reddit
So start by taking it in to a good alignment shop to figure out what might be causing the problem. Try to find a shop that does performance alignments for people who do autocross or race cars.
Fragrant_Lobster_917@reddit
Best case the issue is just bad alignment, but it's probably something more. But, alignment shop will find that issue and explain it.
Hopefully it's not like my truck, bent frame so bad it couldn't be aligned. Nothing a drunk redneck with a torch and hammer couldn't fix, though.
IguasOs@reddit
If your chassis is so bent it's not driving straight, you won't do shit with a hammer...
Take it for an alignment, if they tell you it's out of tuning range, take the chassis to a professional and ask for a price, then scrap the car and buy another one.
7days2pie@reddit
Those dents are not the issue. Not even a little
evileagle@reddit
Definitely not part of the problem.
Maddogoffaleash@reddit (OP)
Since it’s not can I still unbend the subframe rails
SprungMS@reddit
Just so you know, since you said it a couple times, what you’re looking at isn’t a subframe. It’s the unibody. Subframes bolt to the unibody to carry suspension and drivetrain parts.
Maddogoffaleash@reddit (OP)
Thanks for letting me know. I keep getting told to buy subframe connectors so I incorrectly assume the frame rails are subframes therfore
evileagle@reddit
Sure, if you want to. That will be a weld/pull sort of scenario like a body shop would do. No reason to do it though, as it doesn't affect anything. Probably plenty of other things that need doing on your project that are more important.
Fcckwawa@reddit
Its not, those dents are from someone's using it as a jacking point..
njgzhkbifuckvkgob@reddit
i feel like you're wrong
smthngeneric@reddit
It is not i can almost guarantee it. I've seen cars with these smashed damn near flat drive perfectly straight.
who_even_cares35@reddit
Probably easier just to smash the other frame rail couple of times
SuprKidd@reddit
How about you use the time and effort you would have spent banging on a frame rail studying why everyone is telling you it's a waste of time? Car isn't driving straight? How about you study auto mechanics and figure out why that may be instead of looking at a random irrelevant dent and deciding it's the problem?
Have you looked at any of the suspension components? Alignment? Wheel balance?
Maddogoffaleash@reddit (OP)
Well I currently am studying auto mechanics, banging on the frame rail may be a waste of time however I ask how do I properly do it, now should I or should I not do it
SuprKidd@reddit
You should not do it because it's a waste of effort for no gain. If anything, you'll make things worse by trying to fix it.
CuatesDeSinaloa@reddit
Weld on angle iron, pry down
bgb111@reddit
Not the frame or subframe, that’s the body, this car looks unibody.
Maddogoffaleash@reddit (OP)
How do I pull the dents out the body then
1mursenary@reddit
Harbor Freight sells a stud welder that comes with a slide hammer to attach to the studs and pull out the dents
Maddogoffaleash@reddit (OP)
Thank you so much man or woman have a blessed day!!!! Finally I get a real solution!
grease_monkey@reddit
Do not listen to this person. This is a waste of time and money for you.
Maddogoffaleash@reddit (OP)
How would you say it is, this is the only person that offered a solution that I am now looking into
grease_monkey@reddit
If you were to ask "how should I safely jump off a building?" And people were to say "if you're asking on Reddit for answers on how to safely DIY BASE jump you should not do that" but ONE stranger says "you should try an umbrella". Then everyone says "umbrella guy is wrong, please don't do that" and you say "everyone here is saying I'm wrong and when one single stranger gives me a solution, you all say it's wrong. Why are you all so mean?? 😭" You don't see the disconnect?
Have fun with your stud puller man
Maddogoffaleash@reddit (OP)
No I don’t see the disconnect. If a person asks how to diy BASE jump instead of trying to convince him not to do it when he’s already made his mind up either don’t comment and move on to another post or offer helpful advice
WaterPanda007@reddit
Not gonna help
Maddogoffaleash@reddit (OP)
Why not
WaterPanda007@reddit
Just because it’s the only solution that works for you doesn’t mean it will work period. That’s for body work not unibody frame rail stuff. Get a big ass slide hammer and get it on a lift if that’s how you plan on getting it done. My advice is don’t worry about it yet. My Miata has them, and I eventually would like to add bracing under there so when I have access to a lift I’ll straighten them up a bit. Like me, yoy should put your energy elsewhere for now, I checked your post history. your gonna rattle can the whole car? That’s a lot of work to do properly. I’m saving until I can get a nice compressor setup and outdoor tent, I might straighten the body work and epoxy prime it and wrap it.
killanilla22@reddit
You should be more worried about making your car drive straight.
Gtbsgtmajor@reddit
That stud welder is meant for dings and dents on body panels. If OP buys that and try’s it then he’s just going to be left with lots of burn marks on the rails. Especially with a 2lb slide hammer that won’t do crap. And that’s if he can get the car high enough to get a slide hammer under there and enough momentum to pull a stud off.
But go ahead and try OP let us know how it turns out. Maybe you will pioneer this method.
Jackislawless@reddit
Try to find someone with a frame stretcher. Ask at local body shops if it’s just the one spot I managed to have a truck fall off a jack once and bend a rail slightly. I used a comically large pipe wrench to straighten it back out.
Maddogoffaleash@reddit (OP)
It’s multiple spots along both Frame rails
the_one-and_only-nan@reddit
Did you rear end someone at 50mph?
Witcher_Of_Cainhurst@reddit
The rails don’t look bent, but dented. Like if someone tried using a jack or forklift and dented a spot in.
Maddogoffaleash@reddit (OP)
Yes they are dented in. How do I pull them out
Threedawg@reddit
For the last time. You cant.
If you try, you will weaken it.
Maddogoffaleash@reddit (OP)
It’s impossible to pull it out is what you’re saying? I was already told to try a spot/stud welder and a slide hammer
Threedawg@reddit
Its not going to pull it out. And every time you bend the metal back you weaken it.
Maddogoffaleash@reddit (OP)
This seems confusing you just said it’s not going to pull out, then you just said everytime the metal gets bent back it gets weakened. I was going to reinforce the repair with subframe connectors once I or someone I pay works out the dent
Threedawg@reddit
Its not going to pull out to your satisfaction and the effort it will take to pull it out will ruin the metal further.
Seriously, leave it alone.
Maddogoffaleash@reddit (OP)
Can I just cut out that section of the frame rail and weld in new sheet metal there then. If the first car you ever worked hard for and bought yourself I’m sure you’d be going crazy to fix everything on it too
thiccancer@reddit
This is the mentality that WILL make you bankrupt yourself on a shitbox that is NOT worth it in the slightest.
Focus on the things that actually matter. Don't rush to fix expensive non-issues when you could ACTUALLY take care of your car by finding and fixing the real problems.
Maddogoffaleash@reddit (OP)
It’s worth it to me because it’s MY car I do plan to fix everything else but it’s hard to ignore a dented frame rail
Threedawg@reddit
That will make it worse.
You will never get an object that moves at 70 mph to look perfect. And you will only waste money doing so.
New cars look like this after a few years.
evileagle@reddit
You mean how every project car I've ever bought looked? Those frame rails sure seem like good jack points to people who don't know any better.
Different-Emphasis30@reddit
I mean they are great jack points to be fair. Dents mean nothing
the_one-and_only-nan@reddit
Yeah I agree the damage doesn't look worthwhile, but OP said the car also doesn't drive straight and that's why they wanna straighten out the dents. I was more or less making a joke haha
Global-Part1991@reddit
Op is trying to fix an aesthetic problem that doesn't contribute to the active problem he currently has. Op please stay away from cars, ignorance is definitely bliss If your having steering issues check your steering and suspension components or better yet, take it to a mechanic
Maddogoffaleash@reddit (OP)
Don’t have money for a mechanic. I mess with cars because it’s the only thing that’s interesting for me in my life unless you would like to pay for me to find a new hobby
grease_monkey@reddit
Mess with something that matters. Switch your interest to suspension, not body work.
Maddogoffaleash@reddit (OP)
Why should I have to make suspension my main focus when I rather learn how to do body work because that interests me more?
grease_monkey@reddit
Because even if you nail it you will have one less cosmetic dent in your car and still have a massive alignment issue. If you truly want to learn, you should start with listening.
Maddogoffaleash@reddit (OP)
How can you guarantee that this is only a cosmetic dent in the frame rail of the car? The op is how to pull dents out the frame rail of a car, not how to replace suspension components
Global-Part1991@reddit
I mess with my own car too cause mechanics charge out the ass for anything Google is always free, YouTube Is your friend for guidance but also physically inspecting the front suspension components with the tires off will tell you if anything is wrong
Maddogoffaleash@reddit (OP)
I don’t know how to check for suspension stuff. I just know that the car is likely shifted over since the radiator core support is busted
BurntToast90@reddit
Based on your replies, this is a job for a mechanic shop and not a diy for you
Maddogoffaleash@reddit (OP)
How do i learn to atleast try to do a diy repair
BurntToast90@reddit
You gotta understand like the situation of what’s goin on between subframes, crossmembers, unibody, and what affects alignment vs other stuff. If you can’t identify anything you’llneed a shop
Maddogoffaleash@reddit (OP)
I don’t mind learning the basics for a unibody car
Dusty_Jangles@reddit
That’s not a problem. Get a wheel alignment. If it was a drift car your front end components are probably worn and your toe and camber will be fucked.
A broken rad mount can happen from frame flex or vibration. Probably nothing to do with the minor dent.
Computationalerrors@reddit
Sometimes i come here and see what people are trying to do and it makes me feel better about busting my knuckles lmao
immortalsteve@reddit
Based on your replies, and if it was me, I would be looking for a new chassis to swap everything over to depending on how you're using the car.
Maddogoffaleash@reddit (OP)
I don’t have money to buy a chassis and I don’t know how to swap anything
immortalsteve@reddit
This will probably take a couple grand or more to make drive straight again, but I haven't seen the full damage either.
Maddogoffaleash@reddit (OP)
Radiator stand is busted in probably from being used as a drift car before I bought it and the steering tilts to the right causing the car to drag to the right
immortalsteve@reddit
yyyyyyyyyeah, a wrecked drift car is gonna need a lot of work to unfuck
Chrisdkn619@reddit
You don't need the dent pulled, you need the frame straightened.
4R4nd0mR3dd1t0r@reddit
Sn95 mustang I assume, those are not causing your alignment issues. If it is a sn95 they make full length subframe connectors that will attach to that location if you want to stiffen up the car though. There are bolt in ones and weld in ones basically you can pick your preference and then you won't see it and you will know the chassis is stiffer.
Maddogoffaleash@reddit (OP)
If I wanted to buy subframe connectors I would want to fix the dent first before they are installed. I cannot be comfortable knowing that I tried to covering something up instead of fixing it
Fcckwawa@reddit
It's mostly cosmetic, but when I do subframe its thru the floor so I beat the dents out with a block of wood before dropping the connectors into the rail channel. A stud gun and a slide hammer will do the same from the bottom or even an old school screw in slide hammer if your installing that style sub frame connectors
Maddogoffaleash@reddit (OP)
So I can fix it by pulling the carpet and a block of wood, can you further explain?
Fcckwawa@reddit
No, with thru the floor connectors you cut out the top part of the floor pan above the rail, exposing the inside of that part of the stamping. you can then beat the dents out and drop frame connectors in side the factory one and weld it all up, the other style connectors weld to the out side on the bottom of the factory rail, but you can use a stud gun/ slide hammer to pull the dents out. There's multiple ways to remove the dents but none are really cheap if you don't habe the tools..
killanilla22@reddit
No your just going to dent the floor. The part of the frame you want to unbend is attached to the body which means you don't get access from above to remove the dent.
Maddogoffaleash@reddit (OP)
So is there a way to do it from below then I need a real solution
4R4nd0mR3dd1t0r@reddit
You do you I understand wanting to do it right, the subframe connectors would show you if it's just cosmetic or not. Without actually measuring I can't say if it is just cosmetic but if it's the car I think it is I have seen a lot of them with the same dents and the cars were still straight.
To fix it, you could try to pull it back out but you are probably going to have to chain it down and possibly drill holes to get it close and work the metal from there. Then since the metal has already been fatigued you are going to have to reinforce the area to be the same as it was factory. It won't be an easy job to do if you don't have the tools to do it.
green91791@reddit
If you genuinely believe this is part of the problem, that would mean the entire car is tweaked. At that piont you need to bring it to a body shop that can straighten frames.
But in reality it's probably just needs the front end checked and an alignment.
Maddogoffaleash@reddit (OP)
My car was probably used as a drift car before it got sold to me because I found out that my radiator stand in mount is dented in
phungki@reddit
There’s probably two ways of pulling these dents out. One is cutting it out and welding in new metal. Option two is welding tabs along the dent and using a slide hammer to pull it out, then grind smooth.
Saying that, these dents aren’t causing your steering issue. Tire pressures and a proper alignment will be your next moves to verify what is causing your car pulling.
Mfw_Pigeon@reddit
That ain't the subframe, that is the frame. Get an alignment, if the car doesn't come out straight, harvest the good stuff and scrap the chasis chief
Wonderful_Magazine50@reddit
Black spray paint