why is my bed offset???

the back end of my truck is crooked...lol. heres the breakdown of it, when i measured the left side from the bumper to the ground, it read 27 inches. when i measured the right side of the bumper to the ground, it read out 30 inches. i really dont understand it. over a month ago, a woman pulled out in front of me and i t-boned her, it caused the back end of the truck to lift up off the ground and relocate in another spot from where the impact was so hard. my truck has been fixed for quite sometime now, but is now crooked. i checked my spring hanger on the left side and they are not broken. i also checked the distance between the front of the rear tires to the front of the fender well. the left side is setting a little bit closer to the front of the fender well than the right one. the only explanation i can think of is that either its done something to my frame, or my axles...but if my whole rear axle shifted, wouldnt that put a lot of stress on the yolk in the rear end, the driveline, and maybe even up to the tranny? i wouldnt think that would be it, i have a lot of ?'s running through my head, can anyone help?

 

Toyota's do lean...but they certainly don't lean 3".
Do you have any pictures?

Try this.....

Make yourself a home-built plumb bob..... When my jeep was rear-ended, I had to check the frame. I used two strong magnets (like speaker magnets) and tied a string to each one (12" or so). I then took a couple fishing weights (triangular ones) and tied them to the other end of the string.

Make sure the truck is on a level surface.
Place the magnet on the frame in the front and let the weight dangle to the floor. Do the same at the OPPOSITE side of the truck (front drivers side to rear passenger side). Use a tape measure and measure the distance between the points. Then - do the same with the opposite corners - making sure the magnets are in the exact same locations. Compare the two measurements - they should be very close. If not - the frame could be 'tweaked'.

When you get a hit hard in the corner like that, it can tweak the frame. So atleast you can check to see if it's off or not. You can also contact your insurance company and request they have the frame checked professionally by a frame shop. The frame shops can also 'straighten' them when they are off a little bit.

Other than that - Look at your shackle & hangers again. Look at the ANGLE the shackes are hanging. Are both shackles leaning the same? or are they at different angles?

 

maybe when the truck was repaired, they got one of the shims under the bed too far up or something. take a look under there and see if the bed mounts all look the same.

 

or...bent leaf springs....

 

It could be as simple as a weak shock but more than likely the bed is tweaked. If its the frame, well then you should notice some tire ware issues. 3" is a lot however I have a 97 and she has a slight lean, gives her character!

 

well, i do know that the last thing that was done to my truck was that i got my frame aligned. i just dont think its in the frame, i believe its in the suspension somehow. and if this helps, the left front side of my truck is what took the biggest impact. thats why for some reason that my left side is hanging down b/c the left side took the hardest impact. it was tough though to say the least. didnt break my windshield, didnt damage the radiator, tore the front bumper all to pieces though and my left headlight and marker lights, but other than that, when they asked if my truck was capable of moving, i back it in reverse without leaking any kind of fluids . i was happy about that to say the least, but back to the point, ill def. try to get some pics up sometime to show exactly what i am talking about and try to take a few pics of the suspension and the rear end.

 

I pulled out in front of a Jetta about eight years ago and sounds like mine took about the same amount of damage. I am sure the bed on that old truck is off a little bit but I would start by crawling around it with a tape and seeing what does not measure the same on both sides. Make sure the amount from the rear window and the bed are the same, then check from the frame to the center of the spring. Like everyone has said. It will be a spring or a shock. something simple.

 

yes the frame could have a slight twist which could cause your problem. It can not be a shim problem as the bumper is mounted to the frame and not the bed. Some shops have a computerized frame machine, if the one that repaired your truck has one then they need to give you a copy of the before and after of the frame measurements. It could be a slightly damaged front strut as a 1/2 inch difference in the front of the vehicle could result in 2-3 inch diff in the rear because of distance. Without seeing photos or a copy of the estimate to see how severe the damages were it would be hard for us to help pinpoint the problem. My suggestion is first make sure that that the tires are all at the same air pressure, then check the distance from the center of the front wheels up to the top of the wheel well. Also look to see if the bed shifted and impacted the back of the cab, this would be noticable on the outer edges at the cab corners there will me a mark from the bed hitting. you also may want to ask the shop to give you a copy of the alignment specs. They should have done an alignment and if it is in specks then you know your axles are in the correct place