To fix frame or not

Hokay, so here we go. Yea yea yea, bent the frame. I bought it with a tweaked bed. NBD. Took it to Pismo and enjoyed myself....and the truck. Took it in for an alignment and they said the left side tie rod is maxed out and if I bend the frame more, they won't be able to get it aligned any more.

1. Do I straighten the frame?
2. I'm going to reinforce it. Plate or boxed?
3. Should I just plate or box it without straightening it?

And before y'all get on your high horses about jumping trucks, no, I didn't huck it. I just drove it like I stole it like I do with all my trucks. My old Jeeps didn't bend this easy.

 

Take it to a frame shop and have them measure it and pull it. If it's only off enough that they almost can't align it, it's surely fixable. Who knows. maybe it's not even the frame, maybe the cheap stamped A arms are tweaked?? I replaced a frame on a car once and the replacement frame was out by 1/2" from the donor car and who knows, maybe even the factory.

As far as reinforcing it, that's hard to say and based on where its bent. Sounds to me like you exceeded the normal intended use of the truck and maybe you need a purpose built vehicle to play with. If you have the need to reinforce the frame, you'll probably bend it somewhere else next time.

 

I should mention the truck:
Camburg upper arms and spindle mid-travel front with Icon coilovers
Deaver J66 leaf packs in rear with Fox piggybacks

So I don't think the suspension components are bent.

 

Fix the frame, box it in, go try to bend it again...

Howard