Bent frame?

Might not be able to decipher anything from this post, but I think I have a bent/broken frame somewhere. I'm wondering if anyone can determine where I should start looking, based on my symptoms.

• No alignment shops are ever able to align my truck properly. They can never get enough caster, despite JBA high caster UCA's.
• The truck leans pretty bad despite Robinsons suspension all the way around, and a .25" spacer at the front/driver. Truck sits an inch lower on the left.
• The hood/fender seam is misaligned. The hood is about 1/4" higher than the fender on the passenger side.
• I thought my hood struts went bad, but after popping them off, I noticed there's actually some binding when raising the hood up & down.

Id like to take it to a frame shop soon, but it's expensive, and if I can find it without that, it's be awesome!!

I'll try to add some pics later.

 

Take it to a frame shop. Right ain't cheap, but it's right.

 

I hate to ask an obvious question.
But have you crawled under and looked?
Compared sides?

While you are under there, take a look at the frame by the cat on the drivers side.
Check it good for rust.

 

Zero rust. It's a FL truck. That was my first thought though.

I have gotten under it. Can't really find anything that stands out. I measured, because at first I thought the lean might have been body mounts, but it's 1" difference whether you're measuring/comparing frame, or body.

My first thought was maybe a bent leaf shackle, because when I installed my Dobinsons shackle.bolts, the end had to be cut off. But they don't appear to be bent.

 

Yes, get underneath and get some vertical measurements. At points of the frame and the body.

You may have a body mount disintegrated. Sounds like it if body panels are shifting as the suspension wouldn't involve this.

It's hard to bend a frame and not know it.

 

On a flat surface, the frame is 1" difference left to right, as well as the body, measured at multiple points.

 

This really sounds like suspension then. I imagine mine has an inch of difference. Taco Lean to the driver's side. Was opposite before changing springs. Go figure.

 

Would suspension be able to cause the hood issue?

 

Is this stock height Robinsons suspension or are you lifted?

Is the 1" difference consistent from front to back? ie. at the front of the truck the frame is 1" difference and at the rear? or does it taper out?

Did you do the suspension yourself?

Is there any chance that there was a mixup at the supplier/warehouse and maybe you accidentally were sent two different height coilovers?

 

No, back to scratch. You're positive the core support bushings are good. They screw up front fenders pretty easy. Wouldn't do anything to frame leaning though.

An inch should be visible I would think.

 

I am not. I will check those. I do have a pretty heavy X2 battery in it.

Lifted. It has the struts with the 1" higher spring seat in the front, and the 2" springs, with the 111 rear leafs. Sorry, I don't know all the part #'s off hand.

It IS consistent, front to back. It's definitely possible that there was a mixup in parts, but I don't recall it leaning initially. It's pretty drastic. I need to get pictures. Ill have some shortly.

 

I honestly don’t know a good way to figure it out.

Have you measured the distance between the upper and lower control arms. And the distance between the axle and frame rail on both sides?

That might not help.
I am just throwing things out there.

 

I'll try that. Might tell me SOMETHING. I'm open to anything at this point.

 

Peeectures.

 

I found the problem, you have too many stickers on the driver side, you need some on the passenger side to balance it out!

but in all seriousness, I'm not sure. it seems like maybe mixed up suspension parts or something. hard to tell without seeing it in person.

 

seems like if the frame was bent in such a way to cause that, it would be pretty noticeable as the crossmembers would be all out of whack, but I'm having a hard time imagining how a bent frame would produce that outcome

 

Let's see pictures your suspension, front and rear.

 

Judt looks like spring sag to me. AKA "The Taco Lean", the springs are set a bit diff. to compensate for the gas tank.

I do not understand why Tacomas are so succeptable to springs but it's common. Had cars do it all my life too. Chevelle's and Cutlass's come to mind although body bushings were a problem with them also.

 

How's the bed to cab gap?

 

Well, everything just seems....twisted. The hood part doesn't seem like it could be a suspension issue.

Will do, tomorrow. Anything specifically?

Anytime I've asked about it, I'm told that's way too much for just taco lean. Especially with the spacer in there.

Will check tomorrow