What year frame can I use?

[Andrewb83]

Hey guys looks like my frame is a bit off so I'm just wondering what year frames I can use to mount a 72 cab and bed. I think this might be a cheaper option rather than trying to get the frame straightened
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[hugger6933]

68-72. 67 would work to some degree but it has a dimple missing where all other years have one for the power steering box to fit on the frame. That can be fixed by a little heat and a hammer to shape the area. Unless you are gonna do a frame off resteration on this truck or it has severe frame damage, I would consider consulting a auto body shop for an estimate of the frame damage, just to see how much it would cost to pull it back in place. Jim

[Andrewb83]

Thanks for the advice, I'm def. gonna to check w an auto body shop, although it is a frame off resto, finding a swb frame in Ontario might not be easy.
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[hugger6933]

Ok, Andrew, where is it off? and by how much have you done any measuring? Does your tape have inches on it or is it metric? Sorry for that silly question I am not up on that out of my country stuff?What do the gaps look like ? Lets try to type you out of or into a solution here. But, I don't have any frame chains near long enough to tie down your truck from there to here. Jim

[Andrewb83]

A hugger I'm not sure what's going on . According to the horizontal measurements in the shop manual my truck is way off but clearly I'm not reading it properly. For example the measurement of P" (the front part of frame should be 14" but mine is like 18". The frame itself seems straight it more the cross supports I guess that seem twisted. Would pics help.
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[hugger6933]

Yes, Pics would def help and since I can't dig out my book and my frame book is different than that the letter designations don't help me much, but if we can take some tape readings from some common points we will be fine.Cross readings from one point one a point on one side to an opposite point on the other side the flip the tape and do it again that is where the "X" comes from. That method the readings should be the same on both sides if not, your gonna be off. If your "X" reading is say off one inch from one side to the other,the amount you need to move to bring it back into alginment is ,are you ready for a pop quiz? 1/2 inch. Also another helpful reading to measure is the wheelbase. With the wheels stright forward, measure from the center of the hub to the center of the axle on each side to get the reading.get some of those done record those and some pics and show me the damage if you can and then show me the points you measured from and the reading that you recorded and we can type about it later after I go shoot some golfs in the morning. Jim

[cdowns]

i'd think you'll find about any 40year old used frame "is a bit off"

[hugger6933]

Normally I would agree with that statement and I agree with you[C DOWNS] on 90 to 98% of the things that you have to say on here but he is saying he has a measurement that is showing 4 inches difference from the shop book. That is one reason I was trying to tell him that the book was not as needed as everyone thinks for this part of the operation[just the checking and estimating part[it can be done just by some common sense tape use [measuring not masking lol] and some time doing a visual inpecstion and just looking and checking everything over. I remember when I was in Nashville Auto Diesel College back long time ago that was the big thing they beat into our heads look everything over before you do anything it could save you a lot of trouble later. I don't know how many times that has proven true in the years like finding cracked lines and stuff like that that would have and could have shown up on scans or on other tests but they didn't have to be run. Jim

[Andrewb83]

Thanks hugger and cdowns. Hugger it rained here al day so I wasn't able to get any pics or measure tomorrow morning tho ill get right on it. I hope your right though because the frame seems like it pretty solid, but as a DIY guy I don't want my say to be the final one; and I know this is the bestbplace to get a 2nd opinion
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[hugger6933]

I wouldn't mind if you exported some of that rain down here to me. I live in a farming town and we have had only one rain in 75 days on most of the crops. it has been scattered and where we live it is strange because we live where a end of a hill range and a river delta meet and that causes the weather to split at the edge of our county. But back to your problem yes when you can I will be happy to try my best to help you out and see if we can come up with some answers for you. Jim

[Andrewb83]

Ok so after measuring today I'm not sure what I measured earlier, but the frame actually seems pretty straight on except for one spot "r" in the diagrams should be 19" and mine is 17. Could that be a problem? Here are pics of the frame tho it'll be nice to have a 2nd opinion. The spot I'm off is at the left cross support above the exhaust. Sorry fir the one pic but can't get more up. At once

Thanks again
andrew
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[hugger6933]

Andrew that could be as simple as a bushing in one of the leaf springs being worn out causing a dip in the frame on the front corner there. It could also have jumped a ditch and had a not so graceful landing and bent ever so slightly in the center and that will cause the cab to bed gap to be off, as well as the back of the bed not to sit properly. The problem should be checked by going over the most likely stuff first, the ware items such as the rubber parts and then double check the measurements by making sure the tires are the same size and the pressures are equal. The difference could be small enough to take up with shims but if not tie downs in a shop floor and a simple jack can do it in a matter of just a few min. So I would not worry any more in the least about that frame or let it slow you down on your project just know at some point you may have to adjust a little time on that project for a little frame adjusting, the key words here LITTLE frame adjusting. Think of it more like setting the timing after having the dist. out or setting the carb after changing the camshaft or adjusting hood after putting on a new one . It is some thing that will need to be done after all of the work that has gone on around it. Jim