Help! - Ford Ranger Accident

[Diabolus]

I've been working on my Ranger and got it just where I wanted, and bam! I was hit my a young man yesterday in the front of my bumper. It has caused damage to frame and pushed the nose over a few inches.

I'm super upset about it and the assessor will likely total the truck. Does anyone know what it costs to purchase a new frame and get it setup on the truck?

Thank you

 

[hank857]

a good body shop should have a capability to straighten a frame or at least an association with 1. there are a couple here in tucson so there should be a bunch (not necessarily good ones) in your area. check around and see.

 

[Dirtman]

Frame shops seem to be a dying business but they still exist and can do great work cheaper than trying to swap an entire frame. Keep in mind your truck will have pretty much zero future resale value. A salvage title with frame damage is like having a truck with leprosy. If its a truck you plan to drive forever than who cares, but if you ever had plans to sell it in the future cut your losses.

If you have to do a frame swap, buying a whole junk truck with a straight frame is the best option. If your savvy you can even make money doing it by selling off the extra parts. If your not capable of doing all the work yourself however... Again cut your losses take the insurance check and run. Paying a shop to do that kinda work will cost more than just buying a new truck and starting over.

 

[adsm08]

Last dealership that I worked at that had an on-site body shop, our BS manager didn't like trying to straighten frames, even though we had a frame rack. He was always kicking stuff over to us, particularly Rangers, for frame replacement over trying to fix a bent one.

 

[Bird76Mojo]

do a body swap

In my area, I can get a chassis for $300 or less. It'll just have another truck body with a blown motor still sitting on/in it, and a crap interior. Buy a parts truck with a good chassis. You should be able to find one for less than $500 easily.

Search Facebook classifieds, Craiglist, SearchTempest... Car-part.com might direct you to a local junkyard that has a chassis for cheap. Go visit them and see if they'll work with you on the price a little. Sometimes they'll offer a small sympathy discount if it's your daily driver and you ask nicely.

Scrap or sell what's left over. Get some money back.




GB

 

[Dirtman]

Last dealership that I worked at that had an on-site body shop, our BS manager didn't like trying to straighten frames, even though we had a frame rack. He was always kicking stuff over to us, particularly Rangers, for frame replacement over trying to fix a bent one.

I've seen alot of places always try to go for a new frame, or even just replacing a rail over straightening. Im no expert on insurance BS but im pretty sure even with a perfectly straightened frame the car will always be listed as having frame damage vs a new frame will not. And that can greatly effect insurance rates, payouts on future accidents, resale and all sorts of crap that can bite you in the ass down the line.