Need new entire frame for 2001 Ford Ranger extended or doublecab XLT v8 swapped What are my options?

[Rick W]

...and that would be the reason I said the spell to summon the resident Rust-Oleum expert. FWIW the Farm & Implement come in non-spray version. I'd be most likely be painting with that, and using the spray can for later touch-ups.

Also I completely agree with @don1331's post. The damage in the video you posted is aft of the axle. All of that is in the aft frame section.

You do seem to be adverse to doing this work yourself. If this shop you're talking to won't do rear frame section only, shop around for another that will. You'd be better off doing it yourself if you can.

@pentode this guy is stressed because he doesn't know enough himself, and he's getting too many different responses from too many sources. I'm guilty of being one of those myself. I think I was the one that initially brought up the possibility of frame damage on his truck, and it has kind of spiraled from there. Some of those sources seem better than others, and from his position it would be kind of hard to determine which are which. Also, if I were going to do fluid film, it wouldn;t be done until after the repairs are complete, and I think I'd probably still do frame paint before the frame went in (assuming we're still on full frame replacement).

Let me throw out another thought. My son used to say I couldn’t use a vending machine when he was a teenager. The third time he said it, I bit. He said “dad you’re so cheap when you hold onto that nickel you bend it, and it won’t fall down the slot.” Of course, he said this while he was driving my old Mercedes in college that I paid for.

I’m cheap, but I’m not stupid. It’s all about value, slopping on the thin rust oleum and sloping it in the joints flat just works. I don’t know who said it could ship, or that you could touch it up with spray. When I’ve done the two or three layers as described, it really doesn’t chip, if it chips it’s only on the surface and not down to where the rust starts, and if you slop a little more rust oleum on it, it bonds and lasts.

Lesson over. My 2cents, I hope it helps.

 

[pjtoledo]

@SlugStang8997

you said the frame was "diamond" or diamonded

does that mean it is just buckled up in the center?

or hit on the right rear which pushed the right side ahead of the left side?

or both.

or did the frame rails bow out away from each other?

the video only showed the rear, what does the front look like?

 

[SlugStang8997]

@SlugStang8997

you said the frame was "diamond" or diamonded

does that mean it is just buckled up in the center?

or hit on the right rear which pushed the right side ahead of the left side?

or both.

or did the frame rails bow out away from each other?

the video only showed the rear, what does the front look like?

Thanks for your reply
I was told that it was diamond bent so the front was sitting lower then the back so i would say buckled in the center from what i imagine I wasn't shown photos of that part. I could call and get more information. They said it was badly bent. She took her hand and put the other hand beneath it and said your frame is like this so the front sits lower then the back from what i understood. The bigger concern was the rear welds of the cracks or whatever they did. Structural integrity is an issue. If they were to unbend it it would be weak even with some kind of reinforcement.

I asked if they would be willing to unbend it and they said no. It would not be safe if they did that. So i offered green money to do it and they wouldn't do it. Its a liability issue.
I asked if they would do the back of the frame and they said no, same thing liability issue.

So if i were to try to unbend the front and replace the back i would have to go somewhere else. There isn't that many shops near me that deal with frame damage. And i don't know if another shop would do a rear frame swap either. I will do some calling around.

What are Fords Standards for frame repair? How bent is 2 bent? When do you replace vs fix? This shop made a judgment call on my frame based on manufacturer standards. I was wondering what those are.

Getting in spirit of basically taking apart and rebuilding my truck. I was thinkin of having my motor or engine partially rebuilt since there going to take the engine out and im going to pay for that labor. Since im saving my money to get this done for a few months anyway. Might as well save some more and get a like new truck... when its all done.

 

[NakedDucks]

I have an ext cab frame from an 03 you can have. No rust and no bends.

But it’s up to you to figure out how to get it to you.

 

[franklin2]

Thanks for your reply
I was told that it was diamond bent so the front was sitting lower then the back so i would say buckled in the center from what i imagine I wasn't shown photos of that part. I could call and get more information. They said it was badly bent. She took her hand and put the other hand beneath it and said your frame is like this so the front sits lower then the back from what i understood. The bigger concern was the rear welds of the cracks or whatever they did. Structural integrity is an issue. If they were to unbend it it would be weak even with some kind of reinforcement.

I asked if they would be willing to unbend it and they said no. It would not be safe if they did that. So i offered green money to do it and they wouldn't do it. Its a liability issue.
I asked if they would do the back of the frame and they said no, same thing liability issue.

So if i were to try to unbend the front and replace the back i would have to go somewhere else. There isn't that many shops near me that deal with frame damage. And i don't know if another shop would do a rear frame swap either. I will do some calling around.

What are Fords Standards for frame repair? How bent is 2 bent? When do you replace vs fix? This shop made a judgment call on my frame based on manufacturer standards. I was wondering what those are.

Getting in spirit of basically taking apart and rebuilding my truck. I was thinkin of having my motor or engine partially rebuilt since there going to take the engine out and im going to pay for that labor. Since im saving my money to get this done for a few months anyway. Might as well save some more and get a like new truck... when its all done.

A frame can be tweaked a little bit from a accident, and still be ok if the truck can be aligned at the frontend shop. If it's bent too badly they will not have enough adjustment to get the alignment done.

What started this whole thing? You said in your first post you "learned" the frame had a problem.

 

[SlugStang8997]

I have an ext cab frame from an 03 you can have. No rust and no bends.

But it’s up to you to figure out how to get it to you.

Thanks for your reply
You would just give it to me Wow thank you. I live in Southern CA, I have to figure out how to store it first. I can't keep it around my property without permission. I would pay to ship it here i guess. Then store it somewhere.

 

[NakedDucks]

Like I said, if you can get it to you…

or

$250 for the whole truck. I know a guy who owns a wrecker service…

 

[bobbywalter]

The Previous Owner offered to fix the truck for free but i don't know if he could fix the truck. Frame replacement i think is a big job for a single person to do. Maybe a half frame replacement then unbend the front. But there is also rust damage. I don't doubt there ability to fix things but i just think its too much of a job for one person working alone unless they have help. They did swap the motor rear end and transmission so maybe i will consider it for awhile but most likely im just going to pay a shop to just do it because then i get a warranty of some kind

these trucks....even the more complex units of your vintage are very very very simple machines and that is why i like them so much.


while i would wager 3 very easy labor days with the "EXPECTED" unexpected issues due to the v8 swap...


frame replacement on a ford ranger is a one day job if that has typical California patina.

the hard part is swapping over brake lines and bleeding the brakes..

its like legos.

dumb and easy. gotta love it.


once you find a u pull yard with a qualified donor....that is day 1. from there you may choose to blast and inspect and paint ect....so that could be weeks....but would probably turn out beautiful.

but labor wise this is ridiculously easy for any mildly determined monkey.

 

[SlugStang8997]

these trucks....even the more complex units of your vintage are very very very simple machines and that is why i like them so much.


while i would wager 3 very easy labor days with the "EXPECTED" unexpected issues due to the v8 swap...


frame replacement on a ford ranger is a one day job if that has typical California patina.

the hard part is swapping over brake lines and bleeding the brakes..

its like legos.

dumb and easy. gotta love it.


once you find a u pull yard with a qualified donor....that is day 1. from there you may choose to blast and inspect and paint ect....so that could be weeks....but would probably turn out beautiful.

but labor wise this is ridiculously easy for any mildly determined monkey.

Thanks for your reply
Google says its a labor intensive job that requires more then 1 person and that it could be dangerous for a single person to do it alone for whatever reason. But google is usually full of it...Idk im not a mechanic so i really can't speak on it

 

[SlugStang8997]

Like I said, if you can get it to you…

or

$250 for the whole truck. I know a guy who owns a wrecker service…

Thats a great deal 2 a whole truck for 250$ Let me think it over. Thank you very much for your help

 

[bobbywalter]

Thanks for your reply
Google says its a labor intensive job that requires more then 1 person and that it could be dangerous for a single person to do it alone for whatever reason. But google is usually full of it...Idk im not a mechanic so i really can't speak on it

it is relative for sure. and i would suggest to find a competent shade tree mechanic at least to help you. preferably one that has done extensive body work or works on modern trucks....because cab removal to work on just about anything short of checking the oil with trucks that have a v8 diesel or those stupid ass 12 foot wide 8 mile long timing chain cammer fords, is standard operating procedure.

there are all sorts of talented people out there that build rangers that fly across the desert that can assist cost effectively.


it is dangerous even with 3 people as anything can fail. anytime your handling anything bulky and heavy like the cab or the powertrain..






start with draining the cooling system and evacing the ac. pull the battery ect....

pull the bed....that is usually 6 to 10 bolts....and some miscellaneous electrical connectors and fuel tank hose.

for the cab....
generally i just use my cherry picker. i pull the doors and seats and make a sling with 4 pieces of chain which i run to the body mounts.

those go one at a time. just pull the bolts and then jack it up on one side drop half inch bolts with flat washers through the sections of 3/8 chain....then washer and nut them up a bit from under, set it down back on the mounts and then do the other side.



i make the front core removable on v8 swaps as it makes installation maintenance a breeze. this may not be the case for your situation....so pulling the core support mounts may be necessary as well.

disconnect all of the firewall to engine connections... likely you have abs so all of those going to the frame will have to go loose and capped and in that case maybe leave the master hooked up if the abs module is connected to the inner fender. disconnect the steering shaft. disconnect the transmission shifter

all body to frame grounds

lift up body and roll chassis away.


set body on cribbing.... use cherry picker and jackstand to swap out the axles and powertrain....transfer all of the fuel system and brake lines ect...

considering pulling the body is sop for most anything on a modern ford....this is nothing.

of course handling all of the little plastic clip frame mounts for the wiring..brake lines ect..not knowing all of the tricks for those pesky critters, will whoop the uninitiated's arse for sure and be frustrating....and inventive of new cuss words....

but its just labor. and not overly difficult. and zip ties go a long ways towards resecurement.

if you seen what we deal with in the rust belt...then you would understand why frame swapping would rather have a guy hang himself....because you need to know wtf you are doing out here..... stuff from there that is 40 years old may have well have just rolled off of the assembly line by comparison.

 

[SlugStang8997]

it is relative for sure. and i would suggest to find a competent shade tree mechanic at least to help you. preferably one that has done extensive body work or works on modern trucks....because cab removal to work on just about anything short of checking the oil with trucks that have a v8 diesel or those stupid ass 12 foot wide 8 mile long timing chain cammer fords, is standard operating procedure.

there are all sorts of talented people out there that build rangers that fly across the desert that can assist cost effectively.


it is dangerous even with 3 people as anything can fail. anytime your handling anything bulky and heavy like the cab or the powertrain..






start with draining the cooling system and evacing the ac. pull the battery ect....

pull the bed....that is usually 6 to 10 bolts....and some miscellaneous electrical connectors and fuel tank hose.

for the cab....
generally i just use my cherry picker. i pull the doors and seats and make a sling with 4 pieces of chain which i run to the body mounts.

those go one at a time. just pull the bolts and then jack it up on one side drop half inch bolts with flat washers through the sections of 3/8 chain....then washer and nut them up a bit from under, set it down back on the mounts and then do the other side.



i make the front core removable on v8 swaps as it makes installation maintenance a breeze. this may not be the case for your situation....so pulling the core support mounts may be necessary as well.

disconnect all of the firewall to engine connections... likely you have abs so all of those going to the frame will have to go loose and capped and in that case maybe leave the master hooked up if the abs module is connected to the inner fender. disconnect the steering shaft. disconnect the transmission shifter

all body to frame grounds

lift up body and roll chassis away.


set body on cribbing.... use cherry picker and jackstand to swap out the axles and powertrain....transfer all of the fuel system and brake lines ect...

considering pulling the body is sop for most anything on a modern ford....this is nothing.

of course handling all of the little plastic clip frame mounts for the wiring..brake lines ect..not knowing all of the tricks for those pesky critters, will whoop the uninitiated's arse for sure and be frustrating....and inventive of new cuss words....

but its just labor. and not overly difficult. and zip ties go a long ways towards resecurement.

if you seen what we deal with in the rust belt...then you would understand why frame swapping would rather have a guy hang himself....because you need to know wtf you are doing out here..... stuff from there that is 40 years old may have well have just rolled off of the assembly line by comparison.

Thanks for your reply
I don't believe in kicking a man when he is down.

The man who i purchased the truck from for 6500$ is a talented Mechanic, because my Mechanic said that the v8 swap was the best that he had ever seen done. He is a 35 year Mechanic who left his last job because the person he was working for was ripping people off so he decided to leave. So He is currently not working.

He sold me the truck with frame damage but i don't think he knew the truck had frame damage. The owner before him had caused the frame damage and didn't tell him. So he may or may not have known there was frame damage. Anyway i forgive him either way

I asked for my money back and i wanted to give the truck back along with the 5000 $ i put into it, I was going to just take it as a loss, but He had already spent the money on bills cause hes not working. He offered to fix the truck for free but i don't think he should be spending his time fixing my truck. I think he should be just taking care of himself you know. I like the guy i think hes cool. So that is the real reason i wouldn't want to burden the man to fix the truck.

Plus i am not sure if he can even fix the truck on his own. I don't know if he would have any help to do it. As you were saying it could be dangerous and they could get hurt doing it on there own.

 

[bobbywalter]

i see.
the truck is drivable and stable in the rain i would just get a chassis in order and on stands ready to go...

then i would consider letting him assist at least.... a 35 year mechanic will have no issues doing this alone if he has his tools and a pad to work on..

put another way. this is standard maintenance for me. its just part of living in the rust belt. and i do this alone.

tearing it down to the frame rails every so often and hacking out rusted crap and boogering new crap in is just what we do in the rust belt.. we can only dream of the nice iron out there.


you cant put over a million miles on stuff unless you do that.

 

[don4331]

A frame can be tweaked a little bit from a accident, and still be ok if the truck can be aligned at the frontend shop. If it's bent too badly they will not have enough adjustment to get the alignment done.

What started this whole thing? You said in your first post you "learned" the frame had a problem.

The whole thing started because the cab to box "gap" wasn't even and the body lines didn't line up on the passenger's side. So, the OP came to the forum looking for guidance.

@SlugStang8997 : If your mechanics is 10% of what you're giving him credit for, he absolutely knew about the damage (My dad would have said something to the effect of brains god gave mice ). Under those circumstance/given he isn't working, I'd have no qualms about asking him to help. 90% of the labour is just time consuming, not dangerous for a single individual; you can provide him the extra set of hands/eyes/muscle for the remaining 10% (I did it with my tweens, you and your mechanic should be equal).

Not sure you can ship @NakedDucks frame from 'Bama to Cali' for less than your mechanic could get a frame locally.

@bobbywalter : I find some of your procedures slightly different.

I unbolted the entire HVAC and removed in 1 piece using couple friends and some suggestive language - no evac/recharge.​

I lift cab with hydraulic jack/4x4/cinder blocks from underneath (and I leave the doors on to ensure cab stability). OK, now I use my buddy's lift, but the previous times.​

 

[pjtoledo]

it's not all that hard to remove the bed, then the rear axle, then the rear section of the frame using an engine hoist, a couple jack stands,
and some wood for cribbing plus a bed lifting frame.
it's easier if 2 or more work on it but I can assure you 1 person can do it. full and creative use of levers and other simple tools is required.

any body shop can handle a rear half frame swap.
according to a "reliable source" so can a 71 year old retired guy with back issues, in the rust belt..

frames can be shipped. that auto restoration TV show in Virginia had a 70s chevy frame shipped in from Arizona a few years ago.


I'm not quite up the4 level of some guys here, but this is an example of what can be done in a driveway by 1 guy.

granted I didn't need to be careful with the old cab, but as the commercial says,,,,, imagine the possibilities