I am trying to use a K frame from a car that was in a front end accident. Unfortunately, the accient bent the front right leg of the "K" frame up and in a smidge, so now the bolt holes on the right side of the K frame do not line up to the bolt holes in the frame and the bend in the front leg makes the rear right side hole not even touch the frame rail.

I am fairly certain that the bend in the K frame is only a minor bend in the front right leg and that if the leg were straightened all would fit perfectly. I am in contact with Firm Feel to see if they can straighten the K frame, but I haven't gotten a final answer from them.

If Firm Feel won't do it, any suggestions for how to straighten the leg out myself? Chain it to a truck and use a come-along to pull it out? Try and fit it in my 5 ton press? Drive truck over it? Slide it under a car and put a jack on it and jack the car up?

I am open to suggestions and criticisms. Thanks!

Hmmmmm. I have the beginnings of either a brilliant or a stupid idea. Can a propane torch heat the stamped steel of a K frame enough to make the metal bend? Or would I have to finally break down and get an oxy-acetalene setup?

Propane and MAPP gas are fine for brazing soft material, you need more heat to get the steel to soften up and become maleable... that's where the Oxy Acet comes in...

Dang, that's what I thought. OK, back to the drawing board.

Why not try to source another K Frame?

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65 Dart station wagon slant 6 - now under construction
47 Dodge Custom 4 Door sedan
87 D100 Short Bed slant 6

Retired USAF 1966-1986
Retired US Postal Service 2004-2014

73-76 K frames are actually getting hard to find around where I live and the bent K frame has been reinforced and reworked by Firm Feel with support braces and extra welding. The bend is actually quite minor, but it is ust enough to prevent the frame from bolting up to the car.

I am in contact with Firm Feel right now to see if they are willing to take a stab at fixing it. If that doesn't work out, I will have to find another option.

I got the bad news from Firm Feel. They say they can't fix it. SO now i am either looking for another K frame or trying to figure out a way to fix this one. i am still really tempted to chain it up between my van and my truck and use a come-along and some heat to try and pull the bend out. Am I crazy for thinking that might work? I do have a perfect K frame that I could use to build a jig to check the alilgnment of the bolt holes. I could build the jig and heat and bend the bent K frame until the jig dropped into place easily.

Here are some pictures.

It appears as if the front passenger side "leg" of the K frame got pushed in and up a very little bit. However, it got pushed in enough so that the front right K frame bolt hole is about 3/4 of an inch out of alignment, the rear passenger bolt is about 1/8-1/4 inch out of alignment but it is also held away from the frame rail so it is hard to tell for sure exactly how much it is out. I believe if the front right "leg" was bent back down into position that the rear hole might actually line up fine.

All pictures were taken with the driver's side of the K frame bolted in place and the passenger side jacked up until the front frame "leg" contacted the passenger side frame rail:

Looking down at the passenger side:



Misalignment of front passenger side bolt hole:



Front jacked up and touching frame rail:



Rear passenger side bolt hole misalignment:



Distance the rear bolt hole is held away from the frame rail by the bend in the front passenger side "leg":


What do you think? Can it be saved? Or should I save my time and energy and just find something else?

Try to fix it, you got nothing to lose. All you have to do is make the hole line up. No critical measurements there.

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1976 Feather Duster /6 4sp
1984 W100 318 727 np241
1972 'Cuda 340 4sp
1985 D250 360 46RH

See if you can bolt it in by heating and pulling.

Then all it has to do is align......

Yup. Heating and pulling is my plan, I just need a way to heat it up hot enough. I don't have an oxy-acetalene setup, so I might see how far I can get with a propane torch and a come-along.

Propane won't be hot enough. A 3 pound sledge hammer, a sheet of plywood on the garage floor, and whale away. Look for the crease by the legs and smack it there. The goal is to get it to sit flat on the floor.

Hmmm, I have a 3 pound AND a 12 pound sledge! I will give it a go.

I've straightened a lot of bent parts. Something like this complicated welded up assembly will be very difficult to 'unbend'. I think a 12 lb hammer will just dent it up. It won't put the force in the right spot.

What about cutting and re-welding the mounting point that is the furthest out of place?

One method for tweaking large items like this is to use a large piece of I-beam with chains on both ends and a hydraulic jack in the middle. You might have to weld on some sort of temporarily attachment points. Work in small amounts one direction at a time. Bending it back - it will not want to bend in the same place as the original bend.

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If you can secure it solidly, put some tension on it with a come-a-long and then hit it with the 3lb hammer. You shouldn't have to hit it very hard. Hit it a few times then put more pressure on it. Repeat until straight.

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1976 Feather Duster /6 4sp
1984 W100 318 727 np241
1972 'Cuda 340 4sp
1985 D250 360 46RH

Ok, I'll ask........

Are you sure it's the K-member that's twisted and not the car?
(or a bit of both)

_________________
Ed
64 Valiant 225 / 904 / 42:1 manual steering / 9" drum brakes