AZkid

I have a 1981 toyota pickup 2wd short bed sr5 thats been in the family since it was basically new. i had a little problem and lost contol and hit a bridge wall. the front fender smashed, inner fender, hood, bumper, and frame. still runs and drives and im forced to continue driving it. so since the frames bent is it better to sell or what? help please in high school and not much money. any comments welcome.

Before:


Now:

TOYOTA 1

if the frame is bent i would call it a parts truck! thats just my .02

Tacoclimber

That's a heartbreak. That looked pretty clean for it's age.

You could conceivably restore it. It depends on how much sentimental value it has. Me? I'd keep it and rebuild it. You wouldn't get much money for it anyway the way it sits now.

AZkid

thanks. i acidentally put in 84-85 trucks and 4 runeers. can i move it or do mods have to?

pepsibluefloat

depends how bad the frame is bent. If it can be straightened to "good enough," id keep it. You should be able to fix all that yourself (aside from the frame) for relatively cheap using junkyard parts.

AZkid

well previously it was in an accident. it was stopped and got rear-ended by a guy doing 65. it was my grandpas at the time and he hit the rear window out with his head. later on he got a new bed and a had it all taken apart and repainted. how hard is a frame swap? my parents want it gone but im gonna miss it for sure

Tacoclimber

A frame swap entails pretty much disassembling the entire truck and then putting it back together... Lots of work. If the frame's not that bad, it can be straightened. A F350 hit my mom's Camry doing 60, and it looked like the front end was completely gone. A few months later, it was back on the road. It made a few funny noises, and eventually it was sold, but I still see that thing driving around town!

hmmwv15

Yeah, I'm not sure if you'd want to tackle this but it's not impossible. I pulled off a cab swap on my old p/u, but if your frame is bent up too bad you would need to do a frame swap as well. Granted it won't look as good as it did, but you will have the truck back. Problem is finding a decent donor cab with no rust since it's so old. Your out west so it should be easier. If your parents want it gone, see if you can park it at a buddies house. I was lucky enough to be able to do the cab swap in my front yard, parts strewn everywhere until it was finished! I think it took about 8 people to lift the cab up off the frame, so make lots of friends before you start on this project! I would post a link to my cab swap thread, but I didn't have anyone to take pics for me so my thread sucks on visual aid, not to mention I failed to keep posting about the process. Here is a thread another member on the site wrote, he did a great job on taking pictures and information, and he also did a cab swap I believe. Anyway, here's the link and if you have any questions about it, don't be shy to ask.

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...arning-122175/

blackspyder

look at the frame and see where it is bent. if it is in front of the turn down or behind it. the frame can be straightened and plated fairly easily. However if it is in the S of the turn down it is really not worth repairing (IMO) as a Frame Stretcher would have a devil of a time getting it back right (12 hr minimum) and the only other option would be to use a front clip off of a good truck which gets expensive.

Fink

Moved to Pre-84 section.

Fink

bigt

yeah i understand you missing it but your young and the parents are gonna get what they want..maybe ask if you could fix it up on your own time if you have the room.. is the frame bent for sure?? got any more higher res pics?? you might just need fender and body peices... did the rad break??? your still driving it??

rowdy235

now some will argue with me, but If that was a truck that had been in the family for that many years, and provided it drove without any problems, I'd re-do the sheet metal and call it good. Maybe take it to a body shop and get the frame straightened, but I wouldn't if it wasn't bent that far.

AZkid

yea its bent up pretty bad. the whole corners bent up like an inch to an inch and a half. but most likely getting an 87 4runner for $600

AZkid

Al's Chop Shop

um, you still aren't showing pictures of the frame. that is the critical part in question....

Al

AZkid

Where the bend is theres that hole and it started bending in right there.

rowdy235

2 words- frame straightener

any good body shop should have one, they had one on trucks the other day straightening a jeep cherokee frame. Just pull off the affected sheet metal, clamp the clamp on, it will hydraulically pull the frame, straightening it. Labor alone will be around $500, i think, so if you know somebody in a body shop, it may be worth looking into

I just would hate to see a truck like that hit the scrapyard or become a parts truck. Its in great shape otherwise.

AZkid

i wanna see it fixed or if anything get built up. i dont wanna see it scraped or used as a work truck but what the parents say goes.

Tacoclimber

Wanna send a fellow "Zonan" those Toyota emblems before it goes?

AZkid

well im keeping the grille one for my 4 runner im getting. you wanting the fender ones?