I knew it had been in an accident, didn't realize how bad until I tried to put the new bumper on and it was off by an inch. What's the Shadetree mechanic procedure to fixing this?

Drivers side slight offset impact I believe.

Buckle at the crumple indent.


Bottom view.


Impressive repair huh? Plus all the welds broke. I paid a whopping $35 for a good bumper, the foam piece and that frame section at the pick-a-part




Pass side. Angles inward a tiny bit from the bracket to the bumper mount. Seems normal but I thought I would ask.

Hook a chain or heavy rope around the end of the frame and hook the other end to a big tree, then back up real fast until the slack is gone.

my thoughts exactly, a tree and a come-a-long, maybe a torch

I would have liked to fix it while the engine is out. Any other methods?

Crush zone damage complicated by stupidity and lack of talent.

Replace the rail or you will fight the lack of talent. Rail is short, front structure has a sway to the right.

Cant fix stupid.

Engine/trans is out. Half your labor is already done. Find a local shop that will work with you.

As much as I appreciate shade tree mechanics, no amount of yanking that against a tree is going to make it right. They don't come undone the way they went down. Even if it did, the metal would be fatigued.
You have to replace the damaged section to make it right.

want it fixed right, file insurance claim, take to body shop and have it done right. want to pocket the cash, close enough is good enough, a tree, a come along, torch and bfh should get there. i am not advocating either, just don't see much in-between. unless op is an experienced collision tech, which would make the original question redundant.

Then what does a frame straightening machine do? it stretches out bent sections.
Mild steel that frames are made of will not fatigue with one bend/stretch cycle
True the "shade tree" technique may not do anything in this case, but fatigue isn't the issue.

Glad you understand the difference between a frame straightening machine (or jig or celette bench) and a yank on a tree.

The former certainly gives you more opportunity to replace fatigued metal with new and adjust while keeping things lined up.

VW recommends fixtures because the rockers were not designed to withstand the pulling forces of the standard four point pinch weld anchoring systems. These are customarily 10-12 point fixtures locating control points throughout the body.

In its basic form fixtures perform a dual purpose. Holding and providing visual cue of any misalignment.

A tree will perform the same function with tow straps, chains and come-alongs but the end result will be far from accurate. The sudden acceleration technique is entertaining at best and usually results in "sudden hidden costs" or worse.

With the engine already out replacing the rail and possibly an apron assembly is not difficult. Not a lot of parts to R&I other than the suspension at the towers. A competent shop will usually work with you as a customer pay job. On the Mark 5s the area of damage is interesting as its the same area guys notch the frames at.

Get a section from the pick & pull. I have popped the spot welds on the flat top and hammered out the crush zone before. But you need to have tension on the rail and most of the time a torch is required. That HLA steel is tough. Only bring the rail to a pale cherry one spot at a time as you bump it. Too much heat and it will fracture or become brittle and unsafe if your ever in another fender bender. The crush zone in most cases is just that. There are manuals that show where to cut and how to weld.

[quote name='rick 918-S' date='Aug 5 2016, 07:40 AM' post='2380794']
[quote name='Jeff Hail' post='2380661' date='Aug 4 2016, 07:29 PM']
Crush zone damage complicated by stupidity and lack of talent.

Replace the rail or you will fight the lack of talent. Rail is short, front structure has a sway to the right.

Cant fix stupid.

Engine/trans is out. Half your labor is already done. Find a local shop that will work with you.
[/quote]


Get a section from the pick & pull. I have popped the spot welds on the flat top and hammered out the crush zone before.

I have done the same thing, not as hard as you would think.