Deer strikes, rock hits and SH 78 fender benders · Lavon body shop · (000) 000-0000

(000) 000-0000 Call About Your Damage
Two red cars raised on a stacked lift in a repair shop

Frame and unibody

Frame Straightening in Lavon After Hard Hits

When a tire drops off the edge of FM 6 or a deer meets the bumper at highway speed, the frame can shift without showing it. We measure to find out.

(000) 000-0000 — ask whether the frame moved

When the Frame Is the Problem

A frame doesn't have to look bent to be out of line. We see it after a wheel catches the soft edge of a gravel shoulder, after a truck pulling a loaded trailer gets jerked sideways, and after front hits that seem to stop at the grille. The signs show up later: the wheel wants to drift, a door needs an extra shove, a front tire wears its outside edge, the hood sits wider on the left. Pickups with full frames and cars with unibody shells both move under that kind of load. We put the vehicle on a measuring system and compare it to the manufacturer's numbers. If something is out, we pull it back and measure again until it reads right.

Inside a Frame Repair

Straightening a frame is more than hooking up a chain. This is what the job involves.

  • Measuring the whole structure

    We take readings at the manufacturer's reference points from front to back, not just near the damage, because force travels.

  • Ladder frames and unibodies

    Body-on-frame trucks and unibody cars and crossovers get set up differently. We anchor each kind the right way before any pull.

  • Pulls made a little at a time

    Pulls are made in steps, with tension released and readings taken between them, so the metal goes back the way it came instead of being forced.

  • Crumple zones cut out and renewed

    Some rails and supports are designed to crumple and are not meant to be straightened. Those sections are replaced following the repair procedure.

  • Hitch and trailer-side damage

    A trailer that jackknifes or a hitch that takes a hard hit can pull on the rear of the frame. We check the receiver mounts and rear crossmembers too.

  • Engine and body mounts

    Engine, transmission and body mounts can crack when the frame moves. We inspect them and replace any that tore or split.

  • Suspension points checked

    We confirm that control arm and strut mounting points sit where they should, so the alignment has something true to work from.

  • Printed final readings

    After the pulls, we print a final set of measurements so you and your insurer can see the structure came back within spec.

How We Bring a Frame Back

  1. 01

    Find out if it moved

    We start by looking at gaps, tire wear and how the vehicle sits, then put it on the measuring system. The readings tell us where the structure shifted and how far. Those numbers go into the estimate. If nothing moved, we tell you that too.

  2. 02

    Anchor and pull

    We clamp the vehicle down at its anchor points on the rack. Pulls go on slowly, opposite the direction of the impact, with measurements checked along the way. Any section that kinked or tore gets cut out and replaced instead. We stop when the readings match the factory numbers.

  3. 03

    Rebuild and verify

    With the structure back in line, the body panels, cooling parts and suspension go back on. We run a wheel alignment and a scan, then take it out on a straight stretch to make sure it tracks true. The final measurements stay with the repair paperwork.

Why Frame Work Is Worth Doing Right

  • A straight frame drives straight

    If the structure is off, no alignment will hold for long and the tires will tell on it. Getting the frame right fixes the cause instead of chasing symptoms.

  • Crash protection depends on it

    The frame is built to manage crash energy in a certain way. Putting it back to spec keeps that protection working for the next time.

  • Trucks that work for a living

    Pickups hauling trailers between here and Farmersville put real load on their frames. We set them right so they pull and stop the way they should.

Something Not Driving Right Since the Hit?

A pull or a crooked stance after an impact is worth checking before it wears out tires or gets worse. Give us a ring and we'll get it on the rack for readings.

Get the frame measured — (000) 000-0000